A glass of strained barley water
A small handful of barley is boiled in water, strained, and sipped. It is a supportive habit only. It does not replace diabetes medicine, and doses must not be changed.
Important: this remedy is only a supportive home measure. Keep taking any medicine your doctor has prescribed, monitor your readings, and consult your doctor before adding anything new.
Sipped barley water, not a treatment
Barley is a grain. Boiled in plenty of water and strained, it gives a mild glass that some kitchens sip through a warm day. The grain can be eaten too, if it is soft, so the drink is not only cloudy water thrown out with the food.
The glass is supportive only. It does not replace diabetes medicine, and it is not a blood-sugar treatment. Barley contains gluten, so people who avoid gluten should skip it. Do not sweeten the glass, and do not change a dose because the water tasted plain.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons barley
- 4 cups water
- A strainer
How to prepare
- Rinse the barley and boil it in the water until the grains are soft and the water looks pale and cloudy.
- Strain a glass to sip. Keep the soft grains to eat if you like, with no sugar added.
How to use
- Sip one glass through the morning or afternoon.
- Leave it unsweetened.
- Do not replace your meals or your medicine with barley water.
Helpful habits
- If the glass tastes stale, it has sat too long. Boil a fresh pot rather than reheating all day.
- A pinch of roasted cumin on the saved grains makes them easier to eat than sweetening the drink.
Precautions
- Barley contains gluten, so skip it if you must avoid gluten, and this does not replace diabetes medicine and doses must not be changed.
- Do not sweeten the glass, and this does not replace diabetes medicine and doses must not be changed.
- Do not skip a meal or a tablet for this water, and this does not replace diabetes medicine and doses must not be changed.
Frequently asked questions
Can barley water replace diabetes medicine?
- No. This does not replace diabetes medicine and doses must not be changed.
Can I add sugar to barley water?
- No. Sip it plain. Sugar is not part of this habit, and the water is not a blood-sugar treatment.
Is barley water safe if I avoid gluten?
- No. Barley contains gluten. Skip it if you have been told to avoid gluten.
