Garlic is one of those things – you either love it or you hate it. Most people do enjoy the taste of garlic though, and it can enhance the flavour of anything it accompanies. It has also been studied and shown to have a multitude of healthy properties.
Garlic is part of the onion family. Native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran, it has been consumed by people for thousands of years. Some are more sensitive to it than others though, and consuming fresh garlic can lead to heartburn, nausea or diarrhea. Lightly cooking it reduces these potential side effects and can render it more palatable.
Action – Garlic produces allicin, which is the component that makes it smell. Supplements of garlic are widely available but, as with most things, the benefits may be more prevalent and less dangerous when you consume it in its natural state.
Taking garlic supplements in medicinal amounts can cause some drug interactions, so this needs to be done in conjunction with a doctor’s advice. Again, if you are looking to reap the benefits that garlic can provide, stick with adding the real thing to food in amounts that are enjoyable.
Steps – Raw garlic will provide more health benefits than cooked, so see if you enjoy it added to salsa, salads or pesto. If you want to cook it, chop it first and allow it to sit for ten minutes before heating it. This has been shown to preserve more of the allicin than if you were to chop it and throw it in the heat immediately. The enzyme alliinase mixes with the compound alliinin when the garlic tissues are crushed and that is what produces the allicin. Allowing the enzyme to do its work before applying heat will preserve more of the allicin, which seems to be somewhat heat-stable.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – It’s a long list. Garlic has been shown to effectively improve the following conditions: hardening of the arteries, diabetes, cholesterol, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, and when used in topical form for ringworm and athlete’s foot. There is also some evidence to show that it may help with enlarged prostate, colon cancer, athletic performance, heart disease, shortness of breath, multiple myeloma, and various other conditions. More research for these conditions is needed before a conclusion can be reached conclusively.
Overall, there is enough evidence to prove that garlic can improve many areas of your health. Again, raw is better, but crushing it, allowing it to rest for ten minutes and then cooking it very lightly helps protect the allicin.
Example – Stir-frying garlic for 30 seconds is enough to take the sharp edge off of it and preserve its health properties. Try adding some raw garlic in various foods to see if you can tolerate it. If not, then look at adding a garlic supplement to your diet but consult with your doctor if you are taking any medication or have any concerns with bleeding.
And about that bad breath? Some relief has been documented by eating mint, lettuce or raw apples after consuming garlic. Try it and see if it works, but the pungency of garlic is what makes it so useful to improve your health.