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Vegetarians and the bible diet: barley
Another biblical whole grain important to a vegetarian is barley. Barley was being eaten long before the discovery of wheat. Early man, close to the end of the Stone Age, was eating barley grains. After learning how to grind grain into flour, the ancients began to make loaves from the barley flour. Jesus fed the multitudes from five loaves of barley bread.
Several small loaves of barley bread and a ration of beer, made from barley, was the daily fare of the slaves who built the pyramids. They withstood the labor of moving gigantic stones in the blistering desert heat, working from sun up to sun down on that meager diet. This is not a pleasant testament to the nutritional and energy providing value of barley, but a testament it is.
Barley is available at the grocery store in several different forms:
Hulled Barley: This is the most nutritious kind and the one that can claim to be a whole grain. Only the outer hull is removed, leaving the bran and endosperm layers. The bran and endosperm are where the nutrients are. Hulled barley needs to be soaked and cooked for a longer time than the other kinds, but it’s the best for the health-giving benefits.
Scotch Barley: Scotch, or pot barley, is polished barley. The polishing does remove some of the nutrients as opposed to the hulled type, but it’s still very nutritious.
Pearl Barley: This is the easiest and quickest kind of barley to cook. It has been polished until only a little white “pearl” is left. Even though it’s convenient for quick meals, the polishing has destroyed the bran layer and all most all of the endosperm. Pearl barley is no longer a whole grain.
Barley Flakes: The barley is flattened and sliced similar to the way rolled oats are fashioned. Since barley flakes can be made from the hulled, Scotch or pearl, there is no way to be certain about its nutritional value.
One cup of hulled barley provides 22 grams of protein, 61 mg of calcium, 245 mg of magnesium, 486 mg of phosphorus and 146 mg of potassium. Barley is also a good source of selenium and lutein. Pearl barley loses as much as 70 per cent of its natural nutrients.
High in fiber, barley is an excellent food for intestinal health. Along with other whole grains, fruits and vegetables, barley seems to help in lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of colon cancer and the risk of type-2 diabetes.
