Pearl barley, like barley, is made from barley. The name of pearl barley is associated with the external similarity of the grains of such cereals with pearls. When a child begins to introduce various cereals into complementary foods, they always talk about buckwheat and rice groats, and barley is mentioned much less often. Therefore, many mothers do not understand from how old it is permissible to cook barley porridge for a child and how to cook such a cereal correctly.
Why barley is useful
- About 2/3 of the composition of pearl barley is represented by carbohydrates, so porridge from it provides energy for a long period.
- Pearl barley gives children phosphorus, iron, vitamin E, iodine, B vitamins, calcium, some amino acids and many other useful compounds.
- Barley contains ingredients with antimicrobial activity, as well as lysine, which has antiviral activity.
- Due to the presence of fiber in pearl barley, porridge from it helps with constipation and is recommended for allergies.
- The use of barley porridge helps to normalize the digestive tract and remove toxins from the body.
- Such porridge also has a positive effect on the condition of the kidneys and liver.
- Pearl barley porridge helps prevent the development of diabetes.
Disadvantages of pearl barley
- It takes a long time to cook porridge from this cereal, since the barley must first be soaked.
- Barley contains gluten, which excludes this cereal from the diet of children with intolerance to this protein.
- Pearl barley is digested quite hard, so it is not given to small children, for example, a one-year-old child.
- Barley porridge is a high-calorie meal that should be limited if you are overweight.
- When too large a portion of barley is consumed, increased gas formation is observed.
- Barley porridge is not advised to eat with increased acidity of the stomach.
- Some children do not like the taste of barley porridge and they refuse it.
At what age to give?
Since the digestive system of young children can hardly cope with barley porridge, such a dish is not recommended to be given at either 1 or 2 years old. The optimal age at which pediatricians advise to start preparing barley for a child is considered to be 3 years.
Like all new dishes, the first portion of pearl barley porridge is given in a small amount (1-2 tablespoons), checking the tolerance. And if there are no problems with the assimilation of such food, gradually the volume of the porridge is increased. First, a one-component porridge is prepared for the child, which will include only pearl barley, and when the baby's body gets used to it, you can include barley in multi-component dishes.
How to cook barley porridge
To make your baby like pearl barley porridge, cook it like this:
- To cook barley in milk, take 1 glass of pearl barley and 1 liter of milk, as well as salt and sugar to taste.
- Rinse the cereal and fill it with water for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight. If you pour boiling water on the pearl barley, the soaking time can be reduced to 1 hour.
- Drain and pour in a new one, then boil the pearl barley for 15 minutes.
- While the grits are cooking, bring the milk to a boil and salt it.
- Throwing the barley in a colander, let all the water drain, then dip the cereal into the boiled milk.
- Cook the porridge for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Then add sugar to the dish and stir.
- Transfer the porridge to an ovenproof dish, which is placed in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Turn off the oven and leave the porridge in there for awhile.
Remember that pearl barley increases in volume by 5 times during cooking, so choose a suitable container. Determine the readiness of the porridge by its consistency and appearance. Properly cooked pearl barley will be swollen and soft, but no longer viscous. It should be given to the child warm, since the cooled porridge is absorbed worse and contains fewer nutrients.
Pearl barley for children in a multicooker
You can use a slow cooker to cook barley porridge. With such a kitchen appliance in the "milk porridge" mode, the cereal will cook faster.
The process will be something like this:
- Rinse the cereal under running water to remove any dirt from it.
- Soak the barley for 1-1.5 hours in cool water.
- After draining the water, transfer the cereal to the multicooker container.
- Add 2 glasses of milk or water to each glass of barley.
- Set the program "milk porridge", even if you cook barley without milk.
- Salt the cereal and put a piece of butter in it.
- Wait until the end of the regime, stir the porridge and add a little more butter.
What other dishes can you offer your child with barley?
Pearl barley in the diet of children over 3 years old can be used not only in the form of porridge, but also as an ingredient in various dishes. Soup cooked with the addition of barley is very tasty, for example, pickle. You can also offer your child cabbage rolls, in which rice is replaced with pearl barley.
How to choose pearl barley for baby food?
To be sure of the quality of the cereal, it is important to evaluate its appearance, smell and color. Good pearl barley should be represented by medium-sized grains, the size of which will be approximately the same. Buy cereals that are free of stones and other contaminants. The normal color for dry pearl barley is white, yellow or slightly greenish.
When buying in bulk or after opening the packaging at home, make sure that the product does not have a musty smell. Store cereals in a dry place. It is advisable to pour the grains from the original packaging into an airtight, opaque container. The shelf life of cereals is up to 2 years, but it is better to use it earlier.
You will learn more about the properties of pearl barley from the program "Living Healthy".
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
