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Barley nutrition, per serving and per 100 g
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 95 kcal | 316 kcal |
| Protein | 3.3 g | 10.9 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 18.4 g | 61.3 g |
| Dietary fibre | 4.7 g | 15.6 g |
| Fat | 0.4 g | 1.3 g |
Serving: 30 g raw barley (jau), about half a katori cooked, weighed raw as IFCT reports it. IFCT 2017 food code A004, "Barley (Hordeum vulgare)", the mean of 6 regions sampled. IFCT does not report glycaemic index, so this page prints none.
The verdict on barley
Fibre-rich carb
Your measured grain or pulse: at least 8 g of fibre in every 100 g.
- 3.5 g of protein for every 100 kcal.
- One serving gives 3.3 g of the roughly 58 g of protein a day ICMR-NIN's RDA sets for a 70 kg adult.
- 4.7 g of fibre in a serving.
How barley fits a plan that loses fat and keeps muscle
IFCT 2017 lists barley at 15.6 g of dietary fibre per 100 g, more than rice, atta or most millets in the table. Its calories are typical of a grain at 316 kcal per 100 g, so its value is fullness per calorie, not fewer calories.
Cooked whole, barley swaps in for part of the rice in a pulao or khichdi. The chewy grain slows eating, and the fibre helps a smaller portion feel like a full meal, which makes a calorie deficit easier to hold.
Barley in an Indian kitchen
Barley, sold as jau or pearl barley, needs a soak and a long cook, about the time of brown rice. Home-made barley water is the barley simmered in plenty of water and strained, with lemon and no sugar; the cooked grain left behind can go into a soup or a salad. Sattu, the roasted gram flour of Bihar, is sometimes blended with jau; check the pack. Barley khichdi with moong dal and vegetables is a filling one-pot meal.
Pair it, or swap it
A barley and moong khichdi, or barley in a vegetable soup with chana, is a filling high-fibre, protein-rich dinner. Start with a third barley and two thirds rice if your family is new to it.
Worth knowing
Strained barley water keeps very little of the grain's fibre. Store-bought barley drinks often add sugar; read the label.
Barley against similar foods
| Food | Energy | Protein | Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barley | 316 kcal | 10.9 g | 15.6 g |
| White rice, raw | 356 kcal | 7.9 g | 2.8 g |
| Quinoa, raw | 328 kcal | 13.1 g | 14.7 g |
| Whole wheat | 322 kcal | 10.6 g | 11.2 g |