Buckwheat vs. Barley — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Macronutrients and Calories

Barley contains higher carbohydrates, while buckwheat contains more protein. A 100g of buckwheat and barley contains less than 1g of fats. 

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison

Buckwheat

4

Protein: 3.38 g

Fats: 0.62 g

Carbs: 19.94 g

Water: 75.63 g

Other: 0.43 g

Barley

1

Protein: 2.26 g

Fats: 0.44 g

Carbs: 28.22 g

Water: 68.8 g

Other: 0.28 g

Contains more ProteinProtein	+49.6%
Contains more FatsFats	+40.9%
Contains more OtherOther	+53.6%

Contains more CarbsCarbs

+41.5%

~equal in Water ~68.8g

Calories

 Barley is higher in calories. Buckwheat has 92 calories per 100 grams, compared to barley, which has 123.

Protein

Buckwheat contains 3.38g of protein, whereas barley contains 2.26g. Buckwheat is higher in all essential amino acids, particularly rich in tryptophan, valine, lysine, and threonine.

Gluten

Gluten is a complex combination of hundreds of related but unique proteins, the most prominent of which are gliadin and glutenin. 

 Barley contains gluten, whereas buckwheat is gluten-free(1).

Fats

Buckwheat and barley are low in fats. Buckwheat contains more monounsaturated fats, whereas barley contains more polyunsaturated and less saturated fats.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Buckwheat

1

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.134 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.188 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.188 g

Barley

2

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.093 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.057 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.214 g

Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat

+229.8%

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat	-30.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat	+13.8%

Carbohydrates

Barley has over 1.5 times more carbs. 100g of buckwheat contains  19.9g of carbohydrates, of which 2.7g are dietary fiber and 17.2g are net carbs.

100g of barley contains 28.2g of carbohydrates, of which 3.8g are dietary fiber and 24.4g are net carbs.

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Buckwheat

3

Starch: 0 g

Sucrose: 0.4 g

Glucose: 0.2 g

Fructose: 0.1 g

Lactose: 0 g

Maltose: 0 g

Galactose: 0 g

Barley

0

Contains more SucroseSucrose	+∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose	+∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose	+∞%

~equal in Starch ~

~equal in Lactose ~

~equal in Maltose ~

~equal in Galactose ~

Cholesterol

Buckwheat and barley are cholesterol-free.

Vitamins

Barley contains two times more vitamin B3. Buckwheat, on the other hand, provides 2.5 times more vitamin B5. 

Buckwheat and barley are absent in vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, and vitamin B12.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Buckwheat

4

Barley

6

Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+800%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+165.9%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+137.5%
Contains more CholineCholine	+50%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+107.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+59%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+119.5%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+49.4%
Contains more FolateFolate	+14.3%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Buckwheat provides two times more magnesium and manganese. Buckwheat also contains more phosphorus and copper. 

100g of buckwheat contains 70mg of phosphorus, whereas barley contains 54mg. Barley, on the other hand, provides four times more selenium. 

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Buckwheat

4

Barley

5

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+131.8%
Contains more CopperCopper	+39%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+29.6%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+55.6%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+57.1%
Contains more IronIron	+66.3%
Contains more ZincZinc	+34.4%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-25%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+290.9%

~equal in Potassium ~93mg

Glycemic Index

Buckwheat and barley have a low glycemic index (GI<55). The glycemic index of buckwheat is 45, and for barley, the glycemic index is 28.

Glycemic Load

The glycemic load of buckwheat is equal to 13. The GL of barley is equal to 9. 

Buckwheat classifies as medium-GL food, whereas barley classifies as low-GL food.

Insulin Index

The insulin index of barley is 46, whereas the insulin index of buckwheat is 53 (2).

Acidity

Buckwheat has a pH level of 6,5. Barley has a pH level of 5-5.3.

An alternative method of measuring acidity is the potential renal acid load or the PRAL. The PRAL values for buckwheat and barley are 1 and 0.4, respectively. That means both foods are acidic, but buckwheat is more acid-forming.

Digestive Health

Barley also contains insoluble and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs and reduces cholesterol formation in the liver and cleans blood arteries. Insoluble fiber increases digestive movement and relieves constipation, cleans colonic pathogenic bacteria and lowers the risk of colon cancer (3).

Cancer

Another study found that young barley extracts suppress colon cancer cell growth, though they have no adverse effects on colon epithelium cells(4).

Based on the findings, buckwheat hull has anticancer capabilities against various cancer cells(5). The study shows that buckwheat has anti-inflammatory effects. So buckwheat can be used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) (6) (7).

Buckwheat also has neuroprotective and anti-diabetic actions(8).