Oat Powder vs Activated Barley?...

**david__001** · 21-06-2006 12:56 AM

Hi folks,

I have a question on Oat powder vs Activated Barley [FN1]. I am looking for a Cost-Benefit comparison, or to be more precise, some comments on how necessary Activated Barley truly is for those on tight budgets (especially when low-cost Oat powder is available).

Some words on Oat Powder

As a penniless student, I’ve been using oat powder [FN2] for a very long time with great results. It really helps me get a good supply of “slower” burning carbs + calories without stuffing myself silly all day. The low cost is a real benefit also.

Some words on Activated Barley

A while back, I decided to experiment with Activated Barley [FN3]. I liked the Barley product a lot, and felt that it was very “healthful” in terms of overall benefits, as suggested by the MP product page and various online articles. For instance, one apparent benefit was that the nutritional value of the activated grains (pre-sprouted) was superior to the comparable nutritional value of an equal amount of oat powder.

On a personal basis, I felt that it gave a good long stream of sustained energy, and I liked the fact that it had some other bits and pieces in it that the oat powder did not. However, I found it very expensive!

Just how “worth it” is it to consider Activated Barley in addition to (or in replacement of) oat powder?

I really need to economise. It looks as though I’m going to revert back to oats only, in addition to my other staple supplements (whey protein isolate, maltodextrin, creatine, l-glutamine). It looks as though I can simply buy more of it to eat at every opportunity!

Before I make any final decisions though, I’m interested to know what you folks think -- just how “worth it” is it to consider Activated Barley again in addition to (or in replacement of) good old oat powder for us “poor” trainees?

Many thanks for any feedback!

David

Footnotes:

[FN1]: See MP Carb Product Overview page
[FN2]: See MP Ultra Fine Scottish Oats product page, or the box of Oats that you bought from the supermarket. Apart from MP’s cracking Ultra Fine Scottish Oats, my supermarket favourite is Organic Quaker oats. Get that blender going I say!
[FN3]: See MP Activated Barley product page.

Appendix: Interesting Results from Forum Search

I done some searching on Oats AND barley, but I couldn’t find any post on this exact issue. Here’s what I did find though:

Thread Title: Activated Barley (Pre-Sprouted) is coming...
Comments: Very early thread on Activated Barley.

Thread Title: Activated Barley....Is It Worth It?
Comments: Looked like a promising thread, but did not reveal as much as I’d hoped! (turned in to a bit of an argument then fizzled out!)