Is it possible to lose weight with pearl barley porridge? Barley for weight loss: recipes

Among the newfangled diets for weight loss, the good old pearl barley is undeservedly forgotten. But with its help you can lose weight quite quickly and noticeably without any special material costs.

At the same time, you won’t have to fight the painful feeling of hunger - the main culprit of most breakdowns and refusals from your cherished dream of getting rid of extra pounds.

The benefits of pearl barley for weight loss

It’s as if nature specially created pearl barley for those losing weight. In it great amount vegetable fiber, which is difficult to digest, quickly creating and maintaining a feeling of fullness for a long time.

Slowly moving through the intestines, its fibers actively absorb all the toxins, wastes and excess fluid encountered along the way. The result of such cleansing of the body will become noticeable within a few days: healthy skin color, disappearance of swelling. And most importantly, regular soft stools are guaranteed.

Boiled pearl barley has a sweetish taste. At the same time, her glycemic index only 22 - 5 times lower than glucose. That is, after eating pearl barley, the level of the hormone insulin, the main regulator of sugar metabolism, increases very slightly. This means that the digested carbohydrates will be immediately consumed and will not be stored as fat. And the amount of insulin will slowly decrease without causing a sharp feeling of hunger.

Pearl barley is the leader among cereals in terms of content vegetable protein. It is poorly broken down in the human intestine, but the absorbed amount is still enough to prevent the body from burning its own muscles. In addition, barley is rich in lysine, an amino acid from which the collagen framework of the skin and mucous membranes of the body is formed. That is, that the skin will sag, the kidneys and uterus will descend, wrinkles will appear, even with fast weight loss you don't have to worry.

Pearl barley contains many vitamins that support immune system, helping to cope with depression and apathy without eating them with a mountain of sweets. A good mood and optimism is the best support for losing weight.

Calorie content and how to cook

The energy value of dry pearl barley is about 320 kcal. Depending on the duration of cooking, ready-to-eat porridge will contain from 80 to 120 kcal per 100 grams.

For those wishing to lose weight, we strongly recommend cooking it in a pressure cooker or pressure cooker. So it will be completely cooked in a maximum of an hour, and without pre-soaking, which destroys a lot useful substances. In this case, the cereal will boil so much that it will increase in volume by at least 4 times. As a result, from half a glass of dry pearl barley you will get half a liter of ready-made pearl barley, which will contain only 250 kcal.

Types of pearl barley diets

Cereals can be used for carrying out fasting day or a short mono-diet.

Mono-diet
In the morning, boil 150 g in water. pearl barley or its finely chopped version - barley groats(worse). Do not add salt and sugar.

Divide the resulting liter of porridge into 6 meals, wash it down with water, tea or compote without sugar. Weight loss will be up to 1 kg per day, including due to the removal of toxins and swelling.

Barley diet

A milder and healthier version of the diet is a combination of 0.5 liters of cooked pearl barley with other products. This type of nutrition can become the basis of a long-term diet. It’s just important to choose the right combination so as not to cause indigestion, increased gas formation and abdominal pain.

Making a daily menu with barley

It is useful to add pearl barley porridge to one meal with tender vegetables - tomatoes and cucumbers, boiled beets, cauliflower or broccoli.

Try it, how unusual and tasty it turns out vegetable salad, if you add “grains” of hard-cooked pearl barley to it.

It goes well with low fat sea fish, steamed or boiled - up to 300 grams per day. Those with a sweet tooth can delight themselves with fiber-rich fruits without the peel, in the form of puree for porridge or separately.

IN daily menu V separate appointment food can safely include:

Vegetable puree soups (30-50 kcal per 100 g);
- omelet made from a mixture of eggs and milk (120 kcal);
- 100 gr. boiled chicken breast(113 kcal) or other lean meat;
- low-fat cottage cheese.

What combinations should you avoid?

From raw and pickled vegetables and fruits containing coarse fiber. Their combination with pearl barley can become an unbearably hard brush for the intestines, causing abdominal pain. Be careful with white cabbage (“late”) and red cabbage, carrots, radishes, beets, radishes, pears, apple peels, and parsley.
For the same reason - from pulpy juices, bran, dried fruits and black bread.
From any dairy products to which acidophilus culture has been added. Barley fiber already causes increased gas formation. In combination with “live” kefir or yogurt, it will swell your stomach and can cause embarrassment.

