Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a grass family crop that belongs to a cool climate but just like its lookalike wheat, it grows even in the tropics.

It’s grown in different districts of Rwanda and aside from being used in making beer malt, it is also a source of commercially packaged food, as well as used for bread topping and complementing soup.

Emmy Ntamanga, a Kigali-based nutrition consultant says barley used as either food or drink offers a range of nutrients.

One of these, he says is protein for bodybuilding purposes, which is available at 24 percent per serving.

He goes on to mention that studies have shown that the level of iron in barley is 19 percent while that of bone-strengthening magnesium comes in at 33 percent of the daily needs.

In addition to this, there is also a dietary fiber margin at 68 percent per serving, a substantial margin for promoting digestion.

Private Kamanzi, a nutritionist says barley is a delicious way to up your fiber content.

He says that in general, fiber has a range of health benefits, from supporting healthy digestion to helping with weight loss by enhancing satiety to promoting better glycemic control

"Among whole grains, barley is one of the best sources of fiber, and it happens to be a type of fiber that’s especially healthy,” he says.

For instance, he says just one cup of peeled barley has 6 grams of fiber and only 193 calories.

Along with that fiber, barley also has 3.5 grams of protein, which is not anywhere close to the amount in other whole grains.

Besides, Kamanzi notes that barley is also an incredibly versatile grain with an impressive nutrient profile that helps keep the body healthy.

"It also contains vitamin B which our body uses to turn food into energy, and most importantly, help the digestive systems," he says.

 With the presence of vitamin B6, Ntamanga says barley helps which helps when it comes to brains and our immune system.

"The grain is mineral-rich, as well as it has been known to provide a big dose of manganese (an essential nutrient that helps to keep our body running),” he adds.

Other nutrients such as selenium (important for a healthy thyroid), and phospherous (for healthy bones and teeth, among other things) are also present in barley.

According to different studies, barley is also rich in Phytochemical, which are chemicals found in plants ("Phyto” means plant).

These chemicals have been known to be one of the things in plants that help prevent diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Kamanzi says barley also contains flavonoids, which are among the more highly researched phytochemicals.

He explains that flavonoids are heart disease and even cancer.

Blue and purple barley grains have been shown to have the highest amount of flavonoids among the different barley varieties.