Hi,
I’m a newbie and excited to be starting this new way of life! Can you please let me know whether quinoa and barley are ok additions to the BSD?
Thanks
Hayley

Hi Hayley — I think you will need to find out for yourself and your unique metabolism — so first go strictly low carb, as low as 20 grams per day. This will get your insulin well under control. After a few weeks, add back in some barley or quinoa and watch how you respond.
Every body has a unique individual carbohydrate threshold. So you may be able to eat some grains and others cannot.
I don’t eat barley but I do have quinoa once every four weeks or so. It’s the only grain my body tolerates — but it’s a small serving and only rarely.
You are learning about YOU! It’s kind of fun to finally have the “tools” to investigate our own metabolisms.
I have learned that Greek yogurt does not work for me, despite all the positives about it. If I eat Greek yogurt (plain) for breakfast, it sets off my hunger signals all day — so now I just avoid it. Something in it obviously triggers an insulin response. Who knew? I used to have lots of it but my body has instructed me otherwise.

Hi Halswin – Californiagirl is right about finding out what works for your body, however, I would approach both quinoa and barley with caution, as both are high carb items and – assuming you are thinking of using them as a substitute for rice/pasta/potato – would be something you’d expect to have as quite a large portion of your meal. I’d personally avoid both and opt for a bigger portion of leafy green veg/salad, but it’s a learning curve for us all, to see what our bodies need and how they react.

Best wishes for success.

I eat some quinoa. I have a dessertspon of dry grains (between the two of us) which I cook with lots of finely chopped veg and seasonings, a little like special fried rice.

Pearl barley is refined, so wouldn’t be suitable. As whole oats are OK, I’m guessing small amounts of whole barley might be OK too.

As the others have said, you need to experiment a little and see what works for you. If you include these foods and lose weight, feel well and see improved BS readings (If appropriate) then fine, but if you’re not getting the results you want, you may need to exclude them.

As SunnyB says, it wouldn’t be a good plan just to subsitute these for other carbs. You need to restrict your carb intake, even when it comes to the better versions.