Recently, young green barley has gained a lot of popularity as a weight-loss aid, whether in the form of a green powder for making smoothies or as dietary supplements. But does green barley really help shed excess weight? In what other ways does young barley benefit health?
Young barley preparations are a huge wealth of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, chlorophyll and exogenous amino acids. It is characterized by a high content of: vitamins B, C, E and K, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon, manganese, zinc and iron. It is appreciated for its strong antioxidant properties.
Health-promoting properties of green barley
Young barley extracts have a high content of antioxidants. Due to the abundance of vitamins and minerals (and their high bioavailability), it quickly replenishes their deficiencies in the body. It strengthens the vitality of the body, and also has a beneficial effect on liver and gallbladder function. The high chlorophyll content helps deacidify the body and helps maintain its acid-base balance. Antioxidants from green barley extracts remove free radicals from cells, which not only prevents the development of many dysfunctions, but also delays cellular aging.
Interesting fact:
Green barley is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains more beta-carotene than carrots and more vitamin C than orange juice.
Where do the slimming properties of green barley come from?
Young barley preparations support weight loss due to their high content of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. There are two fractions of fiber in young barley extracts – soluble and insoluble. The former increases the feeling of satiety, delays gastric emptying of food content, in addition, stimulates fat metabolism in the body and reduces blood cholesterol levels. In turn, the fraction of insoluble fiber has a beneficial effect on the work of the digestive tract (among other things, it stimulates intestinal peristalsis), which prevents constipation. As you can see, barley shoot preparations can support weight loss in two ways. On the one hand, thanks to the fiber content, they reduce appetite and improve the work of the digestive system, and on the other – the high content of vitamins and minerals stimulates metabolism.
Check out: herbs for digestion
Green barley preparations available on the market – which to choose?
There are two forms of green barley available on the market – in the form of powdered juice or shredded barley grass. The methods of obtaining these two forms are different, which also makes them different in their properties. The first method is based on evaporation of water from the juice of green barley. The conditions of this process allow almost complete preservation of the nutritional qualities of young barley. The advantage is very good absorption of nutrients, while the disadvantage is the lack of fiber content in the resulting powder. On the other hand, barley grass raw material is obtained by drying the raw material at a relatively high temperature and then finely crushing it. This results in reduced nutrient content. However, due to its high fiber content, people who are losing weight should just reach for barley grass preparations.
Good to know:
Green barley is also used as a gargle and breath freshener.
How to use green barley?
Green barley powder is best dissolved in water or fruit juice. It can also be used as an addition to yogurt, soup, salad or cereal. It is best taken about half an hour before meals. However, there are often opinions about the unpleasant taste of shakes with barley shoot powder. An alternative is to take herbal capsules with green barley powder – convenient, easy to swallow (such as the Green Barley supplement). It is enough to take 2 capsules a day of the preparation with a meal.
