Barley, the fourth largest cereal crop in the world today, has been a food source for civilizations in North Africa and the Middle East for about 8,000 years. While pearl barley is the most common form of barley in the American diet, the grain is also available as bran, flour, grits or flakes. Although fiber content varies from one barley product to the next, all are rich in soluble fiber, which promotes heart health.
Types
There are two types of barley, classified by how well the hull sticks to the kernel. The hull of "covered barley" adheres snugly to the kernel; it is removed before the barley is used as food. When so-called hull-less barleys are harvested, the hull falls off because it adheres loosely to the kernel. Both types provide soluble and insoluble fiber.
Fiber Content
A half cup of cooked pearl barley delivers 4 g of total fiber and 1 g of soluble fiber. The soluble fiber in barley contains pentosans and beta-glucans, the same substances responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effect of oats. Serve cooked barley by itself, or mix it into a salad, soup, pilaf or casserole with other foods high in soluble fiber, such as nuts, seeds, chopped unpeeled fruit, berries or legumes.
Effects of Soluble Fiber
When you eat barley, the partially digested grain travels from your mouth, through your stomach and into your intestines. The glucose, vitamins and minerals from the barley go through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream, but the soluble fiber remains inside your bowels. It combines with bile acids from the liver to form a gel-like substance that's eventually excreted in your stools. Your liver pulls more cholesterol from its stores to create new bile acids, and then removes cholesterol from your blood to replace lost stores.
Benefits of Soluble Fiber
Eating barley and other foods high in soluble fiber launches a chain of events that improves your overall health. As your liver pulls cholesterol into its stores, your total blood cholesterol drops and you have less low-density lipoproteins, or "bad cholesterol," in your blood. This change reduces the risk of plaque build-up insider your artery walls, lowering your risk factors for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack and stroke.
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