This new superfood might make you healthier and skinnier in just days

Trine Jensen-Burke

Forget goji berries and acai bowls, now scientist are telling us that good aul’ barley is what you should be scoffing to stay fit, young and gorgeous.

According to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, the ancient grain has been found to rapidly improve people’s health in just three days, by reducing blood sugar levels and, in turn, the risk of diabetes. As well as this, barley can help reduce a person’s appetite and risk of cardiovascular disease.

The secret, according to the researchers, lies in the special mix of dietary fibers found in barley, that stimulates growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, which regulates both metabolism and appetite.

“It is surprising yet promising that choosing the right blend of dietary fibers can, in a short period of time, generate such remarkable health benefits,” explains associate professor and one of the researchers who led the study, Anne Nilsson, explains in a statement.

To conduct their study, Nilsson and her colleagues examined a group of healthy middle-aged volunteers over a three-day period, where the participants were asked to eat bread largely made out of barley kernels (up to 85 per cent) for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.

Around 10-15 hours after their final meal of the day, each participant was examined for risk indicators of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Surprisingly, the scientists found that after eating barley, the volunteers’ metabolism improved for up to 14 hours. In addition, they also saw other improvements, like a decrease in blood sugar and insulin levels, increases in insulin sensitivity and improved appetite control.

Gut health is a buzzword of late, and scientists are all agreeing that a healthy environment in your abdomen can help prevent a vast amount of chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

“After eating the bread, we saw an increase in gut hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite, and an increase in a hormone that helps reduce chronic low-grade inflammation, among the participants,” Nilsson explains. “In time this could help prevent the occurrence of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

And although admitting that more research is needed, the Swedish researchers advise that we all try to include more fiber in our diet, adding barley (and other healthy grains) to salads, soups, stews, or even as an alternative to rice or potatoes.

Three easy ways you can incorporate barley into your diet

1. Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Stew

Ingredients

Sunflower oil
1 (2- to 3-pound) chuck or round beef roast, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, diced
8 to 10 ounces medium whole white button or brown mushrooms, stems trimmed
3 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup pearl barley

Instructions

Film the bottom of a large frying pan or skillet with canola oil and set over medium-high heat until the oil is hot. While the oil is heating, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, add a single layer of meat to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes until the cubes loosen and are seared golden-brown. Flip the cubes and sear the other sides. When all sides are seared, remove the meat to the insert of a slow cooker that holds at least 4 quarts. Sear the remaining meat in batches. If there is any liquid in the pot after the last batch is finished, pour it over the meat. Place the pan back on the stove.

Heat 1 teaspoon of canola oil in the pan and cook the onions with a pinch of salt until they are translucent and brown around the edges. Add the mushrooms and another pinch of salt, and cook until they have released all the moisture and have turned golden-brown. Add the celery and cook until just softened.

Clear a space in the middle of the vegetables and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the thyme and bay leaf.

Pour the wine into the pot to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the wine bubbles. Let the wine reduce down until most of it has evaporated or been absorbed by the vegetables. Transfer everything to the slow cooker.

Add both stocks to the slow cooker and top with enough water to cover the meat and veggies by about 1/2 inch. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low. Stir in the barley, cover again, and cook until the meat and barley are tender, about 2 hours more on low. Skim off any fat if desired, taste, and add salt and pepper as needed

(Recipe via TheKitchn.com)

2. Aubergine and Barley Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb aubergine, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 lb courgette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped scallion (from 1 bunch)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (note: I used 1/8 tsp. and it was plenty spicy; adjust to taste)
1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)
1 (14-oz) can reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Accompaniment: 1 (1/2-lb) piece ricotta salata, cut crosswise into thin slices

Instructions

Roast eggplant and zucchini: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Combine vegetables in 1 pan and cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.

Cook barley: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to reserved shallow baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Make dressing and assemble salad: Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well. Serve with cheese slices.

(Recipe via Smittenkitchen.com)

3. Greek Barley Bread

Yield: 1 loaf (900 g)

Ingredients
270 g whole barley flour
155 g whole wheat flour
150 g white strong bread flour
11 g instant dried yeast
½ Tbsp caster sugar
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
350 ml lukewarm water
¾ tsp sea salt

Special equipment: large bowl (large enough to knead the bread in with your hands), plastic wrap, Dutch oven, or pizza stone, or baking sheet for baking the bread, baking paper

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the flours, the yeast and sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil, water and salt. Mix with your hands until you have a rough dough and then start kneading. It will need about 5 minutes of kneading before you have a pliable dough that’s not sticking to your hands or to the sides of the bowl but remains slightly sticky. The dough will be kind of heavy due to the type of flours used, it will not be airy and light like a dough made exclusively with white flour.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place, allowing the dough to proof and double in size. It will take about 40 minutes to proof, depending on how warm the room you leave it in is.

For baking on a baking sheet, preheat your oven to 180-185 degrees Celsius.

Once the dough has proofed, take it out of the bowl and knead it for a few seconds just to deflate it a bit on a clean surface (don’t flour the surface). It should feel smooth, somewhat soft and not sticky. Shape it into a ball and then press the top to flatten it. Using a large knife, slash the top.

If you’re baking on a baking sheet (this bread can also be made in a pizza oven), line it with baking paper, add the dough on top and bake on the low rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Then transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, until the bread has taken on a golden brown color.

As a general rule, a bread loaf is ready when it makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.

(Recipe via MyLittleExpatKitchen.blogspot.com)