In 2012, about 7 months after the birth of my daughter, I started experiencing asthma. I had recently started running outside, so I was convinced it was exercise induced, or related to outdoor allergies. I went to the allergist, and actually laughed at him when he told me he wanted to test me for food allergies. I was 28 years old, why on earth would I just now be allergic to something? Well, it can happen. That day I tested positive for dairy and barley allergies (on top of multiple environmental allergies).
Dairy allergies are fairly common. Most frequently found in infants, toddlers, and children, many people actually grow out of dairy allergies. There is quite a bit of information available about hidden dairy, other names for dairy, dairy byproducts, and is (almost) always mentioned in the nutritional/ingredient information found on all packaged food products.
Barley is not common. Barley allergies are rare.
I felt lost. The allergist wasn’t much help here either. He said “Well, avoid beef barley soup.” If only! He gave me an inhaler and sent me on my way. Thankfully I’ve learned a lot about it since then, and would like to share some of my knowledge here.
I’ve also created a Facebook community called Barley Allergic Community
Common names for barley or barley derived products:
- Barley
- Barley flour
- Pearled barley
- Barley grass
- Malted barley flour
- Malt
- Malt flavoring
- Barley water
- Malt vinegar (this can include salt and vinegar potato chips)
- Brown rice syrup (used as a sweetener in many health/organic foods, but is usually made from barley)
- Maltose (another sweetener)
- Fructan (yet another sweetener)
- Maltodextrin (can also be made from corn, wheat, or rice. This is said to be so broken down it doesn’t contain any proteins that could cause a reaction – but it is possible!)
- Modified food starch (same as above, if it’s made from only corn it will usually say modified corn starch which I consider safe)
Other things that can cause a reaction:
- Hay (highly unlikely you will be eating this, but if you sit on a hay bale or go near a field of barley or recently baled hay, you may have a reaction)
- Beer (almost always made with barley. Gluten free versions have the gluten protein removed, but can still contain other barley proteins and cause reactions in those allergic to barley)
- Whiskey
Common products that contain barley or barley derivatives (check labels!)
- Bread
- Buns
- All-purpose and bread flours (I know of three lesser known brands that do not contain barley – but the top 3 brands contain barley)
- Cereals (as malt flavoring)
- Stuffing mixes
- Seasoning packets
- Cookie mixes, some cake mixes
- English muffins
- Crackers
- Pita chips
- Tortillas
- Granola bars
- Cans of chili, pre-seasoned chili beans
- Sweetened packaged health foods (almond clusters)
- Anything touting how many grains it contains *granola, granola bars, crackers, chips, breads
- Beer & Whiskey
Check every label every time!
Not My Grandma's Kitchen 
I just found out that I too have a barley allergy… thanks, this is all helpful!
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My husband has a barley and dairy allergy! So, I came across a bread machine to make our own, to decrease exposures. I can’t find any recipes! Any suggestions for non barley recipes for a bread machine?
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What I usually do is find a regular recipe and then substitute safe ingredients. So I am currently using Gold Medal Bread Flour, and recently it looks like Pillsbury brand has also changed its ingredients and is now barley free as well. I use those brands in the regular recipes or use the recipes they have listed on the bag. (Always triple check ingredient lists just to be sure)
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Thank you for this post! There’s so little information out there about barley allergy, and I really felt lost.
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hi , i too am allergic to barley , did you know that they feed barley to cows to fatten them up before slaughtering them, i get muscle cramps real bad if i eat it or any thing with barley beef dairy gluten in it, but you have to watch out cause not getting calcium causes osteoporosis , k so me and my daughter found this flour that is all pure , like way back in the day before they started messing with our food, you buy it on line its called sunrise flour mill, i dont know if this helps hope it does, oh and watch your medications. the casings the pill comes in has beef and other crap in them, but there is a vagan casing and it cost more and you have to find out where you can get them ask your dr. good luck
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Thank you for this information. I have recently been diagnosed with a lot of food allergies, but like you, my allergist did not know about the barley situation. I informed her when I started to research it. I have been really sick for the past 4 years and have finally started to feel better. My biggest problem is hidden barley. This information has been very helpful to me.
