Barley & Oats

No, we’re not advocating you to drink more beer — that’s between you and your bartender. We are advocating that you get more hulled barley (the one that retains its outer coating, unlike its pearl and Scotch variety siblings) into your diet. Along with its friendly sibling, oats, it provides some amazing health benefits. Dr Perricone explains, "Not only is barley a low-glycemic grain, it is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Dietary fiber is critical to health."

He adds, "Many experts believe that good health begins in the colon, and without sufficient dietary fiber in the diet, we run the risk of a host of diseases, ranging from colon cancer to hemorrhoids. The fiber found in barley provides food for the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine. This is important, as the 'good' bacteria can crowd out the disease-causing bacteria in the intestinal tract, resulting in greater health and disease resistance."

Barley and oats can lower blood cholesterol, help prevent cancer by providing selenium and helping to speed food through the digestive tracts, provide much-needed niacin for heart health, stabilize blood sugar, and contain high concentrations of tocotrienols — the "super" form of vitamin E — as well as lignans, which are phytochemicals that function as antioxidants. Added bonus? "Women who consume lignans — also present in high levels in flax seed— are less likely to develop breast cancer," Perricone explains.



Illustrations by Gabriela Alford