A fasting diet based on barley does not cause feelings of hunger and does not require the boring monotonous repetition of the same dishes. It is so easy to understand that healthy eating imperceptibly becomes the norm of life.

Pearl barley is barley that undergoes hard cleaning upper layers, which cannot be softened during the cooking process. Cereals are often not polished and due to this, they are considered one of the most valuable cereals.

It contains about three hundred useful enzymes, including carbohydrates, starch, soluble dietary fiber, vitamins (B) group - these are (B6, B3, B2, B1), vitamin (E), proteins, folic acid, copper, iron, magnesium and manganese, phosphorus and selenium.

Useful properties of pearl barley

Krupa carries invaluable benefits the body and provides beneficial influence to your health. Namely:

Vitamins (B) strengthen blood vessels and make them more elastic.
Thanks to the great content minerals pearl barley can help children with growth problems.
Slows down the increase in blood glucose levels, which is very useful for people with diabetes.
It is an excellent antioxidant and cleanses the body of free radicals.
Restores intestinal microflora after taking antibiotics.
The plant fibers found in pearl barley are able to bind and remove harmful cholesterol from the blood.
Pearl barley great source niacin, which strengthens cardiovascular system and prevents the formation of blood clots and sclerotic plaques.
Available a nicotinic acid protects the body from free radicals.
Barley porridge is a food for constipation and hemorrhoids.
The combination of vitamin (E) and selenium in pearl barley helps strengthen the membranes of the body's cells and normalizes the functioning of the thyroid gland.
The soluble fiber and fiber contained in pearl barley help cleanse the intestines of accumulated toxins and improve liver function.
The phosphorus contained supports bone tissue.
Helps improve the functioning of the immune system.
The herpes virus is afraid of barley, since it contains lysine, which has the ability to suppress viruses.
Eliminates fluid retention in the body.
Helps prevent early wrinkles, as it contains enough vitamin (E).
Pearl barley can act as a kind of energy drink and is good for restoring strength after grueling workouts.
It is an excellent antioxidant and therefore helps the body avoid premature aging, as it promotes cell regeneration and improves skin elasticity.
Soluble plant fibers found in grains help prevent stone formation. gallbladder, as it reduces the production of bile acids.
After eating pearl barley, the intestines are less susceptible to anaerobic infections.

What do the doctor's say

American nutritionists conducted studies in which more than ten thousand people took part. As a result, they found that people who regularly consume pearl barley are twelve percent less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and thirty-one percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Delicious and no calories Tips for those with a sweet tooth: how not to gain weight from ice cream. Can I eat it for breakfast or dinner?

The benefits of pearl barley for weight loss

Perlovka, according to nutritionists, tops the rating best porridges for weight loss. During a diet, it can be used to replace higher-calorie cereals, such as rice or wheat porridge.

It does not have a very high calorie content (per 100 g - 290 kcal). Another plus is that when cooked, the cereal swells and absorbs a lot of water and its calorie content is reduced almost threefold and is only 96 kcal. per 100 g. Therefore, by consuming pearl barley while losing weight, you will quickly satisfy your hunger with a minimum amount of calories.
Barley has a lot of carbohydrates, but these are aggregated carbohydrates that do not contribute to weight gain.
Having a lot of protein, pearl barley helps fight hunger, since after eating it, the blood sugar level rises slowly and a feeling of satiety quickly sets in.
Helps reduce visceral fat levels.
It has a low glycemic index and therefore this porridge does not allow fat to be deposited, and therefore weight gain.
Pearl barley is dietary product, as it contains very little fat (only 2 G by 100 G porridge), which is ideal for diet.
Contains a lot of plant fibers (13 G by 100 G), thanks to this, pearl barley has a slight laxative effect, which improves bowel movements and cleanses the intestines, and this in turn accelerates weight loss.
Barley, thanks to the monounsaturated fats and oleic acid it contains, helps break down fat in the hips and abdomen.

But when losing weight, you cannot add butter, fatty sour cream, sugar and fruits that contain a lot of glucose to pearl barley. You can add some dried fruits or honey.

How to cook pearl barley

The composition of pearl barley porridge is priceless. It is very useful and versatile, with very pleasant taste. And most importantly, it is very easy to prepare. There are two main cooking methods:

Preparing pearl barley with soaking

To reduce cooking time, barley is soaked for ten to twelve hours, or preferably overnight. This soaked cereal can be prepared in twenty minutes. The ratio of pearl barley and cooking water is 1:3.

