With the change of people's eating habits and the reduction of their own exercise, the incidence of diabetes in mainland China has increased significantly, and the current diabetic patients exceed 97 million, and the trend of younger diabetes is becoming more and more significant. Among them, the refined processing of grains affects the content of certain minerals and vitamins to a certain extent, which may increase the risk of dietary imbalance and chronic diseases such as diabetes. Therefore, as the main food source, the rational selection and moderate processing of cereals are closely related to the needs of human nutrition and health.
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" recommends that mainland residents should focus on grains in their diets, so how should they eat grains healthily in daily life?
The new version of the dietary guidelines makes quantitative recommendations: daily meals should include cereals, potatoes, vegetables and fruits, livestock, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and legumes. On average, more than 12 kinds of foods are consumed every day, more than 25 kinds per week, and they are reasonably matched. Daily intake of cereals 200-300 g, including whole grains and mixed legumes 50-150 g; 50-100g of potatoes.
Under the wave of healthy diet, the barley that grows silently on the snowy plateau has slowly entered people's sight.
Tibet is known as the "third pole" of the world, and the vast plateau is almost all above 3,500 meters above sea level, with a harsh climate and low oxygen content. Under such climatic and geographical conditions, the Tibetan people are physically fit, and there is no shortage of long-lived old people.
This is inseparable from the local diet.
There is a saying among the people in Tibetan areas that the Tibetan diet has four treasures: ghee, tea, zān bɑ, beef and sheep. As the main source of carbs and water components in traditional Tibetan food, barley flour is raw material. Barley is the "wheat" in Tibetan areas. It has been cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet region for more than 3,500 years.
As early as 2,500 years ago, barley was a medicinal herb for Tibetans. The Four Medical Classics, a sacred text of Tibetan medicine, records: "Thick barley porridge with vegetables is the best treatment for lung disease." (Long disease, sometimes recorded as "dragon disease", is similar to the symptoms of various diseases caused by dysfunction of qi in Chinese medicine)
"Materia Medica" records: barley, wide and medium under the breath, strong and lean, dehumidification and sweating, antidiarrheal.
Modern medical scientific research has confirmed that barley contains 18 kinds of amino acids and 12 kinds of trace elements necessary for the human body; Rich in selenium, it has also been scientifically proven to be an effective substance for cancer prevention and anti-cancer. In particular, the β-glucan contained in barley is far ahead of other cereals, making it a natural health food for diabetics, weight loss people, and "three high" people.
Barley vs oats
Barley VS rice
Although barley, as the staple food of the Tibetan people, has a very high health score, the use of whole grains to make meals is not very friendly to modern people who are accustomed to polished rice noodles. If the spleen and stomach function is weak, it may not be easy to digest. However, with the blessing of modern food technology technology, barley can be made into cereal, which is convenient to eat and easy to absorb, which is a very good choice.