Barley nutrition: calories, carbs, GI, protein, fiber, fats
Carbs in Barley
Cooked barley primarily consists of water. 100g of cooked barley provides 28.3 grams of carbs, equalling 9% of the daily carbohydrate requirements.
Macronutrients chart
Carbs per serving size
Barley is usually served in one cup, equal to 157 grams.
One serving of Barley contains 44 grams of carbohydrates.
Different types
You can usually find Barley in two forms: pearled and hulled. In this article, we discuss the carb content of pearled cooked barley.
Hulled barley has more carbs than pearled, cooked barley, about 74 grams per 100g.
When we cook pearled barley, things are getting better for people looking for a low-carb diet: cooked barley contains 28.3g of carbs per 100g.
Barley net carbs
From 28.3 grams of carbohydrates in Barley, 3.8 grams are fiber, which results in 24.5 grams of net carbs per 100g.
Soluble or insoluble fiber
Most of the fiber contained in Barley is soluble. This food is rich in beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber with cholesterol-lowering properties.
Fiber content ratio for Barley
COMPARISON
Barley Glycemic index (GI)
Barley’s nutritional content consists of 28% carbohydrates, of which 24% are dietary fiber and 76% are net carbs.
Barley Glycemic Index
The glycemic index of barley can significantly vary depending on the cultivar, processing, and cooking methods. However, the mean glycemic index of 20 boiled barley meals has been calculated to be 30 (1). This falls in the low glycemic index category.
Dietary fiber content can significantly affect the glycemic index of barley (2). Whole-grain barley, boiled for 25 minutes, had a GI of 21±4, while pearled barley had a GI of 58±8. Due to a high dietary fiber, whole grain barley tends to have a lower glycemic index. In contrast, processed pearled barley loses its fibrous hull and has a relatively higher glycemic index.
Porridge made from barley has an average glycemic index of 44. Barley pasta also has a moderate glycemic index with an average GI value of 62.
The glycemic index of barley flour bread can fall anywhere from 28 to 85.
For people trying to consume lower GI foods, barley can be recommended as a substitute for oats, as barley has a lower glycemic response (3).
Barley has been researched to have anti-diabetic properties potentially due to its high dietary fiber content. Adding barley to one’s diet can improve diabetic control and reduce blood glucose and insulin levels after meals (4, 5).
Furthermore, consuming beta-glucan barley reduces post-meal blood glucose levels compared to other grains (6).
On our Glycemic index chart page, you can find a complete glycemic index chart of over 350 foods.
Barley Glycemic Load
The International Tables of Glycemic Load Values study presents the GL of barley to fall from 9 to 26. The GL of boiled whole-grain barley was 9, while the GL of pearled barley was 26.
Based on these numbers, the average glycemic load of barley is 14. This makes the GL value of barley fall in the medium category.
Barley Insulin Index
Similar to the glycemic index, the insulin index of barley can also have various values depending on the barley type and the consumer.
One study calculated the insulin index to be 46 for the healthy control group, 35 in hyperinsulinemic subjects, and 70 in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (7).
Another research found the II of amylose-rich barley to be 70 (8).
One older study found barley to have an insulin index of 71 in healthy subjects but 105 in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (9).
We take the average insulin index of barley for healthy individuals to be 46.
You can visit our Insulin index chart page to find the insulin index values of more foods.
References
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/114/5/1625/6320814
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230570968
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378429013002621
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311281/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7015725/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19205780/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201128/tables/3
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10758390
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21344061
Important nutritional characteristics for Barley
Glycemic index ⓘ
Source:
Check out our Glycemic index chart page for the full list.
