Are you plagued by that running-on-empty feeling just a few hours after your last meal? Try eating more barley, like the Thai Barley Stir Fry shown here.

In a study published recently in the journal Appetite, researchers (including WGC Scientific Advisor Dr. Len Marquart and WGC Member Dr. Elizabeth Arndt of ConAgra Mills) asked 47 healthy subjects to compare the effects of three different grain-based meals on hunger.

People participating in the study ate a hot-cereal breakfast and a snack mix made from either whole barley, whole wheat or refined rice. Subjects were quizzed about their feelings of hunger as the morning wore on, then allowed to eat as much as they wanted of a buffet lunch.

The results? None of the grains reduced the amount people subsequently ate at lunch, but the whole barley-eaters reported significantly less hunger during the morning than those in the whole wheat or refined rice groups. This study reinforces once again the fact that higher-fiber foods tend to “stick to our ribs.”  Common varieties of barley have about 17% fiber content, and some varieties are as high as 30% fiber. Whole wheat weighs in at about 12% fiber, with refined (white) rice at about 1.9% fiber. You can compare the different fiber levels of various whole grains here on the WGC website.

That said, fiber is only one of the healthy components whole grains. They’re also full of antioxidants, healthy unsaturated fats, and many other phytonutrients. (Cindy)