Is This Ancient Grain the Secret to Controlling Your Appetite?

Millet and amaranth are having a moment now, but scientists say you might want to look at a less trendy ancient grain again: barley.

 

New research from Lund University in Sweden found that adding barley to the diet may help people lose weight. The study, which was published in the British Journal of Nutrition, had adults eat either a barley kernel-based bread or white bread three times a day for three days.

 

Researchers examine participants' blood after the brief diet and found that those who ate the barley bread had a boost in their metabolism for up to 14 hours, decreased blood sugar and insulin levels, and better appetite control than their white bread-eating counterparts.

 

The metabolism boost and reduced feelings of hunger are due to an increase in good gut hormones caused by fiber in the barley, scientists say. There was also an increase in a hormone that helps reduce chronic inflammation. Over time, researchers say, this could lower the odds that a person will develop heart disease and diabetes.

 

That's pretty impressive for just three days on a barley-enhanced diet, but registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life With Real Food, isn't shocked.

 

In Online Fitness Fibers in foods have been shown to stimulate hormones in the gut that regulate appetite and metabolism, she says, as well as stimulate the growth of good bacteria. "It's exciting that barley specifically, a high-fiber food, has been linked with these benefits along with a specific strain of good bacteria that it stimulates," she says.

 

While "carb" might be a four-letter word to some, Warren says this shows that they can actually help you lose weight. High-fiber foods including, yup, carbs can actually make you feel fuller, longer, control your appetite, increase your metabolism, and reduce bloating.

 

Interested in incorporating more barley into your diet? Warren recommends trying mushroom barley soup or incorporating the grain into a warm salad with red onion, tomatoes, and parsley seasoned with vinaigrette. Or you could go the study's route and simply start eating bread rich in barley.

[Source: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2016/02/barley-weight-loss]