Plant
Barley bread
USDA description: Bread, barley
How barley bread scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Barley breadExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Calorie Density | -5.5 |
| Sodium | -5.1 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -4 |
| Fiber | +2.5 |
| Purine Load | -1 |
| Saturated Fat | -1 |
| 2 smaller factors | +1.9 |
| Final score | 88 |
Barley bread scores 88 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 16.6 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 4.4 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat4.5 g
- Saturated Fat0.70 g
- Sodium450 mg
- Dietary Fiber4 g
- Total Sugars5.7 g
- Protein10.7 g
- Calcium125 mg
- Iron3.6 mg
- Magnesium41 mg
- Vitamin C0.20 mg
- Folate85 ug
- Water35.3 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- Quantity not specified28 g
- 1 small or thin/very thin slicetypical24 g
- 1 medium or regular slice28 g
- 1 large or thick slice43 g
- 1 slice, crust not eaten13 g
- 1 slice, snack-size10 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (yeast breads).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -5.5Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
274 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- -5.1Long-term
SodiumLong-term
450 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
- -4Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 3 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +2.5Long-term
FiberLong-term
4 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -1Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
20 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.0x for the typical portion: 9 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- -1Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
0.7 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- +1Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
41 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- +0.9Long-term
FolateLong-term
85 µg of folate per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Keep looking
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Common questions
About barley bread
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.