Barley

Barley can join your baby's meals around 6 months, once baby is ready for solids. It contains gluten, so it is not suitable for children who have celiac disease, or who react to gluten without having celiac disease.

Barley is a cereal grass grown for its seeds. Wild forms once grew across Africa and Asia, in the fertile region between the Mediterranean and the Yangtze River. Today it grows in cool regions around the world. South Americans call it cebada. In Tibet it is jau or nas, and it is ground into a flour called tsampa.

Nutrition

Barley supplies protein, carbohydrate energy and fiber for digestion. Its soluble fiber, beta-glucan, supports gut and immune health. It also holds B vitamins, zinc and a little iron, along with all eight forms of vitamin E.

Barley porridge is an easy first step. You can stir in spices, mashed fruit or vegetables, or finely ground nuts to explore new flavors. Barley flakes or barley flour also work in pancakes and breads.

You may offer a strip of toast about as wide as two adult fingers. Bread turns sticky with saliva and may cling to the tongue and palate, which can trigger gagging. Be ready for that.

As baby grows

After 9 months, add meatballs and patties made with cooked barley. Keep pieces bite-sized so baby can practice the pincer grasp. Barley flakes help baby hold slippery fruit. Flatten cooked grains with a fork and serve them alone or in a grain salad.

After 12 months, use barley in soups, stews and curries. The grains thicken the dish, which makes it easier to eat with a spoon. Using utensils tires new eaters. If your child goes back to fingers, do not push.

The CDC lists whole grains such as barley as a choking concern for babies under 12 months. Barley grains are small and will not block the airway. The real risk is aspiration, which means a grain slips into the windpipe during swallowing. The body answers with a reflex cough that protects the airway.

Barley, together with other gluten-containing grains, is a global priority allergen according to the WHO. Wheat or rye allergy can mean a reaction to barley too.

A barley allergy is not celiac disease. An allergy can fade with time. Celiac disease needs a strict gluten-free diet for life. When people talk about a gluten allergy, they usually mean celiac disease.

Good to know

In a rare condition called food-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, exercise within a few hours of eating a gluten grain can set off a severe reaction. These people should skip barley for four hours before hard exercise.

Children with grass pollen allergy may develop oral allergy syndrome. Your child may feel a mild, passing tingle, itch or sting around the lips and tongue. If the grain is poorly digested, belly pain, cramps, bloating or diarrhea can follow. A dangerous reaction is not expected.