Cooking pearl barley without soaking

And if you want to cook barley without soaking, then you have to full readiness You'll have to cook it for an hour. The ratio of pearl barley and water is 1:4.

Barley for breakfast

Barley porridge - perfect option for breakfast. It will quickly and for a long time satisfy hunger during the diet, especially with kefir or natural yoghurt. This combination will significantly improve digestion and prevent bloating.

This breakfast will provide the body sufficient quantity energy and there will be no desire to have a snack between breakfast and lunch. In addition, you will receive a minimal amount of calories, which will in no way harm your figure.

You can also add any fruit to the porridge, but not grapes and bananas, since they contain a lot of glucose, as well as vegetables, except peas and beans. Another recommendation is to drink one glass of hot water half an hour before breakfast. boiled water in small sips. This will significantly improve digestion.

Barley for dinner

Cereals are useful for dinner, as they eliminate insomnia and strengthen nervous system. And also very light on the stomach.

Pearl barley recipes

There are a lot of recipes for barley dishes; it is a universal grain. It is used for preparing first courses, salads, risotto, and cereals. You can also drink tea made from ground barley grains, it is also very useful.

Pearl barley soup

An excellent option for diet menu can be considered pearl barley soup. It provides quick satiety with a minimum of calories (one serving of soup contains only 100 calories). And this is due to the fibrous structure of the cereal.

After eating the soup, the feeling of hunger subsides for a long time and the desire to have an unwanted snack disappears. This way you will eat less and less often.

Barley and pumpkin soup

Pearl barley – 300 g
Onions – 1 pc.
Pumpkin – 200 g
Greens – 1\2 bunches
Water – 2 liters

Boil the pearl barley. Cut the pumpkin and onion into small cubes and sauté in a small amount of olive oil. Bring water to a boil, add pearl barley, fried pumpkin with onions and greens. Let everything cook for about five minutes. Add salt to taste.

Rassolnik with pearl barley

Pearl barley – 200 g
Pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs.
Medium carrots – 1 pc.
Onions – 1 pc.
Greenery
Water – 2 l.

Boil the pearl barley. Peel the cucumbers, cut into small cubes and sauté in a small amount sunflower oil along with finely chopped onion and grated carrots.

Bring the water to a boil, add pearl barley, cucumbers, carrots and onions, and let it boil for about fifteen minutes. Five minutes before the end of the pickle preparation, add finely chopped herbs and salt to taste.

Soup with barley, chicken breast and pumpkin

Vegetable broth – 0.7 l.
Onions – 1 pc.
Green onion – 1 bunch
Garlic – 1 clove
Carrots – 1 pc.
Pumpkin – 100 g
Boiled chicken breast – 70 g
Boiled pearl barley – 8 tbsp. lie
Egg – 1 pc.
Mint – 1 tbsp. lie
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp. lie
Celery – 1 stalk
Salt - to taste

Finely chop the celery, onion and garlic. Pumpkin mode into small cubes, place everything in a saucepan and pour in vegetable broth.

Cook for about twenty minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Add boiled pearl barley and boiled breast. Add another 250 ml of water and after boiling, cook for another five minutes.

Then add it to the soup and stir a raw egg. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Main courses and salads with barley

Risotto with pearl barley

Medium-sized tomatoes – 2 pcs.
Carrots – 1 pc.
Green onions and parsley - 2 tbsp. lie
Medium onion – 1 pc.
Garlic – 2 cloves
Boiled pearl barley – 10 tbsp. lie
Water – 0.5 l.
Olive oil – 1 tbsp. lie
Salt - to taste

Dice tomatoes, carrots, garlic, onions and parsley. Fry the onion and garlic a little. Add carrots, parsley and boiled pearl barley. Add boiling water, put on fire and simmer, stirring, until the water evaporates. Then season everything with olive oil.

Stew with barley

Pearl barley – 200 g
Large tomato – 1 pc.
Onion – 1 pc.
Olive oil – 2 tbsp. lie
Salt - to taste

Dice the onion and tomato and fry them for about four minutes. Then place the vegetables in a saucepan, add one liter of water, bring to a boil, add pearl barley, add salt and simmer over low heat for one and a half to two hours.

