Garlic, the king of folk remedies and a great low calorie immunity booster has been known to beat off almost all kinds of common infections like cold or flu and help strengthen one immunity system when consumed regularly. Garlic is a recommended remedy for many problems like cold, flu, sore throat, high BP, cholesterol, ear infection, gangrene, and high levels of blood sugar.
A single clove of garlic contains 5mg calcium, 12 mg potassium, and over 100s of sulfuric compounds that make it a super food that can extirpate most bacterial infections. Garlic is consumed best when raw as cooking or drying can actually deactivate the sulfur enzymes, thereby diminishing the impacts of its antibiotic properties.
Garlic has many amazing properties that boost the body immunity that are facilitated by some of its healthy compounds like
• Selenium, which is an anti-oxidant, helps in detoxification of the liver inside the body
• Arginine which is an amino-acid helps in reducing blood pressure
• Vitamins like B6 and C help in inhibiting liver inflation and cell damage respectively
• Therapeutic agent of garlic can help prevent as well as treat liver cancer
It is always beneficial to have cloves of raw garlic as a part of a regular diet. However, this bitter and sharp tasting clove can feel unpleasant to stomach when consumed raw. If garlic is not consumed in the right way, it can lead to the overshadowing of its benefits and in fact cause problems in the body. Many people try to swallow a complete garlic clove as it is, to avoid the unpleasant taste and pungent flavor, but this can cause problems like blockages in esophagus. Its extreme properties may even damage your stomach in the long run if you keep consuming it the wrong way forever. Garlic is best consumed with fats.
Here come a few ways that you cannot just make garlic an easy consumption, but also a tasty treat.
Garlic Dip: One clove of minced garlic mixed with 4 spoons of mayonnaise would make it a perfect topping for chips or any other type of crunchy snacks.
Raw Garlic Toast: One clove of minced garlic mixed with 2 spoons of butter would make it a wonderful spread for toasted bread. The heat of the toasted bread can actually reduce antibiotic properties of garlic and thus, mixing of butter would an appropriate thing to avoid garlic from coming in direct contact with heat.
Garlic as Salad Dressing: A garlic ranch can be prepared by adding lemon juice and parsley to the minced raw garlic and it can then be consumed with salads. A garlic ranch can be used as a great tasting sauce for eating any type of snack.
Raw honey with Raw Garlic: An odd looking, but great combination of honey and garlic provides health benefits such as lower cholesterol levels and immunity boost. Just 3-4 garlic heads dipped into a cup of raw honey can be kept in your refrigerator for a few days to freeze after which it can be consumed daily to get the most benefits.
Minced garlic with Salsa: Neatly minced garlic mixed with salsa can make the dish spicier as well as healthier. Instead of making garlic a part of the recipe as a spice, its addition to already prepared salsa can help keep its therapeutic properties intact.
While adding garlic to your routine, certain precautionary information may be necessary to keep in mind such as
• Allicin, a great sulphuric compound present in garlic that heals body gets deactivated when garlic is cooked so avoid cooking garlic.
• Garlic in the form of a pill, crush or powder would not have the same therapeutic properties as garlic
• The green strip in the middle of garlic cloves mark freshness and if it is not there, be cautious because it would then not be a healthy option to take
• Garlic being an antibiotic must be balanced by probiotics such as Yoghurt and fermented vegetables.
