Barley grass powder, derived from the young leaves of the barley plant, is gaining recognition as a superfood with potential benefits for weight loss and overall health. This article delves into the science-backed advantages, uses, and considerations of incorporating barley grass powder into your diet.
What is Barley Grass?
Also known as barley leaves and barley greens, barley grass is the leaf of the barley plant. Barley grass is a common ingredient at juice shops and health stores, frequently appearing alongside other greens like kale, spinach, and wheatgrass. It’s often dubbed a superfood and used as a supplement to boost weight loss, enhance immune function, and support overall health. Although fresh barley grass can be tricky to find, it’s available in other forms, including powders, juices, tablets, and gummies. It’s often combined with other ingredients in green blends, including kale, spirulina, and wheatgrass.
Nutritional Profile of Barley Grass
Barley grass is rich in a variety of important nutrients. Dried barley grass, in particular, is an excellent source of fiber, boasting nearly 3 grams per tablespoon (10 grams). Plus, each serving of barley grass contains a good amount of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that regulates immune function, cell growth, and vision. It’s also high in vitamin C, which plays a central role in everything from skin health to wound healing to oral health. It also provides vitamin K, an essential micronutrient needed for blood clotting, bone formation, heart health, and more. Lastly, it’s rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. These compounds act as antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and protect against chronic disease.
A tablespoon of powdered barley grass contains:
- Calories: 20
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 2 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 1 gram
Barley grass is rich in amino acids, which are important building blocks for proteins in the body. The nine essential amino acids barley grass provides helps the body repair muscles, blood vessels, and even bone marrow.
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Barley grass is also a good source of:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Antioxidants
The essential amino acids in barley grass are complete, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. Most plants do not provide all the essential amino acids that the human body needs. Barley grass can provide every amino acid, helping people who eat plant-based diets to get the nutrition they need.
Potential Weight Loss Benefits
Barley grass is low in calories but high in fiber, making it a great addition to a healthy weight loss diet. Fiber moves through your body slowly, keeping you feeling fuller for longer to curb cravings and decrease hunger. In fact, several studies have found that increasing your fiber intake could boost weight loss.
According to nutritionist Anju Sood, barley grass juice indirectly aids weight loss by boosting metabolism. Its antioxidant-rich and low-calorie composition contributes to weight management.
Increased Satiety: Fiber passes slowly through the intestine, keeping you satisfied for longer and reducing hunger cravings.
Read also: Barley on Keto: What You Need to Know
Studies on Fiber and Weight Loss:
- One study in 252 women associated each gram of fiber consumed daily with 0.5 pounds (0.25 kg) of weight loss and 0.25% less body fat over 20 months.
- Similarly, a 6-month study in 345 adults with overweight or obesity showed that those who ate more fiber lost more weight and found it easier to stick to their prescribed diet.
- Furthermore, one study in rats on a high fat diet showed that drinking barley grass juice decreased body weight and body mass index (BMI).
Barley isn’t a low-calorie food, but eating some could still help you achieve your healthy weight goals. Barley can help you feel less hungry because it’s high in fiber and protein. Both of these nutrients help you feel full and stay full. Barley sticks with you much longer than processed grains, which digest quickly and leave you feeling hungry again. And if you’re up for trying some barley grass juice, it could also be a potential weight loss aid. One study on rats found that those who consumed barley grass juice had a decrease in body weight after two months.
Additional Health Benefits of Barley Grass
Beyond weight loss, barley grass offers a range of health benefits:
May Balance Blood Sugar Levels: Some studies suggest that barley grass could help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. This may be thanks to its content of insoluble fiber, a type of fiber that doesn’t dissolve in water. It’s been shown that increasing fiber intake reduces blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity, making it easier for your body to use insulin effectively. Recent studies have shown that barley grass may help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
May Support Heart Health: Adding barley grass to your diet is a great way to support heart health. According to one older study in 36 people with diabetes, taking 15 grams of barley leaf extract for 4 weeks decreased the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Barley grass also contains saponarin, lutonarin, potassium, calcium, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), all of which have been linked to decreased blood pressure, reduced inflammation, and improved heart health. One study showed that taking 15 grams of barley leaf extract for 4 weeks reduced the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Read also: The Benefits of Barley
Boosts Immunity: The immune system acts as a defence mechanism for our bodies. Barley grass juice aids in detecting antigens and strengthens the body's immunity to prevent illness upon exposure to the antigens. Barley grass improves immune function by boosting the synthesis of antibodies that protect the body from viral and bacterial illnesses.
Helps Body Detox: Barley grass juice flushes out toxins and other harmful substances from the body by releasing excess water, which promotes overall fitness and well-being. Chlorophyll, which is well recognized for its blood-cleansing properties, is a major component of barley grass.
Strengthens Bones: Barley grass juice enhances bone mineral density, which directly impacts the health and strength of our bones. The calcium found in barley grass can help prevent or reverse osteoporosis. It can also help keep your teeth healthy, especially when combined with the phosphorus that’s also found in barley grass.
Improves Skin: Since barley is rich in antioxidants, barley grass juice provides the body with essential nutrients to combat free radical damage, leading to improved skin health.
Relieves Acidity: Barley grass juice helps balance the acid content in the stomach, providing relief from the discomfort and burning sensation associated with acidity.