Pearl barley porridge

Pearl barley – 1 cup
Water – 2 l.
Salt - to taste

Pour pearl barley with a liter of water and leave overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse well again. Then add fresh water in a ratio of 1:3, put on low heat and after boiling, cook for about an hour.

Then remove the porridge from the stove, add 2 tbsp. lie olive oil, stir, close the lid tightly and wrap in a blanket. Let it steam like this for about forty minutes.

In this case, the porridge will turn out crumbly and with a very delicate taste. The recipe is suitable for both longer diets and fasting days.

Barley with kefir

Boiled pearl barley – 200 g
Low-fat kefir - 150 ml

Mix pearl barley boiled in water with kefir. The result is an excellent low-calorie and satisfying dish.

Vinaigrette with pearl barley

Boiled pearl barley – 200 g
Boiled beets – 200 g
Pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs.
Sauerkraut – 100 g
Olive oil – 3 tbsp. lie

Cut the beets and cucumbers into small cubes, add pearl barley, cabbage and three tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil. Mix everything.

Contraindications

Barley has a large amount of gluten and is therefore contraindicated for people with a disease such as celiac disease.

Publication date: 06-06-2017

Barley actively cleanses the intestines of toxins, improves the digestion process, and enhances metabolism. Cereals contain substances that ensure healthy brain activity - these are vitamins B, A and E, microelements such as potassium, zinc, iron and phosphorus. In addition, the grains contain lysine, a substance that promotes the body’s production of its own collagen, which strengthens the heart muscles. Collagen is also responsible for the elasticity and youthfulness of the skin, this is the result after long-term use girls mention pearl barley porridge in their reviews.

Features of the diet variety

This option dietary nutrition ideal not only for those who really suffer from excess weight, but also to all people who want to cleanse their body of harmful substances. Typically, such a diet is designed for 5 days, but a menu designed for 7 days is often used; according to the girls’ reviews, such nutrition does not cause many of the difficulties inherent in other methods. For such short period time you can lose 4-5 kg. Having chosen a pearl barley diet, you should completely abandon such foods:

fatty foods;
sweets;
flour products;
alcohol;
salt.

Also, do not forget to drink 2 liters of still water per day. A large number of liquid will help cleanse the body, resulting in weight loss. There are several diet options, each of which is characterized by high efficiency and has its own characteristics. The following options are considered common pearl barley diet:

Five days.
Seven days.
"Free option."

A five-day barley diet is quite monotonous - for 5 days you need to eat one pearl barley porridge, boiled in water, without adding salt or oil. Porridge needs to be cooked for 50 minutes - 1.5 hours, depending on the quality of the cereal, therefore, in order to cook it faster in the morning, it is better to soak it in the evening cold water. You need to soak the cereal for 8-10 hours - a glass of pearl barley should be filled with a liter of water.

If you follow a five-day diet, you can drink still water, herbal decoctions or tea without sugar, before going to bed you are allowed to drink a glass of kefir with 1% fat content. Some girls in their reviews classify this diet as one of the strict methods, since at first there is quite a lot of strong feeling hunger.

The diet, the menu of which is designed for 7 days, is more varied, since, in addition to porridge, you can also eat some other foods. The most common is this menu weekly diet:

Breakfast. Lenten pearl barley porridge with prunes or green apple.
Dinner. Barley porridge, vegetable salad, a piece of lean fish or meat.
Dinner. 100 low-fat cottage cheese, a glass of kefir 1% fat.

During the day, during the diet, you can drink an unlimited amount of still water and green tea without sugar. With such a diet, weight comes off quite quickly; after reading the reviews, we can conclude that if all requirements are met, you can lose up to 1-1.5 kg of excess weight per day.

The most popular diet is one in which you can eat any low high-calorie foods in limited quantities. This version of the diet is called “free”, since there is no need to greatly limit yourself in food.

When choosing the free version of the pearl barley diet, you need to eat 4-5 times a day, but the portions should be small. Bread, buns, smoked meats, sweets, pasta and other high-calorie foods must be excluded from the menu during the diet. Of course, this version of the pearl barley diet will not give the same results as the 5-day and weekly diet menu. In this case, the effectiveness of the technique will depend to a greater extent on the ability to limit oneself in certain products nutrition.

