Cereals and cereals based on them are a source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and complex carbohydrates, they must be in the diet of a person who wants to be healthy and eat right. They are recommended to be given to children from 6-7 months old to ensure their correct development. They are no less important for adults. Barley porridge is considered one of the healthiest.
What is barley groats
Barley is made from barley by crushing. After the barley grains are crushed, they are sieved through special sieves with different mesh diameters, as a result of which the section is naturally sorted by size. Barley is perhaps the only one of the cereals, which is assigned a number - №1, №2 or №3, depending on the size of the grains. Before crushing, barley for barley grits is not subjected to additional processing, it is only washed, but not grinded, so this grits retains more useful properties, in contrast to pearl barley, which is grinded barley grains. In barley grits there is more fiber, flower films and aleurone layer, which contains most of the vitamins and minerals, remain on its grains.
History of barley
Barley was brought to Europe from Asia, where it was grown long before the onset of our era. Archaeologists have found on the territory of present-day Jordan barley grains that are more than 11 thousand years old, which allows us to conclude that barley, along with wheat, is one of the most ancient crops that humans began to cultivate. Wild barley is still found in Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Central Asia and the Caucasus. This grain crop is good for its unpretentiousness, productivity and quick ripening period.
The calorie content of barley is 342 kcal per 100 g of product.
Useful properties of barley
Barley grits contain many vitamins and microelements necessary for humans: A, E, PP and group B, silicon, phosphorus, fluorine, chromium, zinc, boron, thanks to the method of production, it is possible to preserve potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron in it, nickel, iodine and other minerals. The fiber content in barley is about 6%, it is necessary for the normal functioning of the stomach and the smooth functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Due to its high fiber content, barley porridge promotes the removal of harmful decay products from the body. It contains vegetable protein, which is almost completely absorbed in the body, in contrast to the protein that comes with meat or fish.
Barley is used in folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases, as well as in cosmetology, because it contains lysine, which stimulates collagen production.
What is good about barley porridge
Due to the fact that its grains are small, this is one of the first natural cereals that can be given to children from 1, 5-2 years old. It is non-allergenic, tasty and nutritious. It is recommended for those who suffer from constipation, bowel diseases, want to get rid of excess weight, since it has an enveloping and diuretic effect. Such porridge is especially useful for patients with diabetes mellitus, since when consumed, the blood sugar level does not rise and saturation occurs very quickly.
