Barley nibbles! Can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

Primary and secondary school students have already started school. After a long summer vacation, some students have eaten more and exercised less, so they have become fat. Parents are beginning to worry about how to put effort into their children's lunch boxes so that they can eat healthy and nutritious food. The most important thing is weight control, and even if they are overweight, they can lose weight, otherwise it is easy to suffer from the "three highs".

The French macaron-shaped barley rice burger won the championship of the "2012 Healthy Barley and Wheat Creative Food Competition". (Photography by Huang Manying)

As for whole grains, although eating rice is important, sometimes you may also want to try eating barley, which has high nutritional value but about 10% less calories than rice. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the health certification of barley as early as May 2006, confirming that barley is rich in soluble fiber β-glucan. Intake of more than 3 grams of β-glucan from barley per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The U.S. Grain Council, which has been promoting the benefits of eating more barley in recent years, co-organized the "2012 Healthy Barley and Wheat Creative Food Competition" with the U.S. Wheat Council and the China Cereals and Food Industry Technology Research Institute this year, attracting the baking industry, catering industry, and catering schools across Taiwan to participate. The organizers required the contestants to make six products: "Creative Barley Noodles," "Healthy Barley Mooncakes," "Barley Biscuits," "Barley Rice Burgers," "Barley Mochi," and "Barley Multi-Grain Bars." Among the many contestants, the winners who were favored by the judges were publicly awarded on the 30th.

Nutritionist Yang Shuying (left) said that eating more barley has many benefits. It is not only healthy but also low in calories. (Photography by Huang Manying)

This competition started from the concept of "health, wellness, deliciousness and creativity". After three months of preparation, the contestants' creativity for barley continued to grow. The organizers finally selected the champion, first runner-up and third place winners from hundreds of works, including barley rice burgers in the shape of French macarons, barley mochi with red yeast rice and longan fillings, and barley wellness multi-grain bars with cranberries, wolfberries and purple rice.

Zhang Xueyi, the U.S. Grains Council's representative in Taiwan, said that the winners are all very creative and hope that through promotion and education, the public can benefit from the health benefits of barley. These works are also very suitable for mothers to prepare healthy light meals for schoolchildren and the whole family.

The U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. Wheat Council work together to ensure the nutrition of Taiwanese schoolchildren. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Grains Council)

Yang Shuying, technical director of the U.S. Wheat Associates in Taiwan and a nutritionist, said that the benefits of eating more barley include:

1. Helps lower cholesterol and reduce the incidence of heart disease.

2. It can maintain standard blood sugar and reduce the occurrence of diabetes.

3. Helps control ideal blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.

4. It can easily produce a feeling of fullness and help control weight.

5. It is rich in soluble dietary fiber, which promotes intestinal motility.

6. Contains a large amount of antioxidants, which can strengthen the human immune system.

7. The fat content is only half that of oats.

8. It is a natural food source of 9 vitamins and minerals.