Barley diet for weight loss: pros and cons
The pearl barley diet is an effective weight-loss technique that is simple and inexpensive. The diet allows not only to lose weight, but also to solve health problems. In particular, it can be practiced by people suffering from digestive disorders.
Content:
- The benefits of the pearl barley diet
- General rules for the pearl barley diet
- Barley diet options
- List of allowed and prohibited products
- How to cook barley for weight loss
- Pearl barley diet recipes
- Pros and cons of the pearl barley diet
- Contraindications
- Reviews
The benefits of the pearl barley diet
Barley is a whole grain of barley. It is enclosed in a shell, which is a source of vitamins, trace elements and minerals. Barley is a real storehouse of dietary fiber, which is so necessary for the intestines for its comfortable work.
Use of barley:
- Pearl barley contains a number of amino acids, one of which is lysine. It is necessary for the body to produce collagen. Collagen is responsible for the beauty and youthfulness of the skin.
- Pearl barley has antiseptic properties, therefore its use in food contributes to the accelerated regeneration of intestinal microcracks.
- Pearl barley is able to relieve abdominal pain, as it has an antispasmodic effect.
- Pearl barley helps to remove excess fluid, salts and harmful compounds from the body. The weight on the pearl barley diet decreases smoothly, which guarantees a stable result over time.
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Pearl barley contains a large amount of coarse, indigestible fiber. Its entry into the intestines contributes to the normal peristalsis of the organ, which makes the stool regular. This, in turn, allows you to normalize metabolic processes and quickly get rid of body fat.
- Barley is a source of vegetable protein. Therefore, during the diet, not fat will be burned, but muscle. Throughout the entire process of losing weight, a person will not experience weakness and deterioration of well-being, therefore, he will be able to lead a familiar lifestyle without limiting physical and mental activity.
- The endocrine system reacts to the introduction of barley into the menu in a positive way, since the croup helps to regulate the work of the endocrine glands.
- Barley allows you to increase the body's immune forces.
- Thanks to the regular inclusion of cereals in the menu, you can improve the work of the heart muscle.
- Barley is eaten for the prevention of urolithiasis.
- Barley is a source of trace elements and vitamins. Therefore, a diet based on this cereal can be practiced by people suffering from diabetes and allergies.
General rules for the pearl barley diet
Pearl barley practically does not contain fat and salt, therefore it allows you to regulate metabolic processes in the body and lose weight. However, if you do not follow a number of rules, you will not be able to lose weight.
General rules for the pearl barley diet:
- Barley porridge is cooked only in water. Other components (salt and sugar) are not added during cooking.
- The process of breaking down fat manifests itself only from the third day of the diet. The first two days, excess fluid will be removed from the body.
- If a person visits the gym during a diet, then the process of losing weight will begin to go faster.
- Pearl barley has a diuretic effect, so you need to drink enough water during the diet. Green tea and herbal teas are also allowed. In the evening, you can drink a glass of kefir with a fat content of no more than 1%.
- You need to drink purified water without gas.
- Diet portions should be kept small.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes do not need to be taken during the diet. The menu is balanced enough to allow the body to function normally.
Barley diet options
Mono diet
The mono-diet on pearl barley does not differ in duration. Moreover, this option for losing weight can be called one of the toughest. During the diet, you can only eat pearl barley, which is cooked in water, without adding sugar and salt.
You need to drink at least 2 liters of water per day, supplementing the drinking diet with green tea and herbal decoctions. Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of low-fat kefir.
The duration of the mono-diet is 1 to 3 days. It should not be practiced any longer, as the menu cannot be called balanced.
Pearl barley diet for 7 days
The pearl barley diet for 7 days does not differ in a rigid menu. It is supplemented with a variety of products, so it is much easier to withstand this option.
The menu for every day looks like this:
- Breakfast: barley with steamed prunes. Dried fruits can be replaced with a green apple.
- Lunch: 150 g of chicken breast or beef tenderloin, fresh cucumbers with cabbage in a salad. The salad should be seasoned with cranberry juice.
- Dinner: a little cottage cheese and a glass of kefir with a fat content of no more than 1%.
"Free" version of the diet on barley porridge
This diet option can last quite a long time, since the menu is quite varied. Greens, onions, mushrooms and carrots sautéed in vegetable oil can be added to the finished cereal. It is also allowed to supplement the menu with fresh vegetables, unsweetened fruits and berries. The diet may consist of dietary fish, beef, chicken fillet. Such a menu can be considered balanced, so the diet is extended to several weeks.
Pearl barley diet menu for a week:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Dinner | |
| Fresh apple porridge portion, 250 ml of kefir | Banana | Portion of porridge, boiled chicken breast - 100 g | Portion of porridge, salad with fresh vegetables | |
| A portion of porridge with prunes, a glass of green tea | Apple | Portion of pearl barley soup, fresh tomato | Portion of porridge, salad with fresh vegetables, a glass of kefir | |
| Cottage cheese with prunes, green tea | Banana | Portion of porridge, oven fish (100 g), sweet bell pepper | Marketable chicken egg, a portion of porridge and salad with fresh vegetables | |
| A portion of porridge with an apple, a glass of kefir | 7 nuts | Portion of pearl barley soup, cucumber | Cottage cheese with dried apricots, green tea | |
| five | Cottage cheese with nuts and apples, green tea | Banana | Boiled chicken egg, a portion of porridge, salad with fresh vegetables | Portion of porridge, salad with fresh vegetables |
| Portion of porridge with dried apricots, kefir | Kefir and nuts (no more than 7 pieces) | Pearl barley soup, cabbage and carrots in salad | Porridge with vegetables and pearl barley, kefir | |
| Cottage cheese and banana, green tea | Yogurt | Portion of porridge, boiled chicken fillet, salad with vegetables | Kefir |
List of allowed and prohibited products
If for weight loss a person decided to stick to a non-mono-diet on pearl barley, then the following products may be present on the menu:
- Vegetables.