At the end of the diet, you should try to smoothly transition to normal nutrition so as not to cause harm to the body. This period should average 2 weeks. It is not recommended to repeat the pearl barley diet more than once a month; otherwise, metabolism may be disrupted, as those girls who neglected this rule write in reviews.

Pearl barley, like all cereals, is very healthy, rich in vitamins (A, B, D and E), fiber, trace elements and minerals (calcium, iron, iodine, copper, phosphorus). The cereal contains the necessary and beneficial amino acid- lysine, it strengthens the heart muscle and immune system, promotes the production of collagen, helps you quickly feel full and not feel hungry for a long time. And the last ones Scientific research showed that pearl barley contains the antibacterial substance hordecin, which is used in medicine to treat fungal diseases.

There are three types of diets based on pearl barley - for those who are patient and those who are not so patient. The first is designed for 5 days, but implies complete failure from all products except pearl barley, the second one allows adding to pearl barley some products, the third allows you to independently create a menu, which should be based on pearl barley.

There are two ways to properly prepare pearl barley:

Take pearl barley, pour cold water(in the proportion of 200 grams of cereal per 1 liter of water) and leave overnight. In the morning, drain the water and add 2 - 3 glasses of water to the swollen pearl barley, cook over low heat until tender (about half an hour). After this, put the porridge in a warm place to let it brew.
Pour boiling water over the barley in the proportion of 200 grams of cereal per liter of water and leave for an hour or two. Next, follow the instructions of method 1.

Pearl barley diet No. 1 (for 5 days)

It involves eating pearl barley porridge 3-5 times a day, do not salt it or add spices under any circumstances, the diet requires lean pearl barley, the serving size is not limited. Drink 1.5 – 2 liters of water per day. At night you can drink a glass of low-fat kefir. And so on for 5 days.

Pearl barley diet No. 2 (for 7 days)

This diet is not as strict as the five-day diet; it allows the addition of fruits and vegetables, lean meat and cottage cheese to pearl barley porridge.

Sample menu:

On breakfast prepare pearl barley porridge and add grated green apple or soaked dried fruits.

IN dinner eat porridge and vegetable salad, you can pamper yourself with a piece of lean fish or meat (100 grams).

Have dinner low-fat cottage cheese(100 grams) and a glass of 1% kefir.

Pearl barley diet No. 3 (free)

Not all people are able to limit themselves to a strict diet, so there is another type of pearl barley diet that allows you to eat many foods, the main thing is that they do not contain sugar and fats, or contain, but in minimum quantities. That is, the ban is imposed on flour, smoked, fatty, confectionery. The diet allows you to eat vegetables and fruits, season porridge with spices and herbs, dairy products, juices and infusions from herbal infusions. This diet can be used for a long time, the main thing is to eat pearl barley once or twice a day, monitor the balance of the menu (balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates) and not get carried away with unhealthy foods.

Eat 4 - 5 times a day, portions should be small, ideally all food should fit into 1200 kcal and do not eat anything after 7 pm except fruit (apple or orange) and low-fat kefir.

Recipes for the pearl barley diet

You can come up with many recipes with pearl barley:

Pearl barley porridge with zucchini - boil 200 grams of pearl barley, chop 500 grams of zucchini, separate 2 tomatoes from the skin, put them in boiling water, mix all the ingredients and keep on fire for 10 minutes, use herbs as spices.
Stuffed cabbage rolls stuffed with porridge, mushrooms and onions (you can add a little lean meat for taste);
Barley with beets - boil a glass of pearl barley and stew one boiled beet with onions, add pearl barley porridge to the beets and simmer for 5 minutes, add herbs and garlic and simmer some more. The dish can be eaten both hot and cold.
Stuffed peppers - pearl barley porridge and a little meat as a filling;
Barley with mushrooms - boil pearl barley porridge (1 cup), stew mushrooms (300 grams) with onions or steam, then add the porridge to the mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Results of the pearl barley diet

You can be proud of the result of the 5 and 7 day diet - 5 - 6 kilograms off, the body is cleansed and filled with vitamins and minerals. The result of a free diet is difficult to predict, because the menu is compiled independently, but we want to assure you that the kilograms will gradually begin to melt away.

Do not leave your diet suddenly; for the first two weeks, eat pearl barley porridge once a day; do not immediately jump on flour, fatty and sweet foods.

Hello my dear fans healthy image life. Have you ever heard that barley for weight loss helps in the fight against extra pounds? I think that for many this is a real discovery.

