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Catalog › Grains & Cereals › Pearl Barley

Pearl Barley: Fiber Breakdown, Calories, and Daily Value

One of the richest beta-glucan grains with a low GI: insoluble fiber adds volume, while soluble fiber forms a gel that keeps you full.

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🌿 1 serving cooked pearl barley (~160 g / 5.6 oz)

Grains & Cereals

🌿 Dietary Fiber

1 serving cooked pearl barley (~160 g / 5.6 oz) 7.1 g

Soluble

2.5 g (35%)

Insoluble

4.6 g (65%)

Per 100g (cooked) 4.4 g

🎯 Daily Norm

% of DV of 30g / day (1 serving)

🔥 Calories & Energy

1 serving cooked pearl barley (~160 g / 5.6 oz) 161.6 kcal

Per 100g (cooked) 101.0 kcal

352 kcal per 100 g dry barley; a 160 g cooked serving is about 161 kcal.

⚡ Glycemic Index (GI)

1 serving cooked pearl barley (~160 g / 5.6 oz) 28 (Low)

Per 100g (cooked) 28

Cooked barley has a glycemic index of 28: the beta-glucan gel slows sugar absorption and may help lower LDL cholesterol.

💡 Popular barley grain types

Across barley types, fiber stays high, but texture and cooking speed change

🌿 Pearl barley (polished): Round grains; even after polishing, beta-glucans remain in the endosperm—about 15–16 g fiber per 100 g dry barley.

🌱 Fine pearl barley (small polished grains): Smaller and more tender, cooks faster; fiber profile is close to regular pearl barley, but a portion may feel lighter.

🌾 Cracked barley (barley grits): Less polished and cracked: insoluble fiber may be higher, but because particles are smaller, GI can be slightly higher.

✨ Choose fresh, whole, well-cooked barley to reduce heaviness. Remember: barley contains gluten (hordein).

⚡ Quick Fiber Calculator (Pearl Barley)

One click, no registration

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🟢 You ate 7.1 g of fiber — that is 24% of your daily norm (30 g)!

How Fiber and Nutrients in Pearl Barley Support Daily Wellness

How pearl barley helps with weight management

When 100 g dry pearl barley is cooked, it becomes about 350 g of food. That fills your stomach with clean plant volume, while beta-glucans make the meal thicker and gel-like. This slows stomach emptying, smooths blood sugar, and keeps you fuller longer. Later, gut bacteria turn some fiber into short-chain fatty acids that help support fullness hormones like PYY and GLP-1.

Satiety Score

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4.2 / 5.0

High fullness: volume, gel, and lasting satisfaction

Caloric Density 161 kcal

Low calorie density for a cooked grain side

Effects on digestion and bowel regularity

Insoluble fiber works like a gentle intestinal broom, adding stool bulk and supporting regularity, while soluble beta-glucans make the food mixture thicker. But barley is high in FODMAPs: fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides can cause bloating and abdominal fullness, particularly for people with heightened carbohydrate sensitivity or slow transit.

Stomach «Softness» Scale

Irritating 5 / 10 (comfortable if well tolerated; cautious with digestive sensitivity) Ideal

GI Stimulation Score 🌿 Bulk and bowel rhythm Insoluble fiber helps form firmer stool, but fructans can increase gas.

Microbiome fermentation and a glycemic shield

🩸 Microbiome fuel
Good bacteria in the colon ferment beta-glucans, arabinoxylans, and resistant starch to make short-chain fatty acids.

🛡️ Butyrate production
Butyrate feeds colon cells and supports the gut lining barrier.

🌿 Glycemic shield
The beta-glucan gel slows starch breakdown, so blood sugar rises more gently.

Prebiotic value

Fiber 7.1 g Prebiotics: beta-glucans

Feeds friendly bacteria

Glycemic buffer 🛡️ Glycemic buffer with GI 28 No risk of sharp sugar drop

Culinary Physics

Raw vs Thermal Processing

How fiber properties and bioavailability change in Pearl Barley

🥗 Raw form

Dry grain (before cooking)

Starch locked in place: Don't eat raw pearl barley: dense starch is hard to digest and can feel heavy.
Phytates can bind minerals: Dry grain contains iron, magnesium, and zinc, but some minerals are bound by phytic acid.
Cooking is needed: Without cooking, barley can feel heavy and cause bloating instead of comfortable digestion.

🔥 Thermal processing

After cooking

Starch gelatinization: When heated above 60–65°C, starch swells, the grain softens, and digestive enzymes can access it.
More available minerals: Longer cooking reduces phytates by about 30–50%, improving iron and magnesium absorption.
Beta-glucans become gel: Heat converts some beta-glucans into a soluble gel that slows sugar absorption.

Culinary Constructor & Alternatives

Best Food Combinations with Pearl Barley

Ready-made balanced combinations from the catalog

🥗 Fiber Plate Constructor

Power Lunch

Pearl Barley Risotto (Perlotto) with Vegetables

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Pearl Barley Ingredient

+7.1 g

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Carrot Ingredient

+2.8 g

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Onion Ingredient

+1.7 g

🟢 Total in plate: 11.6 g of fiber (39% of norm)

💡 Quick prep: Cook barley until tender, then stir in sautéed carrots and onions. The hearty grains keep you full for 4–5 hours.

🏆 Similar High-Fiber Options

Compare the amount of fiber in other products:

🥣 Buckwheat (Cooked Groats) 2.7 g / 100g 🌾 Bulgur 4.5 g / 100g 🌽 Corn 2.7 g / 100g 🥣 Oatmeal 2.1 g / 100g