Too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels which makes you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke
A cheap dinner ingredient could help people lower their cholesterol. And it can cost as little as £1.10.
According to Harvard Health, the item on your shopping list should be barley. It explains: "Barley contains about three times as much fibre per serving as oats.
"Barley is particularly rich in a type of soluble fibre known as beta glucan, which is recognised for its cholesterol-lowering abilities. Barley is also a good or excellent source of several vitamins and minerals."
The NHS states that too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels, which makes you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke. High cholesterol does not usually cause symptoms and you can only find out if you have it from a blood test.
The Harvard experts say you can buy it in two main forms: hulled and pearled. Hulled barley undergoes minimal processing, with only the tough outer hull removed. Pearled barley has the hull and the outer bran layer removed, so it isn’t technically considered a whole grain.
Despite this, "the beta glucans are found in the main part of the kernel (endosperm), so pearled barley is still a healthy choice." Supermarkets like Waitrose sell it for just £1.30 with Morrisons selling a bag for £1.10, both weigh 500g.
Should I add barley to my diet?
Experts at Healthline note that this is indeed a good ingredient to include in your diet. It stresses that a diet high in soluble fibre has been shown to lower total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol by 5–10%.
In fact, a five-week study of 18 men with high cholesterol found that getting 20% of daily calories from barley reduced total cholesterol by 20%, lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol by 24%, and raised “good” HDL cholesterol by 18%.
In another study, 44 men with high cholesterol ate a mixture of rice and pearled barley. This reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol and decreased belly fat, compared to a control group that just ate rice.
Healthline added: "Other studies have shown that eating whole grains may reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity. The benefits of whole-grain barley may stem from not only its fibre content but also its phytonutrients, which are plant compounds with beneficial effects on health."
Check before you eat it
This may not be for everyone though. Barley is a whole grain. This means that just like wheat and rye, it contains gluten.
As a result, it isn’t suitable for people with coeliac disease or those who have a sensitivity or intolerance to wheat.
Coeliac UK confirm: "People with coeliac disease can safely eat many common plants, seeds, grains, cereals and flour, including corn, polenta, potatoes, rice and soya.
"However they should avoid barley, wheat, rye, couscous and semolina as they contain gluten."
Food items that are not gluten-free according to Coeliac UK include:
- Barley (including products that contain malted barley such as malted drinks, beers, ales, lagers and stouts)
- Bulgar wheat
- Couscous
- Durum wheat
- Einkorn
- Emmer (also known as faro)
- Khorasan wheat (commercially known as Kamut®)
- Pearl barley
- Rye
- Semolina
- Spelt
- Triticale
- Wheat
For more information on grains, visit Coeliac UK here. For other ways on how to lower your cholesterol, visit the NHS website here.