Previously, barley porridge was the main army product. Now it has been undeservedly canceled and anathematized. But she is so useful. That’s why we’ll talk about it today.

This cereal occupies one of the leading positions in the ranking. Its glycemic index is only 20-30 units. However, this is provided that the pearl barley is cooked in water and butter is not added. This product is not capable of igniting strong appetite, which allows you to eat it during diets.

By the way, the name of this grain crop comes from the English “pearl” - literally translated “pearl”. But in fact, this grain resembles freshwater pearls.

Pearl barley in the store can be found in different shapes, depending on the degree of processing:

Barley– a grain crop that has not been peeled. This is the grain that grows in ears. They are sold in a shell.
Pearl barley– she is tattered, but not too much. In other words, this product retains some shell that we cannot digest.
Dutch– whole grain cereals that have undergone strong and deep processing.
Barleycereal– chopped pearl barley.

Remember: the less the grain is processed, the more it retains dietary fiber. Namely, they are of great importance to us.

Energy value 315 kcal. Very much in pearl barley great content protein – 10 g per 100 g of product. There are about 50 g of carbohydrates, which means that cereal gives the body a lot of energy

And no matter how you rip it off, they will still remain healthy vitamins and minerals, of which there are many. Because it is rich in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. There are also a lot of vitamins of groups B, E, PP, etc.

Doctors also value pearl barley for the presence of lysine, which smoothes out wrinkles. The same component supports skin in good shape. By the way, lysine belongs to. by the human body it is not produced, although it plays a key role in the construction of protein structures. It is especially needed for the “building” of collagen, which is important for maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels and beautiful skin. I admit that after studying the information about this porridge I began to buy and cook it again :)

Malysheva tells a lot of interesting things about pearl barley in this video:

But of course, like any product, there are contraindications. You shouldn’t get too carried away with eating pearl barley when increased acidity. Also, abuse of this food can lead to the development of flatulence and constipation.

Pearl barley diet - reviews and results

You can judge the effectiveness of the unloading program by the reviews of those who lost weight on it.

And here are some of the reviews:

Shura: I'm shocked by my girlfriend's results. in a week they lost more than 5 kilos. in general, I also want to lose weight like that, so I went on this diet
Mila: I’ve been sitting on pearl barley for four days now. The tummy retracted. The bones on the hips became more noticeable. And the scales made me happy. They show 4 kg. I cook porridge in water, without salt. Of course, it’s not very tasty, I drink water endlessly. I also treat myself to green tea and low-fat kefir. I don't feel any discomfort. On the contrary, such lightness in the stomach.
Yulenka: It's already the second day. For the first plumb minus 800 gr. Well, I can’t say that I’m delighted. I thought the weight would come off faster. I endlessly run to the toilet. I don’t know if the amount of liquid can be reduced. In general, I’ll tell you the diet is more satisfying than buckwheat.
Dana: With the help of this weight loss program, I lost 4 kilos in 3 weeks. I didn’t eat anything extra - only pearl barley dishes and water. I am satisfied with the effect, the weight is gone and the skin does not weigh
Lucy: My diet was special. I developed it myself - I cooked pearl barley, fried onions and carrots separately on olive oil and poured it over the porridge. Sometimes I also added boiled chicken meat here. I ate three times a day. I also drank a lot of water, black tea with lemon and green tea(naturally without sugar). Of course, in 5 days I didn’t lose the promised 5 kilograms. My diet was designed for 7 days - I lost 4 kg. But without stress for the body.
Marika: I've been losing weight for 5 days now. result -2 kg. I want to lose another 5 kg. I'm sure everything will work out :)

How to cook pearl barley for weight loss

It is important to remember the following proportions: for 1 part barley you need to take 5 parts water. Because during cooking, pearl barley absorbs a lot of water. And it will take a long time to cook the cereal (an hour and a half if you take pearl barley).

Therefore, so that you do not stand near the stove for a long time, prepare the porridge in the evening. In a 1:2 ratio (porridge - water), bring the dish in a saucepan to a boil. Afterwards, cover with a lid. In the morning you will need to add more water and boil the porridge for 20-25 minutes.

There is still an opinion on the Internet that it is better to steam barley for weight loss rather than boil it. Theoretically correct, but there is one “but”. It all depends on what grain you cook from.

