Want to speed up your weight loss? Include barley water in your diet.

High in calories and low in fat, barley water can be the perfect addition to your weight loss diet. Read on to know more.

By: Paras Hemrajani | | Published: September 28, 2019 3:20 pm

According to a study in the National Institute of Health, USA, drinking barley water after eating can help diabetes patients in lowering their blood sugar level. © Shutterstock

If you think a single food or a specific exercise will help you reduce weight, you are mistaken. The process of losing weight is all about getting the combination between exercise and food right. Once you get the combination right, the process will yield better result and become easier to follow. According to a study in 2019 in the International Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine, inclusion of barley water in a weight loss diet can help you attain your goal faster. Also Read - Hypoglycemia: What happens when your blood glucose level drops suddenly?

Barley is a cereal grain like oats and whole wheat. Discovered 10,000 years ago in Egypt, it is the main ingredient in the making of beer and whiskey. Barley is rich in fibre and low in fats, which makes it a perfect diet food. An average glass of barley water contains 96 calories, and only 1g of fat. With such high amounts of calories, barley is filling and reduces the feeling of hunger from the body. When the feeling of hunger disappears, the amount of food intake also decreases. It is important to remember that just because beer is made from barley does not make it essential for weight loss. In fact, consumption of alcohol can increase your weight. Hence, it is important to understand how barley should be consumed. Also Read - Blood-sugar drug metformin can cut Covid-19 death risk: Is it true? Let’s find out

Barley water

When you soak or boil barley in water, it has the tendency to lose its nutrients. These nutrients then enter the water. If we remove the grains of barley from water after boiling them, we can drink the water. This water is called barley water and is consumed all over the world. It is highly nutritious. You can use this water to make other juices, tea and lemonade. Also Read - Type 2 diabetes: This cooking oil may alleviate your blood sugar levels

Add barley in your flour

You can mix barley in your regular flour. This will increase your vitamin, niacin, folate, iron and magnesium intake. These nutrients will improve your immune system and reduce the risk of injury.

Other health benefits of barley water

Apart from weight loss, barley has other health benefits.Here are few other reasons why you should include barley in your diet.

Lowers cholesterol

According to a study published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis in 2017,barley contains a chemical called the tocol. This can suppress LDL cholesterol and improve overall cardiovascular health. The antioxidants in barley also help cut down the oxidative stress from the heart. Barley can help in controlling free radicals and reduce the stress that the heart feels from the toxins.

Controls blood sugar

According to a study in the National Institute of Health, USA, drinking barley water after eating can help diabetes patients in lowering their blood sugar level. The antioxidants in barley help bind the sugar before it enters the blood. You can also drink unsweetened barley water to handle a sudden spike in blood sugar level.

Improves digestion

Filled with digestive fibre, barley can help move food through the stomach and out of the bowels. Drinking barley water also hydrates the kidneys and other organs, which help in processing and removing more toxins from the body.

Published : September 28, 2019 3:20 pm

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