Barley Soup For Weight Loss

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Barleys Effect On Cholesterol And Appetite

Weight Loss Soup | Easy Healthy Veggie Bean & Barley Meal | Lose 15 Pounds! Vegan/Vegetarian Diet

One of barleys main selling points is how it helps to lower cholesterol. High cholesterol is a warning sign for heart disease, a huge problem in the United States. It works similar to oat bran, since it has beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol. Since this discovery, farmers have been working hard to create barley that is high in beta-glucan.

Barley is also full of insoluble fiber. While insoluble fiber doesnt help your cholesterol level, it is a great appetite control tool. It absorbs water and makes you feel full on less, reducing your likelihood of overeating.

Impressive Health Benefits Of Barley

Barley is one of the most widely consumed grains in the American diet .

This versatile grain has a somewhat chewy consistency and a slightly nutty flavor that can complement many dishes.

Its also rich in many nutrients and packs some impressive health benefits, ranging from improved digestion and weight loss to lower cholesterol levels and a healthier heart.

Here are 9 evidence-based health benefits of barley.

A Comforting Combination Of Vegetables And Turkey Bacon

In addition to the chewy, earthy-flavored barley, we added some turkey bacon to this easy vegetable and barley soup. It brings a deep, savory flavor that has salty and sweet notes, which really brings out the flavors of the other vegetables. If youre a vegetarian or youre following a plant-based diet, feel free to leave the bacon out!

As we said earlier, you can use any veggies you like in this dish. We love using a combination of root vegetablesonions, carrots, potatoesalongside watery, fresh-tasting vegetables like celery and zucchini. It creates the perfect textural contrast as you eat the soup, which works well any time of the year.

Because this soup is rich in complex carbohydrates, the best wine to pair it with has some effervescence. That takes us to a glass of cool sparkling white or rosè wine with good acidity and minerality. You could also opt for a dry white wine like Pinot Bianco that has good acidity and medium body. If you can find it, we would definitely recommend looking for something coming from northern Italy .

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Top 10 Health Benefits Of Using Barley In Your Daily Diet

Barley, an important member of the grass family, is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain. It is one of the first cultivated grains and is now grown widely. The amazing health benefits of barley make it a staple of Tibetan cuisine and were eaten by peasants in Medieval Europe. Barley is used as animal fodder and as an important component of various health foods. It is used in stews and soups and barley bread in many cultures. This cereal grain can be used for weight loss with vegan diet because of its high nutrient content. Barley grains are most commonly made from malt in an ancient and traditional method of preparation.

Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

This vegetable beef barley soup recipe is an easy but slow cooker beef and barley soup recipe.

This beef vegetable soup recipe is both hearty and filling and can make a meal on its own. This is one of the vegetable beef soup recipes which can be cooked in 2 ways: cook slowly for a long time on the hob to tenderise the ingredients or put the meat and water into a pressure cooker, bring to the boil and skim the surface. Add the remaining ingredients, put on the lid, bring to a high pressure and cook under pressure for 25 minutes. If you make this vegetable beef barley soup the day before needed, the soup can be allowed to cool so the layer of fat can be removed from the top and calories reduced.

Nutrition Profile:Diabetes Appropriate, Low Calorie, Low Saturated Fat, Heart Healthy, Healthy Weight, Low Carbohydrates, Low Sodium, Dairy Free.

Good Source of: Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-6, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc

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Insoluble And Soluble Fiber Content Improves Digestion

Barley can boost your intestinal health.

Once again, its high fiber content is responsible and in this case, particularly its insoluble fiber.

Most of the fiber found in barley is insoluble, which unlike soluble fiber does not dissolve in water. Instead, it adds bulk to your stool and accelerates intestinal movement, reducing your likelihood of constipation .

In one four-week study in adult women, eating more barley improved bowel function and increased stool volume .

On the other hand, barleys soluble fiber content provides food for friendly gut bacteria, which, in turn, produce short-chain fatty acids .

Research shows that SCFAs help feed gut cells, reducing inflammation and improving symptoms of gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome , Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis .

Summary Barleys high fiber content helps food move through your gut and promotes a good balance of gut bacteria, both of which play important roles in digestion.

Ingredients For Vegetable Barley Soup

Uncooked Pearl barley you can also use hulled barley but the cooking time varies. I always rinse my barley well to remove any dirt and stones.

Onion white onions are the best for soups but I didnt have any. half an onion is good enough. optional spring onions for garnishing.

Veggies I used carrots, mushrooms, leeks, greens like kale, spinach. You can also add beans, edamame, peas. I like to use fresh vegetables wherever possible.

Garlic use it crushed or finely chopped but dont skip.

Herbs and spices like thyme, pepper, chilli flakes, sea salt. You can also use Italian mixed herbs or any other mild spiced that pleases your tastebuds.

Oil I used olive oil here, but feel free to use any vegetable oil.