It is recommended to steam whole grains (pearl barley) and leave them in a thermos for 2 days. But this is not entirely convenient. If you decide to eat “porridge” ahead of time, it will be inedible. Therefore, it is still better to finish cooking it. Otherwise, you are guaranteed to have indigestion.
Cooking Dutch or barley is another matter. This product can also be steamed. Pour boiling water over the washed raw materials, boil until boiling in a saucepan and pour into a thermos. In the morning, add more hot water.

Varieties of pearl barley diets

There are several options for such fasting nutrition programs. On days like these, a kitchen scale comes in handy to accurately weigh each portion.

The most difficult diet is considered to be strict, when you need to eat 250 grams. porridge three times a day and drink 2 liters of water. The most strong-willed people They can stay on it for a maximum of 5 days. However, nutritionists believe that it is not worth experimenting. And they advise you to stay on this strict diet for no more than 3 days.

On a soft diet you can lose weight in 5 to 7 days. Her diet is richer, so sticking to such a weight loss program is much easier. Although some people stay on this diet for longer. It’s quite possible that they liked pearl barley :)

Here's an approximate menu:

Breakfast: 200 grams of porridge + grated green apple.
Dinner: about 200 grams of porridge + 4 tbsp. grated boiled beets or carrots. You can also treat yourself to 100 grams of boiled chicken breast or lean fish.
Dinner: 200 g pearl barley + 3-4 pcs. chopped prunes. You can wash it all down with a glass of low-fat kefir.

Naturally, during such weight loss you need to drink more. You should drink 2-2.5 liters of water daily.

Features of the pearl barley diet

Many people who are losing weight are interested in the question: “Is it possible to salt cereals when cooking or steaming?” So, if you decide to go on a strict diet, giving up salt is clear. It is advisable not to add salt to the main dish even with a mild version of the unloading food system.

Although, if you suddenly feel cramps in your calves, add salt to the porridge. This is a clear signal that the water-salt balance in your body is disturbed. All this is fraught with problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Also, while losing weight, give up alcohol. Alcohol retains water in the body. Therefore, taking it will nullify the fight against weight. You will also have to give up sugar for a while. In addition, all sweets and carbonated drinks are taboo.

Delicious recipes with barley

Friends, below I present to your attention the recipes. dietary dishes from pearl barley. They are described in detail, so you will not have any problems during cooking. Recipes contain salt, but it’s up to you to decide whether to salt the food or not. I would still add a little salt.

Pumpkin-barley soup

Prepare:

200 g pumpkin;
300 g pearl barley;
onion;
2 liters of water;
sunflower oil;
a small bunch of greens (of your choice);
a little salt.

Boil the cereal. Chop the peeled onion and pumpkin and fry in a small amount of oil.

Boil the water. Add boiled pearl barley and fried vegetables to this. Then chop the greens and place them in the pan as well. Cook for about 5 minutes. Lightly salt it before turning it off.

Stew with pearl barley

For this second dish you will need:

200 g of cereal (pre-soaked);
onion;
larger tomato;
1 liter of water;
2 tbsp. oils;
salt.

Cut the tomato into small cubes. Fry the chopped onion until golden brown, then add the tomato and fry for a couple more minutes.

Transfer the vegetables from the frying pan to a saucepan and fill them with cold water. Bring the contents of the vessel to a boil. Add pearl barley here, add a little salt and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours.

Pearl barley vinaigrette

For this dish you need to take:

200 g of boiled cereal + boiled beets;
100 g sauerkraut;
2 pcs. pickled cucumbers;
2-3 tbsp. olive oil.

Chop the cucumbers and beets into small cubes. Add pearl barley here. Then we enrich the composition sauerkraut and olive oil. Mix everything well and start eating.

Barley with vegetables and meat

To prepare this dish you need:

500 g lean meat (preferably chicken fillet or turkey);
onion;
200 g pearl barley (soaked overnight);
carrot;
2 glasses of water;
1/3 cup tomato sauce;
salt + black pepper.

Cut the meat into small pieces. Finely chop the peeled onion and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Place vegetables, meat and cereals in a thick-walled pan. Add a little salt and pepper everything. Fill with water and add sauce. Mix all components.

Place the vessel on the fire and bring the contents of the pan to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover the dish with a lid and continue cooking the dish for another 40 minutes. Then check the readiness of the food.