How to Use Barley to Lower Cholesterol

Whole grains have long been lauded as an important part of a healthy diet. Recent studies seem to indicate that among these whole grains, barley is effective in lowering cholesterol. Like oats and other grains, it contains soluble fiber--an important weapon in the battle to lower your cholesterol.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Milk
• Lipid panel blood work
• Unsweetened apple juice
• Barley
• Physician
• Barley flakes
• Lemon juice
• Water
• Barley flour
• Cinnamon

Understand How Barley Lowers Cholesterol

1. Use barley to lower cholesterol because it contains beta-glucan. This is a type of soluble fiber.

2. Know that soluble fiber binds with cholesterol during the digestion process and keeps it from being absorbed by the body.

3. Understand that you can pass more cholesterol from your body by eating a diet rich in soluble fibers such as beta-glucan, but only when it is eaten and not taken as a supplement or in pill form.

4. Expect that you may feel bloated or experience gas if you eat a diet too high in barley, although you may be able to lower your cholesterol by up to 10 percent, based on a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

5. Use barley as one part of a healthy diet to see greater results in lowering cholesterol. You must reduce the amount of saturated fat intake in your diet while increasing the amount of soluble fiber, such as that found in barley.

Eat a Barley-Rich Meal to Lower Cholesterol

1. Try a hot cereal made of barley instead of oatmeal to enjoy the benefits of this whole grain's soluble fiber.

2. Boil 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup of barley and 1 tsp. of cinnamon for 45 minutes.

3. Add 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice and 2 cups of unsweetened apple juice to the barley and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is thickened.

4. Regulate your lunch and dinner appetite by substituting the cholesterol-lowering benefits of cooked barley for simple carbohydrates like white rice or potatoes. Prepared as starchy side dish, barley can help you feel more full and help you maintain a low-calorie, cholesterol-reducing diet.

5. Use barley flour instead of wheat flour when making breads and other baked goods. Even though the grain has been somewhat processed, it still contains high levels of beta-glucan.

6. Eat a snack of barley flake cereal instead of chips or other processed foods.

Tips & Warnings

• Mitigate the bloating experienced in diets rich in barley by drinking plenty of water.