Vegetable stock dissolve the stock cube in 4 cups of water.

Lime juice is optional to drizzle over the soup.

check the recipe card below for detailed measurements.

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Storing/reheating This Beef Barley Soup

This beef barley soup will last for 5 days in the refrigerator.

Freezing this soup: You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months. I love Souper Cubes for freezing soup. Code CLEANEATING10 works to save $$!

Defrost the soup by taking it out of the refrigerator 24 hours before serving, or by heating in a microwave. We have a whole post on the best way to freeze soup!

Reheating this soup: You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Vegetable Barley Soup Variations

Barley Soup For Weight Loss | Barley Soup Tamil | Barley Soup Recipe

You can easily customize this barley soup with any orphan ingredients in the vegetable fridge drawer. I usually add carrots, celery, onion, and frozen peas, but you can mix up any veggies of your choice or whatever you have on hand.

  • Vegetables: you can add summer vegetables like zucchini, green beans or fresh tomatoes, just in the last 5 minutes of cooking. In winter, you can add mushrooms, squash, cabbage, kale at the beginning, when you add the barley to the pot.
  • Beans: canned chickpeas or canned white beans are rich in protein and work great, add them alongside barley if you wish.
  • Chicken: if youre not vegetarian or vegan, you can add chicken too. Sometimes, I add a couple of raw skinless chicken legs at the beginning, when I stir in the broth. They cook for about 30 minutes, making the broth richer and flavorsome. Then I remove the chicken flesh from the bone with a fork and discard the bones. Delicious.

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May Help Prevent Colon Cancer

A diet rich in whole grains is generally linked to a lower likelihood of many chronic diseases, including certain cancers especially those of the colon (

35 ).

Other compounds found in barley including antioxidants, phytic acid, phenolic acids and saponins may further protect against cancer or slow its development .

That said, more human studies are needed before strong conclusions can be drawn.

Summary Fiber and other beneficial compounds found in barley may fight off certain types of cancer, particularly those of the colon. However, more research is needed.

What Barley Does To Your Blood Sugar

Recent studies have demonstrated that barley is good for your blood sugar. For up to 10 hours after eating it, barley can keep your blood sugar regulated. Its even more effective than whole-grain wheat. This makes it the perfect choice for a breakfast food. An additional study tested the barleys effect on blood sugar when its used as a breakfast food. People who ate barley for breakfast experienced an even blood sugar level throughout the day since it has a low glycemic index, it elevates your blood sugar at a more steady pace than other carbohydrates. It also keeps you feeling fuller and avoids the mid-morning energy drop that so many people experience.

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Indian Chickpea Lentil Soup

For our first weight loss soup example, were going to do a plant-based soup. I chose to use red potatoes, onion, carrots, red pepper, and some diced tomatoes. However, there are a lot of different vegetables you can choose to use which are going to be part of my formula.

Were going to peel our potatoes and our onion. We are aiming to do about four cups of vegetables because Im going to make a soup with four servings. And for our formula, were going to want a cup of vegetables, at least, per serving. Im just estimating this amount because, really, you can have as many vegetables as you want. Id suggest using the whole onion. It really gives the soup an excellent flavor. For all these different variations of weight loss soups, I suggest using onion and garlic with all of them. Youre going to want to use about two to four garlic cloves. Theres evidence that garlic can help you with weight loss as well, which is another reason that I suggest putting garlic in all of the different variations of soup that you can make based off my formula.

Theres evidence that garlic can help you with weight loss as well, which is another reason that I suggest putting garlic in all of the different variations of soup that you can make based off my formula.

Im going to be using the pressure cooker for this soup because weve got some dried beans and it would otherwise take a really long time to cook dried beans, and it would make everything else in the soup mushy.

Interesting Health Benefits Of Barley

Nourishing Grass

Barley grass is the beautiful leaf of the barley plant. The real beauty of barley is found in the leaves and both barley cereal and barley grass juice is loaded with health benefitting nutrients. The barley health benefits are several. Here are some of the primary reasons why one must include barley in the diet.

Barley Helps Reduce the Risk of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is extremely serious medical condition that can cause a coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and other serious health problems. The major symptoms of high blood pressure include nausea, severe headache, vomiting, confusion, vision changes and nose bleeds. The presence of fiber and niacin in barley aid in lowering the risk of high blood pressure.

According to the researchers of American Heart Association, long term barley eaters have a lower systolic blood pressure as well as a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure. When the heart beats, it pushes and contracts blood through the arteries of the heart to the rest of the human body. This force creates pressure on the arteries. This is called systolic blood pressure. Regular eating of barley helps prevent cholesterol build up in the arteries of the heart. Therefore, barley must in the high blood pressure diet chart for optimum control of hypertension.

