Comparative analysis of buckwheat and pearl barley: which cereal is healthier, which is more nutritious

Nutritionists advise including cereals in the daily menu. Buckwheat is usually put in the first place, about the healing properties of which much is known. The now less popular pearl barley was in great demand in the last century. So which is more useful - buckwheat or pearl barley - we will tell you further.

Chemical composition and trace elements

The chemical composition of cereals determines its nutritional value and value. for the body.

Buckwheat

Vitamin content (per 100 g):

• A - 2 μg;
• beta-carotene - 0.01 mg;
• B1 - 0.43 mg;
• B2 - 0.2 mg;
• B4 - 54.2 mg;
• B5 - 0.44 mg;
• B6 - 0.4 mg;
• B9 - 32 mcg;
• E - 0.8 mg;
• K - 7 mcg;
• PP - 7.2 mg.

Microelement content (per 100 g) and percentage of the daily value:

• iron - 6.7 mg, 37.2%;
• cobalt - 10 μg, 31%;
• manganese - 2 mg, 78%;
• copper - 1000 mcg, 64%;
• molybdenum - 70 mcg, 49.1%;
• selenium - 55 mcg, 10.4%;
• chromium - 50 mcg, 8%;
• zinc - 12 mg, 17.1%.

Pearl barley

Vitamin content (per 100 g):

• A - 1 μg;
• beta-carotene - 0.013 mg;
• B1 - 0.12 mg;
• B2 - 0.06 mg;
• B4 - 37.8 mg;
• B5 - 0.5 mg;
• B6 - 0.36 mg;
• B9 - 24 mcg;
• E - 1.1 mg;
• K - 2.2 μg;
• PP - 3.7 mg.

Microelement content (per 100 g) and percentage of the daily value:

• iron - 1.8 mg, 10%;
• cobalt - 1.8 μg, 18%;
• manganese - 0.65 mg, 32.5%;
• copper - 280 mcg, 28%;
• molybdenum - 12.7 mcg, 18.1%;
• selenium - 37.7 mcg, 68.5%;
• chromium - 12.5 mcg, 25%;
• zinc - 0.92 mg, 7.7%.

Is there gluten in every cereal?

Gluten is found in many grains... This complex natural protein is otherwise called gluten.

High percentage of gluten in wheat... Therefore, the wheat flour dough is elastic and rises well.

Attention! Buckwheat grain does not apply to cereals and does not contain gluten.

Pearl barley is obtained by barley processing... Barley is a cereal crop containing gluten... In pearl barley there is a variety of it - hordein.

100 g of cereals contain up to 2.8 g of this protein... Because of this element, pearl barley porridge is considered difficult to digest. It is categorically not recommended for children at an early age.

Calorie content, BJU, glycemic index

Calorie content is the energy value of food... The number of calories shows how much energy the body receives. Nutrients serve as energy suppliers: proteins, fats, carbohydrates.

Buckwheat

The calorie content of 100 g of buckwheat is 308 kcal, which is 18.3% of the daily value.

Content of nutrients:

• proteins - 12.6 g;
• fats - 3.4 g;
• carbohydrates - 57.1 g;
• dietary fiber - 11.3 g;
• water - 14 g;
• ash - 1.7 g.

Glycemic index - within 50-60 units... This is considered average. Buckwheat cooked in water has a lower index - 40-50 units.

Pearl barley

The calorie content of 100 g of pearl barley is 315 kcal, which is 18.7% of the daily value.

Content of nutrients:

• proteins - 9.3 g;
• fats - 1.1 g;
• carbohydrates - 66.9 g;
• dietary fiber - 7.8 g;
• water - 14 g;
• ash - 0.9 g

Glycemic index - within 20-30 units. This is the lowest among cereals. Barley porridge is absorbed slowly, a person feels full for a long time.

What is more caloric, where there are more carbohydrates - in buckwheat or barley

By nutritional value, carbohydrates are divided into:

1. Digestible... Digested, broken down, combined in the course of chemical processes in the body.
2. Indigestible... Not cleaved by digestive tract enzymes.

Starch is the main digestible carbohydrate... It is broken down to glucose, which serves as one of the energy sources.

As you can see from the table, the starch content in pearl barley is higher... This means that it takes more time to assimilate it, and the feeling of satiety lasts longer.

When using barley porridge, the body receives more energy - it means that it is more high-calorie.

What is best for losing weight

When choosing dietary products, attention is paid not only to the number of calories, but also on the glycemic index of the product.

This indicator is responsible for how the body assimilates a particular product. The index has a scale from 0 to 100:

1. Low... Indicator up to 39 units. Assimilation is slow. The feeling of hunger does not come soon.
2. Middle... Indicator up to 70 units. A person has a feeling of fullness for a long time. Sugar rises to an acceptable level.
3. Tall... The indicator is above 70. The body receives a lot of energy with food intake. If it is not spent on time, it is stored as fat. Foods with a high glycemic index do not saturate the body. Blood sugar rises and extra insulin is produced.

