Food & recipes

The health benefits of barley

You’ll often find barley flakes in muesli but you can also cook this nutritious grain. Cook barley flakes with milk or water for a change from porridge (they’ll take longer than oats), or boil the whole grains as a chewy, nutty-tasting substitute for rice, pasta or couscous, or add them to soups.

You’ll often find barley flakes in muesli but you can also cook this nutritious grain. Cook barley flakes with milk or water for a change from porridge (they’ll take longer than oats), or boil the whole grains as a chewy, nutty-tasting substitute for rice, pasta or couscous, or add them to soups.

You’ll often find barley flakes in muesli but you can also cook this nutritious grain. Cook barley flakes with milk or water for a change from porridge (they’ll take longer than oats), or boil the whole grains as a chewy, nutty-tasting substitute for rice, pasta or couscous, or add them to soups.

Like all grains, barley supplies starchy carbohydrates, the body’s preferred energy source. Barley also contains the protein gluten, so it’s not suitable for people with gluten intolerance or coeliac disease.

It’s worth looking out for ‘pot’ barley, which still has the bran, and higher levels of nutrients than its pearly form. A 50g (uncooked weight) portion of pot barley contains 150 calories and is a good source of B vitamins, providing 15 per cent of your daily vitamin B1 and 30 per cent of your vitamin B3. It also supplies 12 per cent of your recommended folate allowance – important for women of reproductive age, as well as being linked with heart health. It is also a good source of magnesium.

Article by

Carina Norris

Registered Nutritionist

Registered nutritionist Carina Norris is an author and health journalist. She was the nutritionist for Channel 4s Turn Back Your Body Clock, and her 12 books include You Are What...

Discover more

Article by

Carina Norris

Registered Nutritionist

Registered nutritionist Carina Norris is an author and health journalist. She was the nutritionist for Channel 4s Turn Back Your Body Clock, and her 12 books include You Are What...

Discover more