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Hello,
I can across all your stories and I too have a barley allergy. I’d love to compare notes and talk about this with someone as I’ve never met any one else with this allergy.
I’ve done extensive searching and it sure is exhausting trying to find all the hidden potential sources of barley. It seems like there are enough of us here to make some type of group, I’d love to help set it up even if you can contact me please.
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I’ll make a Facebook group and share a link here!
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/422314573421027/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF
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I am allergic to barley and oats, two of the rarest alergies.
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Hi, Do you have recommendations for foods or cereals that actually DON’T have barley? Everything I look for says “gluten free”, but like you mentioned that doesn’t always help!
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I know this is late, but I have found a handful. The Malt O Meal (ironically) version of Crisped Rice has no barley. Most versions of Cheerios and Chex are safe but anything that says “multigrain” is usually not.
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So glad to see this. At 33 I have just been diagnosed with a severe barley allergy along with several other.
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Hi I just found out I am severely allergic to barley along with several other foods. Does ketchup, mustard and mayo bother you? I am 33 years old just figuring out whats been causing me issues over the year.
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The only condiments I have had trouble with are BBQ sauces. Some have malt. We usually buy Keinz brand ketchup/mustard.
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Barley is also found in Mars Chocolate products !! I have found this out recently as my I brought my children a Mars Chocolate drink for a treat on a day trip and my daughter had an allergic reaction !! Luckily the paramedics arrived very quickly !!!
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Thank u so much! I have had this allergy as well and didn’t know what to stay away from after no guidance. Thank u again. I needed this
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maltodexterine, found it the hard way in Birdseye steamer bag vegies, and my daily 50+ vitamins. hiden vally seasoning shaker- number one, top of list of ingredients, maltodex….. buy gluten free and no cocoa. good luck.
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Thank you for this info. My husband and I have had a struggle with finding food that don’t contain barley.
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Thanks so much for this list, it’s so hard to find actual information on so many of the rarer allergens.
This has really helped me pinpoint some of my evil foods that I hadn’t realised contained secret barley.
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can barley give you muscle cramps, i have had muscle cramps since i was a little girl , i would get them in my toes, and as i grew up , drinking beer as an adult, i always got cramps in my legs ,my sides,my back,ribs, you name it i would get them there, then as i aged more into my 50-60 i started getting them in my ankles , and the worst is my ankles up to my inner thigh, that one i stopped drinking beer and would of shot my leg off if i had a gun, thats how bad it hurts, but still got them so i have been trying to figure out what it is I’m eating, and i came upon a article the people who raise beef give there cattle barley, and that the cattle would get muscle cramps, so they would shoot them full of vitamins so they would go away, i have tried vitamins , they helped a little very little, I’ve had blood work done on celiac disease , which i don’t have. I’m finding out that everything has barley in it. i stopped eating beef and it helped a lot. but i still get them if i ate the wrong thing. i love beef , is there a way that beef can not have barley in it . i wish some one would do more research on this to see if it helps anyone else by not eating beef .
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Have you found any relief? I know I have a sensitivity to barley/malt. I just returned from my first trip to an allergist and he did a scratch test but there was no allergic reaction. He said what I was describing (Back spasms, strange ache in both arms) was an ‘adverse reaction’ to barley And that my next step is to see a neurologist or a rheumatologist. He told me not to give up but I’m not sure either kind ofdoctor could help. My symptoms are most severe at night time. I just want relief if it happens that I accidentally injest something that contains barley (I had a chocolate bite a couple of nights ago and never dreamed barley could be in it). What steps have you taken to no avail and what, if any, have worked?
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Barley has never given me muscle cramls that I’ve noticed but my allergy to corn does, so I wouldn’t be surprised if barley did it to someone else. I didn’t realize how much fatigue was related to my allergies until I eliminated the stuff I was allergic to.
