Health Benefits of Garlic

Health Benefits of Garlic

A simple clove of garlic, minced garlic, garlic sauce, garlic oil, garlic butter, roasted garlic for your garlic recipes like garlic chicken, garlic bread, garlic pizza, garlic potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes and other garlic recipes are so healthy for your  health.

Garlic is considered miracle food by the herbalists and naturopaths because aside from its culinary uses it is beneficial to our health and has medicinal properties.

Allium sativum L. or garlic as we commonly call it, has good reputation not just on our taste buds but in our health in general. And, because of the said reputation, we consider garlic an important component in nutrition for those who are following a healthy lifestyle.

Did you know that garlic has lots of minerals that is good for our body and some of it are iodine, selenium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc and potassium? It has vitamins A, B and C too.

Its pungent flavor made it to be a fundamental component in many dishes and it can be eaten either raw or cooked. Garlic cloves or minced garlic is often paired up with onion and tomato in sauteing. Garlic stems are often used in stir frying and its leaves is cooked as vegetable, but just in small amount, like leaks and onion leaves. Garlic sauce, garlic oil, garlic butter, roasted garlic for your garlic recipes like garlic chicken, garlic bread, garlic pizza, garlic potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes are some of garlic products we usually enjoy with garlic.

When cloves of garlic is cut or minced or crushed, sulfur compounds like allicin, ajoene, vinyl dithin and D-allyl mecaptocysteine were released. These compounds are considered as anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherosclerotic. Thiosulfonates are phytochemicals or antioxidant components we can get from garlic that are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and has anti-cancer effect. Allicin is responsible of its pungent taste and smell and is thought to be accountable of most of garlic’s therapeutic attribution.

In several studies it has been shown that the compounds in garlic are good for the heart and it offers us a protection against stroke: it lowers blood pressure, beats down cholesterol production in the liver, lessens LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and raises HDL (good cholesterol) in the blood. It also decelerates hardening of the arteries and maintain its tensility. The recommended daily dose of fresh garlic is about 4g, equivalent to 1-2 small garlic cloves.

Garlic could also inhibit blood clotting and increase the rate at which blood clots are broken down, but at least ten garlic cloves a day-may have to be eaten before any effect is noticed.

Garlic helps us also fight infections because of its antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It is a good expectorant and is also good in asthma, common colds, arthritis and a good remedy for dozens of other complaints. It has impressive antioxidant effect that protects us against harmful “free radicals”. And, it has even been suspected that garlic help regulate blood sugar level. Indeed, garlic can be considered a wonder drug.

Though it is considered a miracle food, and whether you admit it or not garlic sauce, garlic oil, garlic butter, roasted garlic for your garlic recipes like garlic chicken, garlic bread, garlic pizza, garlic potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes are so irresistible but we have to take it in MODERATION for it is also known in causing halitosis and pungent ‘garlicy’ smell of the sweat. Too much eating of garlic, especially if it is taken raw, may cause irritation to our digestive tract.