I don’t know why I never thought of it before. But in the last couple of weeks I have been eating bowlfuls of a great barley cereal that is perfect for people with diabetes. It is really easy to make, tastes great, and is certainly healthy.
I have usually had McCann’s Irish Oatmeal for breakfast, but may well replace it soon with barley cereal. I serve both the barley cereal and the oatmeal with soymilk, stevia or sucralose, slivered almonds, and cinnamon. Since I have oatmeal for breakfast and eat my big meal of the day at lunchtime, I am enjoying the barley cereal as my most frequent dinner.
You probably know that barley is the lowest glycemic grain. It’s even lower GI than oatmeal. Barley has a GI of 25. Because the smaller particle size of the cereal, its GI is bit higher, but anything below 55 is considered low glycemic. You can find the complete list on my website.
Right now this barley cereal is only available on the Whole Control website, but the company hopes to get distribution in Vitamin Cottage, Wild Oats, and Albertson’s in the near future. Whole Control is in Denver, and its toll-free phone is 1 (888) 946-5326.
Whole Control’s managing partner is Frank Harritt, who was diagnosed in 1987 with type 2 diabetes. Frank brings more than 20 years of successful marketing and sales experience on leading national brands.
Its Golden Barley Cereal sell for $3.95 for a one pound bag or $8.95 for a 2.5 pound bag, which comes to about $.25 per serving — not a bad deal considering all the great health benefits.
The beauty of the Whole Control barley cereal is that, like oatmeal, it addresses blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol — but it has 50 percent more fiber, 30 percent more potassium, and 500 percent more niacin per serving than oatmeal and an even lower GI. This barley cereal is lighter than oatmeal and has a sweet nut-like flavor.
What makes Whole Control different from other barley cereals is the special barley that it’s made from. It is FiberGel barley – a special, all-natural variety of barley patented by Greg Fox, Ph.D., a research geneticist and plant breeder who is on Whole Control’s scientific advisory board.
We have a choice of at least two other brand of barley cereal. Pepsico’s Quaker Oats sells Mother’s Quick Cooking Barley and Bob’s Red Mill sells Rolled Barley Flakes. But I’ve tried only the Whole Control Golden Barley Cereal and like it so much that I don’t plan on trying the alternatives.
This article is based on an earlier version of my article published by HealthCentral.
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I tried the WholeControl web site but it did not work. Also the Bob’s Red Mill site is under re-construction right now. Any help? Also is this Golden Barkey Flakes a ready to eat cereal ? Thanks for all the help!
Dear Rhonda,
Yes, the person who sold barley at WholeControl has closed down that operation. Since the Bob’s Red Mill site is down, why not just call them?
Namaste,
David
I found out that I was diabetic when only after I was involved in an accident. I was given insulin,(15units/day), amyril and duetact. this seemed to control my blood sugar for a while. I have not taken my meds for at least two months and I have eaten boiled barly seeds every day and this has stabalized my sugar levels, diabetes can be controlled, change the diet, barley is cheap. 99cents/lb. Erectile disfunction no longer exists, I have more energy, I am twice a day regular, man this stuff is excellent. It can be eaten with anything, soups, cereal, replaces rice, as a tea,(with or without soy milk) for those who don’t want to eat the seeds, which are the best, I have found it to be the complete supplement.