Pearl barley has by far the lowest glycemic index of any grain ever tested. Its GI is 25. Next lowest is rye, but only in the form of its whole kernels, with a GI of 34. Low glycemic is good for people with diabetes, because it has little effect on our blood glucose levels.But pearl barley is not a...
Naked Barley: The Best Grain
2/18/07 9:57am
David,
Is this the same barley that you wrote about as Cowboy Foods NuBarley? I tried three varieties and found that they drove my bg way up. I am not on insulin.
Andrea
2/18/07 1:19pm
2/18/07 2:57pm
2/19/07 3:15pm
At my healthfood store, barley with everything on it, unprocessed, is sold as "hulled" barley, that is, *having* the hull. Several resource books confirm this potentially confusing naming convention.
Cooking tip: if you cook your barley in plenty of water, as you would pasta, you get something you can use as a pasta substitute, i.e., you can sauce it in the way you would pasta. Goes very well with mushroom based sauces, or with a classic broccoli rabe, garlic, and chilli flake type sauce. Use the cooking water from the barley to thicken your sauce, giving it a kind of creamy bound character.
Cooking tip: if you cook your barley in plenty of water, as you would pasta, you get something you can use as a pasta substitute, i.e., you can sauce it in the way you would pasta. Goes very well with mushroom based sauces, or with a classic broccoli rabe, garlic, and chilli flake type sauce. Use the cooking water from the barley to thicken your sauce, giving it a kind of creamy bound character.
2/28/07 1:40pm
"Is this the same barley that you wrote about as Cowboy Foods NuBarley? I tried three varieties and found that they drove my bg way up. I am not on insulin.
Andrea"
ANY high starch food, when properly cooked, will release potentially dangerous amounts of quick release glucose in eating. This results in the blood glucose spike. GI only measures the amount the blood sugar "spikes" to.
It's like the difference between being run over by a car or a semi trailer, the consequences are the same.
Hope Helps,
Ernie Lee
Andrea"
ANY high starch food, when properly cooked, will release potentially dangerous amounts of quick release glucose in eating. This results in the blood glucose spike. GI only measures the amount the blood sugar "spikes" to.
It's like the difference between being run over by a car or a semi trailer, the consequences are the same.
Hope Helps,
Ernie Lee
11/16/08 8:27pm
Naked (hulless) barley as sold is a viable seed. If you soak it it will eventually sprout. I usually soak it about 24 hours, drain and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. To cook the soaked grain you only have to add a couple of tablespoons of water to a cereal bowl with the barley, cover with a saran wrap or other non-metallic lid, and heat in a microwave (high) for about a minute.
Originally I got my first barley from a nice mom and pop business in Montana. Their products included a beautiful purple variety. When I looked for them just now, I found a site at westerntrailsfood.com, which I think are the same people.
2/ 3/10 11:15am
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