|
28 (low) |
Calories ⓘ Calories per 100-gram serving | 123 |
Net Carbs ⓘ Net Carbs = Total Carbohydrates – Fiber – Sugar Alcohols | 24.42 grams |
Acidity (Based on PRAL) ⓘ PRAL (Potential renal acid load) is calculated using a formula. On the PRAL scale the higher the positive value, the more is the acidifying effect on the body. The lower the negative value, the higher the alkalinity of the food. 0 is neutral. | 0.4 (acidic) |
Oxalates ⓘ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16608223/ | 27mg |
Barley calories (kcal)
Serving Size | Calories | Weight |
---|---|---|
Calories in 100 grams | 123 | |
Calories in 1 cup | 193 | 157 g |
Mineral coverage chart
Mineral chart - relative view
Vitamin coverage chart
Vitamin chart - relative view
Protein quality breakdown
Fat type information
All nutrients for Barley per 100g
Nutrient | Value | DV% | In TOP % of foods | Comparison |
Calories | 123kcal | 6% | 67% | 2.6 times more than Orange |
Protein | 2.26g | 5% | 76% | 1.2 times less than Broccoli |
Fats | 0.44g | 1% | 81% | 75.7 times less than Cheddar Cheese |
Vitamin C | 0mg | 0% | 100% | N/A |
Net carbs | 24.42g | N/A | 28% | 2.2 times less than Chocolate |
Carbs | 28.22g | 9% | 28% | Equal to Rice |
Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% | 100% | N/A |
Vitamin D | 0µg | 0% | 100% | N/A |
Iron | 1.33mg | 17% | 52% | 2 times less than Beef |
Calcium | 11mg | 1% | 74% | 11.4 times less than Milk |
Potassium | 93mg | 3% | 84% | 1.6 times less than Cucumber |
Magnesium | 22mg | 5% | 54% | 6.4 times less than Almond |
Sugar | 0.28g | N/A | 73% | 32 times less than Coca-Cola |
Fiber | 3.8g | 15% | 22% | 1.6 times more than Orange |
Copper | 0.11mg | 12% | 50% | 1.4 times less than Shiitake |
Zinc | 0.82mg | 7% | 58% | 7.7 times less than Beef |
Phosphorus | 54mg | 8% | 76% | 3.4 times less than Chicken meat |
Sodium | 3mg | 0% | 94% | 163.3 times less than White Bread |
Vitamin A | 7IU | 0% | 67% | 2386.6 times less than Carrot |
Vitamin A RAE | 0µg | 0% | 100% | |
Vitamin E | 0.01mg | 0% | 95% | 146 times less than Kiwifruit |
Selenium | 8.6µg | 16% | 62% | |
Manganese | 0.26mg | 11% | 47% | |
Vitamin B1 | 0.08mg | 7% | 54% | 3.2 times less than Pea raw |
Vitamin B2 | 0.06mg | 5% | 77% | 2.1 times less than Avocado |
Vitamin B3 | 2.06mg | 13% | 58% | 4.6 times less than Turkey meat |
Vitamin B5 | 0.14mg | 3% | 86% | 8.4 times less than Sunflower seed |
Vitamin B6 | 0.12mg | 9% | 61% | Equal to Oat |
Vitamin B12 | 0µg | 0% | 100% | N/A |
Vitamin K | 0.8µg | 1% | 79% | 127 times less than Broccoli |
Folate | 16µg | 4% | 52% | 3.8 times less than Brussels sprout |
Saturated Fat | 0.09g | 0% | 82% | 63.4 times less than Beef |
Monounsaturated Fat | 0.06g | N/A | 84% | 171.9 times less than Avocado |
Polyunsaturated fat | 0.21g | N/A | 77% | 220.4 times less than Walnut |
Tryptophan | 0.04mg | 0% | 88% | 8 times less than Chicken meat |
Threonine | 0.08mg | 0% | 91% | 9.4 times less than Beef |
Isoleucine | 0.08mg | 0% | 91% | 11 times less than Salmon raw |
Leucine | 0.15mg | 0% | 91% | 15.8 times less than Tuna Bluefin |
Lysine | 0.08mg | 0% | 92% | 5.4 times less than Tofu |
Methionine | 0.04mg | 0% | 89% | 2.2 times less than Quinoa |
Phenylalanine | 0.13mg | 0% | 89% | 5.3 times less than Egg |
Valine | 0.11mg | 0% | 91% | 18.3 times less than Soybean raw |
Histidine | 0.05mg | 0% | 91% | 14.7 times less than Turkey meat |
Omega-3 - EPA | 0g | N/A | 100% | N/A |
Omega-3 - DHA | 0g | N/A | 100% | N/A |
Omega-3 - DPA | 0g | N/A | 100% | N/A |
Check out similar food or compare with current
NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
Serving Size ______________
Health checks
Barley nutrition infographic
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.