There are natural sources of foods that can be consumed. When eaten, they can provide good nutritional contents for our body. One of them that can be easily bought and processed is Barley.

Barley is a type of grain that comes from the wheat family. It is widely used as a raw material in bread, drinks, and various other dishes.

For adults, it is definitely useful for reducing blood level, tension, and cholesterol. Even it can be a healthy diet as well. But not only exclusive to adults, Barley can be very useful for the baby.

You see, creating healthy meals for the baby should be in top priority, since you can’t just combine all the things into one because it’s highly important to the baby’s growth.

Barley can be chosen because parents could be creative with it. Moms can create barley water, barley cereal, or vegetable soup.

As long as the baby is about seven or eight months old, it’s safe to give barley to him/her. But remember, barley isn’t recommended as their first foods.

1. Provides Good Amount of Phosphorous

Phosphorus is also highly related to cell generation. Phosphorus is also needed in the formation of DNA and RNA. Our body cannot form DNA to store genetic information if it is deficient in phosphorus, and so do the babies. So, you really need phosphorus because DNA is in almost all of your cells. This is needed to form new cells and repair damaged tissue.

2. Rich of Fiber

Every 100 grams of Barley contains 17 grams of good dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is the part of food that cannot be broken down by digestion, generally found in fruits, vegetables, various types of nuts and seeds. It’s an important aspect of the foods to relieve baby’s constipation problem and can make the baby stay full for a bit longer.

Nutritionists recommend that adults consume about 15 grams of fiber per day. This is lower than the recommended standard 25-35 grams per day. However, it should be noted that the daily amount of fiber for children should be adjusted, usually less than half the intake of adults (about 5 grams).

3. Contains High Protein 

One of the benefits of Barley and Lentils is Protein content. Every 100 grams serving of Barley contains 12 grams of Protein. Nutritionists in America give a recommended 10 grams of Protein to be consumed daily for the babies Kids however, need a higher amount of 19 to 34 grams per day.

Since in the womb until the age of 2 years, proper nutrition, especially protein, is very important for the first 1000 days of a baby’s life. This substance is very important to help repair and maintain the body, and it is indeed important especially during growth and development of the baby.

4. Improving Liver’s Health

Barley also contains another substance called beta-glucans, which is highly useful for reducing the level of LDL Cholesterol that’s really bad for human’s health by binding to bile acids. These acids will be “removed” by the body via veces, thus cleaning the liver.

Beta glucans also have the other benefits, most importantly to increase the immune system. They help the body to fight disease effectively by maintaining the role of the body’s defense system.

They together create the effect of stimulating an immune response to fight a disease. In a study it was said that beta glucan can effectively improve immune function and reduce the body’s susceptibility to infectious diseases, and lowering risk of cancer.

5. Natural Antioxidant Source

Barley may serve in the same way, to be a dependable grain to fight off diseases and greatly increase the baby’s immune system. It’s considered to be a natural antioxidant that can be safely consumed.

Another benefit of antioxidants for the body are to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are substances that occur mostly from outside the body.

Your baby can be exposed to smoke or cigarettes everywhere, and it’s highly concerning. To be able to get these benefits, a person needs to consume a variety of food sources that contain antioxidants, including Barley.

6. Filled with Carbo

Barley is considered to be a healthy food that contains a lot of carbohydrates. In every 100 grams serving of Barley, there’s 73 grams of carbs. But, a child of one to six months only needs about 60 grams of it.

Giving your kid a correct amount of carbs can help them in many ways. They can support the child’s body for processing protein and fat for repairing or building tissue.

Imagine carbs as gasoline or electricity for your car. It functions as an energy source for daily activities. Babies can be very active, especially when they grow older. With a lot of things to do, a lot of carbs is needed to supply another energy to their small bodies.