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I feel you here! I knew I had food sensitivities and a few allergies, but I had no idea just how many allergies and sensitivities I had! I’ve been really working on my diet for the last month due to allergy tests (blood). I have a severe allergy to barley as well….what the heck?! I’ve been avoiding gluten for years so ok, no biggie…but a severe allergy to barley? Huh. There’s a newer company that’s selling these amazing super healthy powders that are clean. I was so excited!!! Clean powders for drinks and smoothies, yay!! I’m struggling with all my new restrictions (a lot of foods I eat everyday…) so I was really stoked for clean healthy powders. Every single one has a healthy clean item like barley grass. Goodie…If you google it it’s super confusing, is it ok to eat barley grass? Based on your post however I’m thinking not. Wheatgrass…I know it doesn’t contain gluten (or so I’ve been told for years). However, if your allergy is to wheat does that mean no? So confusing! Perhaps I should a hire a nutritionist haha. I didn’t realize a barley allergy was rare. Thanks for making me not feel so alone and answering my barley grass quest!
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Hey! I have allergic reactions to the environment as well, and since I’ll get itchy from being in a field I wouldn’t even try barley grass. I’ve seen those powders and so badly want to try them but it isn’t worth it.
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Very informative. Thank you. My daughter who is 3 yes old is ok with wheat but allergic to barley.
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OMG I also found out a year ago that i am Allergic to Barley. I am the only person that the office has ever had test positive. They even thought it was a false positive and sent me to have the blood work to check. Which also came back positive. My allergy is severe and i get very ill when i have it. They sent me on my way and advised me that i need to make sure i have a Barley Free diet and to follow it closely. Well i thought ok i will google barley fee diet and i should be good just to avoid the thing it says. The internet was not help. The hardest part is when you want to go out to dinner and think oh i should be fine but then to find out the flour they use in their rolls or bread have contained barley. I then spend the rest of my evening very sick. I am writing you this due to i have felt so alone with this. Everyone looks at me crazy when i say oh i cant eat that or drink that im allergic to Barley and then they look at me like im crazy (like is that really a thing). I have found this information you provided to help me a little more a few of the things that yo have listed i didn’t realize contained Barley but now that makes since because i would get sick when i had them but thought theirs no way this has barley. I would love to talk to you more about this if you are interested due to our Allergy is so rare.
** My biggest problem with this whole thing is I usto love beer and would go to all kinds of breweries and try all the different kinds but no i am no longer able to due that. I was able to find one beer that i can drink and thank God its not that bad but it isn’t cheap. It is made with Sorghum that is why i am able to drink it. I would really love to be able to make all different kinds of beers with sorghum so that i can have a variety or would with a brewery to be able to do this. There is alot that are gluten free but all of them contain some level of barley and i cant have any.
Sorry if i rambled but you are the first person that i have read about that is struggling with this allergy like me.
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I’m so sorry I didn’t reply to this sooner. I’m glad you felt less alone when you found me! Barley is such a crappy allergy to have.
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Thank you so much for this! I have barley, potato, milk, almond and hazelhut allergies. I also have environmental allergies and oral allergy syndrome, so cant eat most fruits raw because of the pollen in it. Love this article since i had recently discovered that malt=barley. Just wanted to add that some large pretzels contain barley, especially those made in a brewery.
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So if I have a barley sensitivity, do I have a barley grass sensitivity? I have leaky gut and need to avoid all irritants. Thanks for your help?
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I would avoid anything with the word barley or malt in the ingredients. I would always assume its connected, but I’ll do some more research to be sure.
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Barley grass is barley stay away
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Me too! For years I would get severe pain in my back under my left shoulder blade, shortness of breath, and really strange sensations down my arms. I never realized allergies could have such strange symptoms. I nailed the culprit down to only happening when I ate wheat yet some wheat products were mysteriously fine. It was maddening. I started saving labels for foods that caused reaction and foods that didn’t. But still hadn’t figured it out. Then one night before bed I had a bowl of Rice Krispies. Bingo-bad reaction! It made no sense since Rice Krispies would have no wheat, right? I checked out the ingredients and two things were listed: rice and something called malt.
