Why We Love Barley Flour!

Barley flour is one of those wonderful ingredients that has a wide range of applications and is enjoyed in many different ways. Not only can it be used to replace traditional flour but it can also be added to a meal to for some extra flavour. In this article, we take a look at some of the health benefits and some of our favourite ways it can be enjoyed.

Unique taste

One of the most obvious uses that barley flour has is in the baking of bread. Barley flour offers a great alternative to regular flour not only for the difference in taste, but also in its rich levels of fibre, containing almost four times the amount of fibre found in regular flour. Barley flour can be used to replace up to a quarter of regular flour to provide your home baked bread with greater nutritional value.

Being wheat free, barley flour contains fewer calories to regular flour and makes for a very unique taste when used to make bread. With its nutty taste, the bread made from a barley flour recipe is an ideal accompaniment to any homemade soups to give your meal a rustic flavour. When sliced thinly, barley flour bread makes for tasty entrees with the addition of a creamy cheese and pepper topping, and is also great with smoked salmon!

High nutritional value

Like many natural base ingredients, barley flour provides numerous nutritional benefits. Its high fibre content can benefit your digestive system and aids the body’s ability to remove unwanted toxins.

The dietary fibre found in barley flour is what’s called a ‘beta glucan’ which means that it helps to bind bile acids in the stomach and greater digestive system, which in turn helps to lower overall cholesterol in the body. When eaten with cholesterol free butters and margarines, barely flour can have a positive effect on your cholesterol levels, and even reverse high levels over time.

When used as part of a whole grain meal, such as a whole grain breakfast containing cereals and breads, the additional health benefits can include lowering your risk of heart disease. Many doctors and nutritionists are lauding the benefits of starting your day with a healthy whole grain breakfast, and you can certainly reap the rewards of starting your day with this great healthier option.

From classic bread loafs and buns to breakfast cereals, fajita wraps and more, barely flour can be used to make a range of savoury products. And with its many health benefits and wide range of applications, it is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to more traditional varieties of flour.

The Health Benefits of Eating Wholegrain Products

Based in Benalla, Victoria, Mirfak is a wholesale supplier of a wide range of food grade products including linseed meal, barley flour and a range of wholesale seeds. Having operated in the industry for more than 40 years, we have established a name for ourselves as a reliable grain and seed supplier in Australia, and our customers appreciate the quality of our products. Because they are processed naturally without any additives, our products have numerous health benefits. In this article, we’ll be looking at wholegrain goods and how consuming them daily can improve peoples’ health in a variety of ways.

Identifying wholegrain goods

Wholegrain foods are generally those that contain wheat, oat, barley, spelt, millet, buckwheat or rye or another wholegrain product as the dominant ingredient. In the case of bread, in particular, it pays to do your research and check the ingredients on the pack. Many non-wholegrain breads are intentionally coloured brown, which can cause people to pick them up in the supermarket without thinking twice. Grainy and seedy breads are usually high in wholegrain and have a much lower GI than white and other types of brown breads. In addition to breads, wholegrain ingredients are contained in a range of popular foods including cereals, oats, rice, bagels, muffins, buns and rolls, pop corn, crackers and others.

Health benefits

Many studies over the years have confirmed the health benefits of regularly consuming wholegrain products rather than processed foods, possibly the most widely-known being that they help to protect us against heart disease. Because they are very high in fibre, wholegrain products reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Research has revealed that eating an average of 2.5 of wholegrain products per day can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and even stroke by 21%.

Being low in GI and high in fibre, wholegrain foods can help certain people with weight issues. Because they take longer to digest, they make us feel satisfied for longer, which effectively reduces our desire to eat. Other high-energy foods (such as sweets and fatty foods) are burned off more quickly, so we require additional sustenance more quickly.

People with diabetes can benefit in that there is evidence to suggest that wholegrain can improve insulin sensitivity. Two serves of wholegrain food per day can actually decrease peoples’ chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 21 percent. Some studies even report a 20 percent reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer for people that consume 3 servings per day.

Regular consumption of wholegrain can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and cancer, so it is a good idea to make it a big part of your diet. Food manufactures use Mirfak’s ingredients in the production of many wholegrain products. For more information about our products and their health benefits, please visit our website.