- Unsweetened fruits.
- Low-fat fermented milk drinks.
- Low-fat cottage cheese and cheese.
- Dried fruits.
- Nuts.
- Seafood.
- Bitter chocolate, but not more than 40 g per day.
During the pearl barley diet, you should not eat the following foods:
- Sweets.
- Any flour products.
- Highly salty food.
- Smoked products.
- Fatty meat and fish.
- Alcoholic drinks.
- Legumes.
- Sweet fruits.
How to cook barley for weight loss
In order for barley to allow you to lose weight, you need to cook it correctly.
To do this, follow several steps:
- Pour 0.2 kg of cereal with a liter of water, leave to swell for 12 hours.
- After the specified time has elapsed, the cereal is poured with 3 glasses of water and put on fire.
- Boil cereals for half an hour.
- Remove the pot from the heat, wrap it with a towel and leave for 15 minutes.
During cooking, neither sugar nor salt is added to the porridge. If you abandon the first stage of cooking cereals, namely, soaking, then the barley cooking time will be longer. It should be borne in mind that the finished cereal will increase in volume by 5 times compared to the original portion.
Pearl barley diet recipes
The free version of the pearl barley diet allows you to diversify the menu with various recipes for the preparation of pearl barley.
Barley porridge with vegetables
- Cut carrots into strips, onions in half rings, fry vegetables in a small amount of vegetable oil. Salt, pepper and garlic are added to vegetables. Vegetables are combined with ready-made barley in equal proportions.
- Then cover the pan with a lid and simmer the mixture until cooked. If it starts to burn, you can add water to the pot.
Cabbage rolls stuffed with pearl barley
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- Pearl barley - 0.1 kg.
- White cabbage, sorted into leaves.
- Carrots - 2 pcs.
- Celery.
- 0.3 kg of champignons.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 1 clove.
- Parsley and dill.
Cabbage leaves are boiled in salted water for no more than 5 minutes. The groats are brought to readiness, grated carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, herbs and garlic are added to it. The resulting minced meat is filled with a cabbage leaf, forming cabbage rolls from it. Spread the finished cabbage rolls in a saucepan, pour boiling water and press down with a press. Cook over low heat for no more than 30 minutes.
Soup with barley and pumpkin
To make the soup, you need to take the following products:
- 0.2 kg pumpkin.
- 0.3 kg of pearl barley.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Water - 2 liters.
- Sunflower oil.
- Greens.
- Salt.
The groats are brought to readiness, the onion and pumpkin are fried. The water is boiled, pearl barley and vegetables are introduced into it, and then greens. Boil the soup for 5 minutes. At the end of cooking, add a small amount of salt.
Pros and cons of the pearl barley diet
Pros of the pearl barley diet:
- The diet does not require financial investments. It can be practiced regardless of the season.
- During the diet, it will be possible to cleanse the intestines, enrich the body with vitamins A, E, PP, D, B. In addition, pearl barley is a source of phosphorus, chromium, iodine, iron. Therefore, the condition of nails, skin and hair after a diet will improve significantly.
- During the diet, you can get rid of 10 kg of excess weight.
- The diet is not hungry, which excludes the possibility of breakdowns.
Cons of the diet:
- If you stick to a mono-diet on pearl barley, then in the first days you may experience an acute feeling of hunger.
- During the diet, you need to drink enough water, as cereals have a diuretic effect.
Contraindications
Contraindications to the pearl barley diet:
- Increased acidity of gastric juice.
- Constipation tendency.
- A tendency to gas production, problems with potency (contraindication applies to men).
- Pregnancy. This does not mean that pearl barley should not be eaten while carrying a child. You can eat it, but in moderation.
Reviews
Rimma Dmitrievna, therapist:
“The pearl barley diet has a balanced menu. Porridge allows you not to feel hunger for a long time. I do not recommend sticking to the pearl barley diet for longer than 7 days, since the diet should be varied. In addition, you should not completely abandon salt, as it can negatively affect your health. During the diet, the amount of salt you just need to reduce. Such a diet will make the body healthier."
Oleg Vasilievich, nutritionist:
“I often recommend the barley diet to my patients, but only to those people for whom it really suits. For example, in some people, pearl barley can cause constipation. Therefore, everything should be individual."
Reviews of those who have lost weight
Luda: “I have been following this diet for 4 days already. The abdomen became more toned, I managed to lose 4 kg. It is very tasteless to eat pearl barley without salt, and you also have to drink a lot of water. Be sure to drink kefir before bedtime. I feel good, my stomach feels light."
Masha: “I really like the pearl barley diet, as it helps not only to lose weight, but also to cleanse the intestines. Before going to bed I refuse barley, I eat only vegetable salads. I lost 16 kg in 2 months.”
Yana: “I could not stand the barley diet, I just could not eat this porridge all the time. She was on a diet for only three days. My advice: if you don't like barley, do not even try to start losing weight with it."
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