Barley Improves Cardiovascular Health

Barley Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Barley Consumption Prevent Diabetes

Barley Helps you Lose Weight

Barley Water

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How To Prepare Soup

  • Aromatic herbs are the start of any successful soup. Just grab a big pot and saute anything from the allium family like onions, scallions, shallots and leeks in a little bit of butter or olive oil or bacon fat, etc. You can also add garlic, carrots and celery chopped in small dice.
  • Herbs and spices add another layer of complexity to even the simplest soup but they are worth it. Add dried spices early on, while you cook your aromatic herbs. The heat brings out the oils in the spices and then they will start to pop. Try autumnal classics like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, garam masala, turmeric and chilly.
  • You can also use the seasonal harvest. Try squashes, potatoes, rutabaga, apples, turnips, cauliflower, kale, chard and pears. Chopping them into small pieces will help them cook more quickly. Simmer the vegetables in stock or water until they are soft. A good ratio of cooking liquid to vegetables is about 3:1.
  • To make your soup healthier, add healthy foods like tofu, beans, pork, chicken breast, etc. Try experimenting with chewy, heart-healthy grains like barley, spelt, brown rice, farro and quinoa. They add an excellent texture to the soup.
  • Lastly, toppings and condiments are the final touches to the soup. Try croutons, crispy-fried onions or crushed nuts with coriander leaves. Add a swirl of plain curd or unsweetened cream to a soup with spice. Crumble or shave some cheese over a hearty stew or use fresh herbs to brighten broth-based soups.
  • Chicken Soup With Lentils And Barley Recipe For Easy Weight

    If youre looking for a low-calorie starter or meal thats actually satisfying, soup is an excellent place to start. Soups are incredibly filling due to their very high water content. Soup makes you feel fuller on fewer calories than eating something which has less water in it.

    And even if youre not a fitness freak, you can still have benefit from this healthy soup recipe. As soups are a mix of whole grains, lean protein, and vegetables, you can get a complete meal in just one bowl.

    If youre planning to have a soup in your dinner, try our low-calorie Chicken soup with Lentils and Barley recipe instead of cracking open a can from the supermarket. Were sure that this recipe will offer a satisfying lunch or dinner starter.

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    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup

    Published: by Siri · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Instant Pot Barley Soup is an easy,nutrient-rich, satisfying, soup made with loads of vegetables. This chunky soup is made FAST in the Instant Pot with mushrooms, leeks, carrots, pearl barley, and a flavorful broth. Dinner served in less than 60 minutes!

    I used to hate soups for dinner. Im someone who eats with eyes first and always need my food to fill the plates, liquid foods like thin soups dont appeal to my eyes as well as stomach. But this chunky barley soup loaded with fresh veggies is an exception.

    I feel like Im eating a big meal in a bowl. Hot, soothing and comforting with the rich buttery flavour of leeks and nutty flavour of barley. Bowled! One more among million reasons to love my instant pot for weight loss.

    This vegetable barley soup is loaded with carrots, leeks, mushrooms and pearl barley all simmered in a flavorful vegetable broth and mild herbs.

    Preparation And Serving Tips

    How to Prepare Barley Veg Soup | Weight Loss Soup | Healthy | Witty Cooking

    To cook: Add one cup of pearled barley to three cups of boiling water . Simmer, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes .

    As barley cooks, the starch in it swells and absorbs water, making it soft and bulky. This makes it the perfect thickener for soups, stews, and traditional Scotch broth soup. Barley can be successfully substituted for rice in almost any recipe. It has more flavor than white rice though it isn’t as strong as brown rice — the perfect compromise.

    Because barley is such a versatile grain, it’s a great staple to keep in your cabinet. It can be used in soups, stews, cereal, or baked goods. It can be used as a side dish or in a salad. Take advantage of the weight-loss benefits of this low-in-fat and cholesterol-free food.

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    How To Make Healthy Beef Barley Soup:

    You can make this beef barley soup in your instant pot, crock pot, or on your stovetop. There are instructions for all of them below.

    How to make Healthy Beef Barley Soup on the stove top:

  • Brown your meat in a pan per the directions in step one, and add in your veggies to sauté.
  • Once veggies are soft, add in your remaining ingredients and bring the soup to a boil.
  • Once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until barley is fully cooked.
  • How to make Healthy Beef Barley Soup in the Crockpot:

  • To make healthy beef barley soup in the slow cooker/crockpot, brown your meat in a pan per the directions in step one.
  • Add browned meat and remaining ingredients into the slow cooker.
  • Stir until combined and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
  • How to make Healthy Beef Barley Soup in the instant pot:

  • To make healthy beef barley soup in the instant pot turn instant pot on sauté setting.
  • Heat olive oil. Sauté stew meat until slightly brown, approximately 10 minutes.
  • When meat is browned, add spices, veggies, broth + barley to the pot . Stir to combine. Set pot to sealing, pressure cook for 10 minutes. Allow the pot to natural release for 15 minutes.
  • After its done, quick release the remaining pressure. Remove bay leaves + parmesan cheese rind. Stir + enjoy!
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