What is pre-sprouted barley and how does it differ from regular barley? Is there really such a huge nutritional difference? Read on to learn more about the history of this interesting superfood and how it works.
What is pre-sprouted barley and how does it differ from regular barley? Is there really such a huge nutritional difference? Read on to learn more about the history of this interesting superfood and how it works.
Let’s talk about Barley…
Barley and Diabetes Benefits
Research conducted in Canada, the United States, and Australia has shown that barley can play a significant role in lowering blood cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic subjects. Other studies have shown that non-insulin dependent diabetics (Type II) had improved blood sugar levels as a result of including barley in their diet. It should be noted that barley rates an astoundingly low 27 on the glycemic index. That’s 22 percent less than skim milk! And yet which one is banned from the low-carb, no-grain diets?
Barley and Cholesterol Benefits
In addition, barley has high concentrations of tocotrienols, antioxidant compounds that work to suppress the activity of the first rate-limiting enzyme (HMG-CoA Reductase) in the liver, thus reducing cholesterol synthesis. And barley is one of the highest known sources of beta-glucans, carbohydrates that also provide remarkable system support properties, and has been shown to improve blood sugar levels and lipid levels among diabetics in clinical trials.
Historical Health Uses of Barley
Historically, barley has been used for thousands of years. The Roman army marched on it. It was the primary staple of their diet. They picked up that trick from the Greek gladiators who trained on it and were known as “barley eaters.” (So much for meat being the food of choice for macho men.)
In ancient Rome, a food made from sprouted barley, honey, and colostrum was used to sustain infants whose mother’s died in childbirth. In more recent years, the same formula has been used by the UN to prevent starvation in 3rd world countries.
Introducing Pre-sprouted Barley
Issues Regarding Barley
The problem with sprouted barley is that it’s extremely gelatinous. All attempts to dry it and package it for commercial distribution failed until a company in Sweden figured out a way to use low-temperature steam (produced in a partial vacuum) to take the barley just up to the point of sprouting — before it turns gelatinous, but after the point where all the proteins and carbohydrates have been converted, and at a temperature low enough so that no enzymes are damaged.
How Pre-sprouted Barley Is Better
This turns out to be a remarkably interesting point for food. It’s like the food is placed in a state of suspended animation at the point where all the energy of the grain has been marshaled to sprout the pearl and not yet expended in the act of sprouting, hence the name “Pre-sprouted Barley.”
The result is a brand-new superfood with unbelievable properties. Think of it like a bullet in a gun.
- The bullet in the chamber is like the barley pearl. All the energy is dormant — unavailable.
- The bullet after it has fired and left the gun is like the barley sprout. All the energy has been expended in the act of making the bullet shoot out of the gun — or in this case, the barley sprout. The energy is no longer available.
- But pre-sprouted barley is different. It’s like being able to freeze time at the moment the gunpowder has fired and before the bullet has left the gun. A huge amount of energy is now locked in the chamber, available in an easily used form, just waiting to be directed in any way you want. What if you could take that energy and use it for other things rather than making the bullet fly? What if you could use the energy locked in the pre-sprout phase to nourish the body rather than make the barley sprout? That would be a true superfood.
The Properties of Pre-sprouted Barley
- Like regular barley, pre-sprouted barley ranks incredibly low on the glycemic index.
- It has all the nutritional value of barley — high levels of tocotrienols and beta glucans.
- Pre-sprouted Barley contains 1,000s of active enzymes.
- It is an ultra-long-chain carbohydrate that takes up to 4 hours to break down in the digestive tract — thus providing a slow, sustained release of energy and insulin.
- Because the release is so slow, it actually lowers the body’s insulin response.
- It provides over 400% more energy per calorie than any other food calorie known. (Despite what the USDA may tell you, not all calories are created equal.)
How to Take Pre-sprouted Barley
Since this is a concentrated version of barely, you’re going to find this is supplement form and typically as part of meal replacement or weight loss formula.