Who knew malt/barley is in what I bought in the store labeled ‘flour’ too. So now I check flour before I buy it. I can’t eat meat balls or meat loaf because bread crumbs more than likely have…malt in the wheat they are made with. I’m even leery batter dipped fish or chicken. I will never eat toast when out for breakfast either. BUT…recently was out at a down home restaurant for breakfast and they offered in house, homemade biscuits and I asked the waitress to check the flour. Good news – no barley/malt. I knew I’d know if she’d told an untruth within a few minutes! Biscuit never tasted so good!
Anyway, I’ve managed to be barley-free for almost a month and I feel so good!
It’s so nice to know it’s a strange, rare allergy, but I’m not alone!
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So I turned 55 this year and have come down with 2 allergies/intolerance. Barley, wow, this one kicked my butt for 2 years before finally figuring it out. I thought I was going to die one night.
The other is Sulfites.
So, beer, wine, and whiskey are all out. I’m not a big drinker but it would be nice to have a cold one every once in a while.
I have cut out all breads, processed foods, and alcohol. I really have to look at ingredients or else I have a very uncomfortable 12+ hours. Losing weight though as a side effect of cutting most foods out.
Peace.
Dave
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I just looked in my stores “Healthy ” section, and the gluten free even uses barley ingredients….I’m not a Baker, but I am going to bake my own bread, I think.
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That’s weird, I’ve never seen barley in guten free items (with the exception of beer, as Jen notes). Barley contains gluten, so it shouldn’t be used at all. I actually lean on the GF options at restaurants if they’re available, and have never had that catch me off guard.
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When I was diagnosed with a barley allergy my first thought was “that’s ok, I don’t like beer anyway “. Then I started research almost everything has barley in it. Even my favorite candy, Nestle Crunch. They said my number was an eight, which from what I understand that’s not terrible. I’m an old lady and it sure is tough wanting lots of bread. Does anyone know of a bread commercially available?
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I’d double check with the manufacturer first, but I safely eat Sara Lee’s 100% Whole Wheat bread. (NOT honey wheat or any other variety). I haven’t had any issues from it in the 9 years we’ve been buying it.
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Martin’s potato bread and potato rolls are my go to!
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Breads my mom and I have found to be barley-free include our local grocery store’s bakery-made “sweet French bread” , plus the crescent rolls that you buy in a can (that you hit on your counter edge to open), Trader Joe’s na’an bread and other Mediterranean breads like pita bread. But of course read the labels carefully, and even “Yeast Extract” and “Natural Flavoring” are often made from barley so my mom and I avoid those ingredients as well.
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I believe some soy sauce brands contain barley.
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I also developed an allergy to barley when I turned 28! It landed me in the ER 7 times before I was able to figure out what it was. My allergist (Dr. Jeffrey Factor) said my anaphylaxsis was probably nothing and wouldn’t even test me for food allergies! Until I ended up on a cruise, ate a wonderbread hot dog bun and needed 3 epi-pens and almost had to be air lifted off the ship. Luckily I got a new allergist but it’s so hard to find anything about barley allergies. Thank you for posting and sharing your story
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Jen! I have am only allergic to barley, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone note they’re allergic to barley and not wheat like me.
I actually developed my barley allergy when I was 23 (I’m 27 now), right after I decided I liked craft beer of course. Beer was my first reaction, but after that I started having reactions to breads, pizza, pretzels, and so on. My general doctor tested me for Celiacs, which came up negative. It wasn’t until I moved to a more urban city I saw an actual allergist and I got tested for food allergies. It turned out to be only barely, which is actually snuck into far more things than I thought. I was going crazy with how often I was getting sick.
This is a really good post, and the list of barely ingredients is important! I had to learn most of that list the hard way, with reactions because this information is hard to find. Thankfully it seems I don’t react to maltodextrin at least.