Fights cancer: Barley has anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects, which could help prevent some types of cancer. It contains vitamin E and polyphenols. These nutrients stop oxidation, or cell damage, that can lead to tumor growth.
Promotes gut health: Barley has a generous amount of soluble fiber, which is great for keeping your digestion running smoothly. And soluble fiber has another lesser-known benefit - it’s food for your gut.
Sidesteps heart disease: Heart disease is the No. But you can help prevent it by eating heart-healthy foods each day, including barley.
Antioxidant Power: Antioxidants play a vital role in promoting heart health and protecting the body against radical damage caused by pollution, smoking, and certain chemicals. Nutritionist Anju Sood reveals that barley grass juice brims with antioxidants. Barley grass is rich in vitamins A and C, which act as antioxidants. These vitamins help fight off free radicals that can damage your body. They help carry free radicals out of the body and lower your risk of problems ranging from decreased skin elasticity to breast and colon cancer.
Better Digestion: Barley grass is a great source of dietary fiber. The soluble and insoluble fiber that barley grass provides helps digestion in two ways: First, insoluble fiber feeds the “good bacteria” living in your gut, helping you digest food efficiently and keeping your intestines healthy. Second, soluble dietary fiber helps your stomach absorb sugar more slowly, keeping your blood sugar and cholesterol levels lower. Since barley grass is high in fiber, it can promote a healthy balance of microbiota in the gut. This can help people with gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcerative colitis since barley grass helps regulate intestinal chemicals due to its strong anti-inflammatory effect.
Other Benefits: It also has high levels of vitamins E and C and beta-carotene. Superoxide dismutase enzymes in barley grass offer therapeutic assistance to damaged cells.
Potential Side Effects and Precautions
Although barley grass is generally safe to consume for most people, there are a few side effects and precautions that you may want to consider. First, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate the safety or effectiveness of barley grass supplements in the same way that it monitors drugs.
When purchasing supplements, be sure to buy from a reputable retailer and look for products that have undergone third-party testing. Additionally, note that some barley grass products may contain high amounts of micronutrients like vitamin K or potassium. Those taking blood thinners like warfarin should keep their vitamin K intake consistent to avoid interfering with these medications’ effects. Furthermore, people with kidney disease may be advised to limit their potassium intake to help keep their blood potassium levels within the normal range.
Thus, if you’re taking medications or have any underlying health conditions, talk with a healthcare professional before using barley grass supplements. Finally, those who have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity should exercise caution when purchasing barley grass products. Although gluten is only found in the seeds of the barley grain, there’s a risk of cross-contamination.
It is important to start with a small amount to observe how your body reacts to it. If you are taking any drugs or have any underlying health concerns, consult your doctor before including barley grass juice or supplements in your diet as it may interfere with certain medications or not be recommended for people with certain underlying health conditions.
Not everyone should belly up to the barley bar. Barley, barley water and barley tea contain gluten. If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, steer clear. And some people may be allergic to barley, but this isn’t a common allergy.
How to Incorporate Barley Grass into Your Diet
Although fresh barley grass can be difficult to find, barley grass powder is widely available at many health stores, pharmacies, and online. It has a mild, slightly bitter flavor and makes a great addition to juices, smoothies, and shakes.
Barley grass is typically consumed as part of a juice, because the texture can be unpleasant to eat. You can grow your own barley grass and juice it yourself, or you can buy barley grass extract as a powder.
Here’s a simple recipe for a barley grass smoothie:
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons of barley grass powder
- 1 medium banana
- 1 cup (148 grams) of blueberries
- 1 cup (237 mL) of milk of your choosing
Directions
Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Barley grass juice can be easily made at home. Juice made with the grass of barley plant is renowned for its many health-benefiting properties, and that's why, it is an excellent drink to have every day. You can even grow the grass in your kitchen garden, and juice it to make fresh juice. But always remember to consult your doctor first if you are suffering from a serious health complication before making any major changes in your diet.
Ways to enjoy barley: Not sure how to make barley a part of your diet? The simplest way is to cook it like oatmeal and have a bowl for breakfast. Toss some fresh or frozen berries on top for sweetness.
This grain also works well in savory dishes, including: "Barley is a great substitute for less healthy grain choices, like white bread or refined, sugary cereal," highlights Czerwony. "But it’s not the only healthy grain out there.
Eating barley vs. drinking barley water or tea: Which is better? Not sure you want to eat a bowl of barley? You could try drinking barley water or making barley tea. Barley water is cooking water that has been used to cook barley. You can strain out the grains before drinking it, or leave them in. “Many people claim that barley water will detoxify your body,” says Czerwony. “It contains fiber that helps clean out your digestive tract, but it doesn’t have any special detox abilities. That said, unstrained barley water contains the same fiber and nutrients you get from eating barley, so it’s definitely a healthy choice.” And barley tea provides some nutrients as well, but probably not as much as barley water. “When you make tea, you remove the tea bag, so you’re not consuming as much barley,” explains Czerwony. “But if you enjoy barley tea, you’re still getting some of its vitamins and minerals.” So, when it comes to barley water or tea vs. eating barley, go with your preference. But don’t expect miracle cures - and avoid consuming excessive amounts of any of them. All that fiber could cause uncomfortable bloating, gas or diarrhea.