By Douglas Samuel
Of the main cereal crops (wheat, barley, oats and rye), barley is probably the least commonly used in day-to-day food. It is often used to make beer and whiskey.
As a food, barley is most often used in soups and stews. In Asia, is boiled to make barley water, a popular drink which is ideal for hot weather.
Barley can grow in cold conditions, which is why it is a staple crop in Tibet (they also grow wheat there, so if you are allergic to wheat, Tibet is not actually a perfect destination for you).
Barley is a flavorful, tasty, chewy grain. It can be cooked like rice and served on the side with meat and vegetable dishes, much like rice.
Health Risks
Barley contains gluten and must be avoided if you are celiac or allergic to barley.
Barley contains gluten and must be avoided if you are celiac or allergic to barley.
If you are allergic to wheat, you may still be able to eat barley (I do).
If you have just discovered that you are allergic to wheat, it is best to eliminate barley from your diet for several months, then re-introduce it to see if it causes you trouble or not.
Health Benefits
Barley is a good source of fiber, selenium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.
Barley is a good source of fiber, selenium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.
Barley Relatives
Barley is a grass. Besides being related to your lawn and bamboo, grass is also related to the following food crops because they too are grasses:
Barley is a grass. Besides being related to your lawn and bamboo, grass is also related to the following food crops because they too are grasses:
Wheat
Maize (Corn)
Oats
Rice
Rye
Sorghum
Millet
Sugarcane
Maize (Corn)
Oats
Rice
Rye
Sorghum
Millet
Sugarcane
Further Notes
Barley is really in a lot of places one might not suspect. While it is very commonly found in beer or whiskey, and that is kind of known, it is also very commonly found in everyday foods like bread, cereal, cookies, etc.
Barley is really in a lot of places one might not suspect. While it is very commonly found in beer or whiskey, and that is kind of known, it is also very commonly found in everyday foods like bread, cereal, cookies, etc.
The main reason for this is that most flour that you buy in the grocery store, lists malted barley flour as one of the main ingredients. Because of FDA requirements on labeling, companies are not necessarily required to specifically list that the flour they used to make their bread contains malted barley flour. Nor do most labels tell you that malt is made from barley (always), and/or corn.
I find barley in almost as many things as I find wheat in. Although I can't seem to find anything on it right now, when I first started researching barley, I was finding that dextrose and maltodextrin are sometimes derived from barley (most often from corn, maize, rice, etc) as well. Those are two sweeteners that are in everything.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6631958Lactose Intolerance Details
By Mejia Jones
A normal function of the digestive system is to break down the food we eat into smaller pieces. This is achieved with the use of enzymes that are present in our saliva, stomach and intestines. This process of breaking down the food aids the body in absorbing essential nutrients, proteins and carbohydrates.
One such enzyme is called lactase. This enzyme is needed to breakdown lactose, which is the sugar in milk. Lactose is actually made up of two different sugars, which are chemically joined together. One separated, these sugars, which are called glucose and galaxies, can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Lactase enzymes are generally found in the jejunum, which in normal terms is the beginning of the small intestine. These enzymes perform but one function - breaking down lactose.
People with a condition known as lactose intolerance have a shortage of the enzyme lactase. As there is a shortage of lactase, the digestive system is unable to properly separate these sugars, which effectively means that some milk remains undigested inside the intestines, causing discomfort, bloating, wind and even diarrhea. Lactose intolerance is said to be among the most common disorders in the world, with nearly 50% of all humans developing some degree of intolerance at some point in their lives.
Although one of the most important nutrients for infants, supplying up to half of the total energy requirement of a newborn baby, it is believed that lactose has no special function or importance for adults. This had led some people to suggest that humans were never designed to drink milk after being weaned.
Many babies suffer from sensitivity to lactose at one time or another, and are subsequently given lactose free formula. Due to the importance of lactose in the supply of energy to infants, any newborn baby that is fed using a lactose free formula must also receive extra energy to replace that lost by the omission of lactose in the lactose free formula.
Lactose has excellent physiological properties such as good texture and an ability to bind water. For this reason it is used extensively in the food industry and can be found in bread, sausages, and even sweets. The next time you are in the supermarket, stop and read the ingredients in the sweets aisle. I'm sure you'll see many products containing lactose.
For this reason people with intolerance to lactose must be very selective in their diet as lactose is found in some of the most unlikely foods.
There have been some scientific studies carried out in search of a treatment for sensitivity to lactose, however to date these treatments vary in effectiveness from patient to patient and no definite solution has been discovered.
Lactose Intolerance is claimed to be the most common human genetic disorder, supposedly affecting more than half the worlds population. This said, perhaps it is normal for people to be lactose intolerant!
What Can You Do with Hay Fever
By Dr Corrine Wang
When we have chronic allergies, our immune system has been shifted away from a response that deals more with bacteria and viruses towards a response that causes more allergic tendencies. This is usually due to our bodies being over-stimulated by exposure to multiple irritants and becoming hypersensitive to different agents. With a shift in the immune response, our immune system is hypersensitive to things such as dust, pollen, grasses, pet dander, or allergic foods, and allergies can often be found in a triad with asthma and eczema. The most important thing to do at this point is to try and avoid things we are sensitive to, whether they are food or environmental offenders, to try and decrease the burden to our immune system. Besides avoiding offending factors, there are many other natural treatments that can be helpful, which are described below.
Vitamin C and quercetin are both very helpful in decreasing histamine and the inflammatory response seen in allergies. Other treatments that are very helpful for decreasing hay fever include grape seed extract, Petasites hybridus, or butterbur, and Urtica dioica, or nettles. Because low stomach acid can cause problems in digestion and lead to the development of allergies, supplementing with hydrocholoric acid may be useful. Fish oil and probiotics can also help with stabilizing membranes and the healing of the gut, which will decrease allergic symptoms.
A method for directly clearing our nasal passages during bouts of hay fever is the use of a neti pot. Howto use a neti pot is described in my blog post on treatments for sinus infections. A neti pot can help to wash away any airborne allergens we may have inhaled during the day, as well as rinsing away any bacteria or other microbes that can build up and eventually cause sinus infections. The neti pot can thus directly decrease the allergic load in our nose and sinuses.
Along with using a neti pot to clear nasal passages, another way of decreasing congestion and thinning mucus secretions can be accomplished by eating spices or pungent foods. As long as the spices do not cause reflux (spicy foods are an easy trigger for people that are prone to having heartburn), the most frequently recommended spices for this purpose include cayenne pepper, hot ginger, and fenugreek, as well as the traditional onion and garlic.
One key to success with allergies is to try and start treatment before symptoms kick in - starting three weeks before allergy season begins is a great way for preventing or decreasing allergy symptoms. As always, there are many treatments that can be beneficial for allergies. It is therefore important to seek professional medical advice for moderate to severe allergies to find the underlying causes for each case and to get treatments specific to each individual.
Dr. Corrine Wang is a licensed Naturopathic doctor that graduated from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. As a Naturopathic doctor, she is committed to assisting others achieve balance and wellness in their lives. She believes in treating the whole person and supports each individual's healing process with the most effective, least invasive methods possible. Dr. Wang treats a variety of conditions using therapies that include clinical nutrition and dietary therapy, herbal and nutritional supplements, homeopathy, detoxification, and physical medicine including craniosacral therapy. She believes in mind-body medicine and supporting mental health along with physical health and also has experience with biofeedback, meditation, and other counseling techniques. She has a practice at Pacific Naturopathic in Mountain View. To learn more about Dr.