For weight loss, nutritionists recommend cereals with low and medium glycemic index.

Pearl barley belongs to the category with a low rate - 20-30 units.

Buckwheat grain - to the category with an average indicator - 50-60 units, and boiled in water - 30-40.

So, for weight loss, pearl barley is in the first place.. Buckwheat grain inferior to her not much.

Useful properties for the body

Says about the benefits for the body vitamin and mineral composition.

Buckwheat

Beneficial features:

1. Choline contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system. Participates in the work of the brain.
2. Polyunsaturated fats, phospholipids, phytoestrogens, flavonoids help regulate metabolism.
3. Fiber helps cleanse the body. Participates in the work of the digestive system.
4. B vitamins promote carbohydrate, water-salt, protein metabolism.
5. Buckwheat dishes serve as natural antidepressants. Relieve fatigue, help to recover from stress.

Pearl barley

Pearl barley is rich vitamins and minerals.

Interesting! In ancient Rome, barley was given to gladiators before a fight.

Has many beneficial properties:

1. Fiber helps your bowel function. It is not digested by enzymes in the digestive tract, but it cleanses the intestinal wall.
2. Calcium and magnesium help maintain bone health. Participate in its restoration and the formation of a new one.
3. Strengthens the immune system.
4. Selenium is an antioxidant. Fights the signs of skin aging.

Interesting on the site:

The benefits and harms of a coffee drink made from barley and rye

How to make barley malt at home

Simple barley moonshine recipes

What is healthier for the body

To understand which cereal is healthier - buckwheat or pearl barley - compare vitamin and mineral composition.

As a result of comparing the indicators, it is clear that the content of vitamins and microelements is higher in buckwheat. This means that buckwheat is healthier for the body.

What's healthier for the stomach

Despite the fact that buckwheat is superior to pearl barley in terms of vitamins and microelements, barley is more useful for the stomach.

This is due to the presence of hordein in it. - an element that contributes to the restoration of the gastric mucosa. This is an important step in the recovery of acidic gastritis.

Barley broths are included in therapeutic diets with diseases of the digestive system.

Harm and possible contraindications

Useful properties of buckwheat and pearl barley do not exclude the presence of contraindications.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat should be eaten with caution:

• people with increased blood clotting;
• with individual intolerance;
• with gastritis, ulcer.

Buckwheat can be harmful if you eat cereals for more than three days within the framework of a mono-diet: due to a lack of useful elements, dizziness, weakness, insomnia, irritability, and disturbances in the digestive tract begin.

Pearl barley

Not recommended:

• people with low stomach acidity;
• children under 10 years old;
• with individual intolerance.

In case of excessive use of barley, the work of the digestive tract and the leaching of calcium from the body begins.

Which is more expensive

Here are the data for the period May - September 2019.

Average price for buckwheat - 59 rubles. for 1 kg. The cheapest - 36 rubles. - for sale in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Buckwheat for 100 rubles. for 1 kg they buy in Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod. The price in Moscow is from 50 to 120 rubles.

Average price for pearl barley - 38 rubles. for 1 kg. The cheapest - 18 rubles. - in the city of Voskresensk. Pearl barley for 50 rubles. sold in Sevastopol, Moscow.

Nutritionists' opinions

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the advice of nutritionists on the use of buckwheat and barley.

Marina Anferova, Moscow: “I advise a buckwheat diet to patients who do not have chronic gastritis, ulcers. I recommend “buckwheat” days to such people. Barley broths are good for medicinal purposes ".

Andrey Varenovsky, Voronezh: “In our center, a psychologist is involved in choosing a diet. He explains to the patient how to choose the right diet for weight loss so as not to experience severe stress. The buckwheat diets menu is the most gentle. Most patients have a negative attitude towards barley only because it is tasteless ".

Veronika Mikhailova, Irkutsk: “Pearl barley and buckwheat are practically the same in calories. When consumed, they cleanse the intestines well. Buckwheat is superior to barley in terms of the content of vitamins and minerals. But barley has a therapeutic effect in diseases of the digestive tract. It is difficult to say specifically which is more useful. An individual approach is required for each organism ".

Conclusion

If we compare barley and buckwheat, the first is inferior to the second in terms of the content of vitamins and microelements. But barley grits are more high-calorie, after eating it the body does not need food for a long time. However, barley porridge is not recommended for children under 10 years of age.

Both cereals are suitable as a staple food in diets, as they have a low to medium glycemic index. When choosing a diet, individual characteristics of the body, the presence of chronic diseases are taken into account.