People have known for centuries that there are many uses and benefits found in barely grain, but what about the barley grass benefits? Some cultures have known about the benefits of the grass for a few centuries as well. Normally, humans do not benefit from eating grasses since they are not easily digestible. Consequently, the nutrients tend not to be absorbed. Barley grass is digestible however. It can be taken in as a powder, an extract, or as a juice.
When ingested in these forms, the many nutrients in barley are easily able to make their way into the bloodstream. One can even eat unprocessed barley grass, since it isn’t really a grass at all. It’s a leaf from the barley plant, and humans eat leaves of many different plants. Eating the leaves of the barley plant should therefore be no different. Indeed, the whole leaves, or at least pieces of the leaves, can be used in salads and other dishes. They just aren’t called barley leaves. They’re called barley grass.
Barley grass benefits is seldom consumed by itself, as most people tend to be slightly put off by its “green” taste. As is the case with many other foods, one can acquire a taste for barley grass. Nevertheless, it is mostly taken as a supplement, as a juice, or eaten together with other foods.
Barley Grass Benefits Are Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
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Barley grass benefits is especially rich in vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of vitamin A and C, both of which play the role of antioxidants. The grass is also rich in a number of the B-complex vitamins. The B vitamins aid the functioning of the body’s metabolism, and they also play an important role in the digestive system. They make it easier to release the nutrients that allow the body to convert carbohydrates and protein into fuel.
As far as minerals are concerned, at least three of those that are essential to one’s health are found in barley grass benefits. The grass provides the calcium the body needs for strong bones and teeth. It provides copper, which aids in the formation of proteins such as melanin, which gives color to the skin and hair. It provides iron, which is an essential component of hemoglobin. Barley grass benefits is also an important source of magnesium, potassium, zinc, iodine, manganese, and phosphorous as well.
Both barley grass and wheat grass are known as cereal grasses. The nutrients in these two grasses significantly outweigh those found in most green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach. Various studies have indicated that the nutritional benefits of barley grass appear to outweigh those of wheat grass, but the difference between the two does not appear to be all that significant. Both are extremely healthy food items.
Important Benefits of Barley Grass
What then are some of the benefits that are ascribed to barley grass benefits? Like many other foods that are often taken as supplements the benefits can at times be exaggerated. It does appear that barley grass tends to reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol. There do not appear to be any studies that positively confirm this, but the chemical makeup of the grass would seem to lend some credence to the claim. There is stronger evidence that barley grass provides an excellent source of carbohydrates without causing an insulin spike due to its low glycemic index.
This would seem to suggest that barley grass can be beneficial in regulating blood sugar. Barley grass benefits also provides a number of amino acids, including eight essential acids that the body needs, but cannot produce. There are also several enzymes, which both act as antioxidants and help the digestive system to do its job more efficiently.
A Slightly Green Side Effect of Barley Grass Benefits
There do not seem to be any significant side effects from eating barley grass benefits or drinking its juice. Since it is load with chlorophyll, if you eat too much, your stools may take on a greenish color, which could be a little scary, but is in no way harmful. If you eat too many carrots, your skin could take on a slightly orange hue, which isn’t harmful either. Too much barley grass isn’t going to make your skin turn the slightest bit green. Just your stools. Barley grass benefits is a little like vitamin C. What the body can’t use, it simply eliminates.
Barley Grass Benefits : Fillers are All Right, But Pure Barley Grass is Best
There are a number of barley grass powders on the market. Some powders are pure and some contain fillers. The problem with the fillers is that they tend to provide little in the way of nutrients, yet you’re usually going to be paying at least something for them. Fillers are OK if pure barely grass powder isn’t available, but you’ll probably be better off if you can get the pure product. Like most supplements, barley grass tends to be rather heavily promoted. Ignore those statements that say it will cure this or that. There’s no doubt barley grass benefits is a very nutritious food, and it’s good for you. That’s all you really need to know.