Do you know what the percentage of barely sufferers there are in the general population? I’ve been wondering if I should make a simple website for it to see if I can lobby some companies to label it as a food allergy like they do for wheat, milk, eggs, and nuts. It’s pretty hard to know when certain things have barley, as you outlined above. For example, I recently purchased some Papa Johns pizza because they labeled it as only containing wheat and well… it had barley. It was unlabeled probably because it’s not a common allergen.
I’m at the point now, that I get hives when I accidentally eat anything with some barely in it ;_;
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Thank you for the list it is helpful. I just got tested and found out I’m allergic to corn, soybean, barley, peas, coconut, and peanuts. Plus some others. It’s weird because I have always eaten these things and now it’s bothering me. I didn’t know where to go with barley and didn’t know some of these other names they use that mean it contains barley. They just say stay away from these things. It is not easy.
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I need all this assistance and help I can get!! My son was diagnosed at 18 months with being allergic to Barley, Beef and milk. I saw a nutritionist and she said mainly malt so beer and hardly said anything else has that in it…well that turned out to be a lie and something she needs to research!! I started to treat him like celiac and wasn’T noticing a difference and so I soon gave up on the barley.
beef was easy we already ate ground turkey and can get turkey pepperoni and such…watch soup labels and other than that… fairly easy.
milk is also tricky..hes little and he looooves yogurt, cheese and ice cream. Finding subs he actually likes is rough. So, I just went to limiting dairy and no direct milk. one yogurt a day little bits of cheese..etc. but now at 4 he is currently struggling terribly with itch and hives. so ive been trying to change things and explain why he shouldnt eat them anymore because they are what is making him uncomfortable.
so any ideas at all and any “safe” foods are definitely welcome!!
thank you!!
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How sensitive to Barley is he? I can give more detailed suggestions.
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I am not allergic to wheat, so I was wondering if things that say wheat flour have barley in them but it isn’t listed? I cannot have potatoes or barley so I am finding it harder to find anything already made from grains that I can eat, including gluten free brands because they contain potato starch. Sorry just found out yesterday so I want to make sure I start out correctly.
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Usually it is identified on the label – within the body of the ingredient list. However, there’s a high risk of cross contamination when it comes to flour, so if you’re severely allergic I wouldn’t risk it. In the US even wheat flour will have an ingredient list.
Right this minute I’ve been having good luck with Gold Medal all purpose flour – but not their bread flour. I get wheezy from the bread flour.
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Diagnosed a few days ago dr doesn’t know much unfortunately about barley allergy but I have found out it’s in just about every I eat and drink. Feeling super lost!
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When I found out I had a barley allergy my first thought was that’s ok I don’t like beer anyway. Then I find almost everything has barley in it. Whole wheat flour doesn’t I understand but almost everything that has whole wheat also has regular flour.
From what I have discerned that a barley allergy causes mostly headaches. There is a King Arthur flour that isn’t supposed to have barley in it according to the company.
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I have been feeling terrible for quite some time and my regular dr kept testing me and everything was good. He finally sent me to an allergist when I started to break out into hives and have difficulty breathing after my morning coffee which included hazelnut and cream. I’ve had severe itching, joint pain, muscle pain, problems with Excercise, sleeping problems, ear nose and throat itching. Found out I am allergic to barley hazelnut dairy and squash. Was eating or drinking these things daily! I quit it all and I feel like a brand new woman in just a few days. I wish I would have found out sooner! Barley is in everything! I’ve decided to just leave out flour completely because it’s easier and I worry about cross contamination. I’ve heard even beef could be an issue because it’s fed barley
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I have been thinking I was allergic to malted barley for years I went to an allergist and was told there was not a test for barley . So I continue to have a reaction when I don’t read ingredients or try something new. what is the exact blood test by name I should ask for? Thank you
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Go to a different allergist. Mine actually did a skin test first that included barley in the section he did for grains, and then did a blood ige antibody test specifically for barley.
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I tested positive for barley allergy via skin prick test so yes you can. The blood test is called ige mediated. But yes there is a skin test as long as they have the solution to use on your skin.
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