Barley is healthier than rice in several important ways, particularly for heart health, blood sugar control, and digestive function. It contains more than double the fiber of brown rice and carries a unique type of soluble fiber that actively lowers cholesterol. Rice wins in a few specific nutrient categories and has one major advantage: it’s naturally gluten-free. The better choice depends on your health priorities.
Calories, Protein, and Fiber
Cooked pearled barley and cooked brown rice are nearly identical in calories at 123 per 100 grams. Protein is close too, with brown rice slightly ahead at 2.7 grams versus barley’s 2.3 grams per 100 grams. The real gap is fiber: barley delivers 3.8 grams per 100 grams, while brown rice provides just 1.6 grams. That’s more than twice the fiber from the same calorie investment.
White rice, which most people actually eat, has even less fiber than brown rice, making the barley advantage larger in practice. If you’re comparing barley to the rice on your plate rather than the rice on a nutrition label, the fiber difference is substantial.
Heart Health and Cholesterol
Barley’s standout nutritional feature is beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that forms a gel in your digestive tract and interferes with cholesterol absorption. Health Canada’s review of clinical trials found that consuming 3 grams of barley beta-glucan daily reduced LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by up to 8.5% in higher-quality studies. Total cholesterol dropped by as much as 7.5%.
Rice doesn’t contain beta-glucan in meaningful amounts. Brown rice has other beneficial compounds, but none with the same direct, well-documented effect on cholesterol. If heart disease risk is a primary concern, barley has a clear edge.
Blood Sugar Control
Barley has a lower glycemic index than both white and brown rice, meaning it raises blood sugar more slowly after a meal. White rice ranks in the moderate glycemic index range (56 to 69), and Harvard Health specifically recommends brown rice as a lower-glycemic substitute for white rice. Barley sits lower still, thanks to its high beta-glucan content, which slows the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down and absorbed.
For people managing type 2 diabetes or trying to avoid energy crashes after meals, barley’s slower glucose release is a practical advantage.
Hunger and Satiety
A crossover study of 47 healthy adults compared breakfasts made from whole grain barley, whole grain wheat, and refined rice. Participants who ate the barley breakfast reported significantly less hunger before lunch compared to their hunger before breakfast. The wheat and rice groups didn’t see the same reduction. Interestingly, actual calorie intake at lunch didn’t differ between groups, so barley’s effect was on the feeling of hunger rather than automatic calorie reduction. Still, feeling less hungry between meals can make it easier to stick with a calorie goal over time.
Where Rice Comes Out Ahead
Brown rice is a better source of several minerals. One cup of cooked brown rice provides 93% of the daily value for manganese (important for bone health and metabolism) compared to just 18% from a cup of pearled barley. Brown rice also delivers 20% of the daily value for magnesium versus barley’s 8%. Barley does win on selenium, providing 25% of the daily value per cup, while brown rice is not a significant source.
The mineral comparison matters if rice or barley is a staple you eat daily. If you’re relying on grains as a primary source of manganese or magnesium, brown rice is the stronger choice.
Arsenic: A Safety Consideration
Rice accumulates more arsenic than other grains because it’s the only major cereal crop grown in flooded fields, which makes arsenic in the soil more available to the plant. FDA testing found average inorganic arsenic concentrations of 92 parts per billion in white rice and 154 parts per billion in brown rice. Brown rice is higher because arsenic concentrates in the outer bran layer, which is removed to make white rice.
Barley, along with wheat and other grains, contains significantly less arsenic. This isn’t a reason to avoid rice entirely, but it’s worth considering if you eat rice multiple times a day or if you’re feeding young children, who are more sensitive to arsenic exposure on a body-weight basis. Rotating barley into your grain rotation is one practical way to reduce cumulative arsenic intake.
Gluten: The Dealbreaker for Some
Barley contains gluten. If you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, barley is off the table entirely. All natural forms of rice, including white, brown, and wild, are gluten-free. For the roughly 1% of the population with celiac disease and a larger group with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, rice is the only safe option between the two.
Hulled vs. Pearled Barley
Most barley sold in grocery stores is pearled, meaning the outer hull and some of the bran have been polished away. This is similar to the difference between brown rice and white rice. Hulled barley retains its full bran layer and has more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than pearled. It also takes longer to cook (often 45 to 60 minutes versus 25 to 30 for pearled) and has a chewier texture.
Even pearled barley, with some of its bran removed, still contains 3.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams cooked. That’s because beta-glucan is distributed throughout the entire barley kernel, not just in the outer layers. So unlike rice, where choosing white over brown strips away most of the nutritional benefit, choosing pearled over hulled barley is a smaller trade-off.
Which One to Choose
If your goals are lowering cholesterol, managing blood sugar, or increasing fiber intake, barley is the stronger grain. If you need a gluten-free diet, rice is your only option. If you’re focused on mineral intake, brown rice has a clear advantage for manganese and magnesium.
There’s no rule that says you have to pick one. Using barley in soups, stews, and grain bowls while keeping rice for stir-fries and sushi gives you the benefits of both. The simplest upgrade for most people is substituting barley for rice in one or two meals per week, which adds meaningful fiber and beta-glucan without requiring a complete overhaul of how you eat.