health and wellness

The Wonders Of Garlic 

The wonders of garlic have been known to our ancestors for centuries. They used garlic to protect themselves against a plethora of illnesses and infections; and they regularly cooked with it to enhance the taste of an array of dishes. Since early civilization, mankind has used garlic for its powerful healing qualities. Today, there is worldwide scientific evidence to support the many health benefits from the daily consumption of garlic. Garlic contains chemicals that can protect the body from many major illnesses. Garlic is part of the vegetable family Allium, which also included onions and leeks. These foods contain the phytochemical allicin. Phytochemicals stimulate the production of enzymes that fight cancer-causing carcinogens. Below are just a few of the benefits of adding garlic to your daily diet.

Cancer: A healthy immune system is necessary to fight cancer, and we already know conclusively that garlic supports that system. Research has proven that garlic has the ability to reduce the formation of cancerous cells. Garlic is shown to actually block cancer causing compounds from forming, and slow the growth of tumor cells. Garlic is especially helpful in blocking oesophagus, breast, stomach, colon, prostate and bladder cancers. Research has proven that compounds in garlic not only slow the rate of growth in a tumor, but can reduce the tumor size by half. When studying the effects on breast cancer, these compounds can actually prevent carcinogens from attaching to breast cells. These wondrous compounds are diallye disulphide and sallycystein. These compounds form when garlic is crushed.

Heart Disease: Garlic also keeps our heart healthy by preventing and treating heart disease. Garlic lowers our cholesterol levels and raises our HDL (good) cholesterol levels, preventing LDL (bad) cholesterol from building up on arterial walls. It has been shown to lower cholesterol levels by 9% in people who ate 2 cloves of garlic per day. Additionally, garlic protects the aorta which are the heart blood vessels that maintains blood pressure and flow while the heart is pumping.

Diabetes: The compounds found in garlic actually help in lowering blood sugar levels. According to Garlic - Nature’s Perfect Prescription, “The mechanism by which [garlic] affects blood sugar appears to be either its ability to stimulate the pancreas to increase insulin production, make protein-bound insulin physiologically available, or positively affect blocked cell membrane insulin-receptors, or some combination of the above.” One study done in India as reported in the publication Experientia mentions that treatment of diabetic animals with an active antioxidative compound isolated from garlic was almost as effective as a prescription drug and insulin in alleviating the diabetic condition. The authors suspect that the beneficial effects of garlic could be due to both its antioxidative and related actions.

Hypertension: Garlic’s compound also has the ability to help control our blood pressure by thinning our blood and by which prevent clots from forming. Studies have concluded that when more garlic is consumed in a population, there is a reduced incidence of hypertension and heart disease. For centuries, it has been well documented that Greeks and Italians especially, regularly consume a large amount of garlic in their daily diets while Chinese herbalists have been using garlic to treat people with a variety of illnesses.

Infections: Garlic is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies conclude that bacterial cells died when they were saturated with garlic. Additionally, garlic had been used as an antibiotic in history including WW ll, when British doctors used it to treat those wounded in battle. Garlic also has anti-viral and anti-fungal abilities and is very effective against intestinal parasites, yeast infections and help stimulate T-cells that help fight overall infections of the body.

How To Eat Garlic: It is always better to eat any vegetable raw, because when cooked, you lose some of those valuable properties. Still, cooked or raw, the important thing is to eat it! I always buy fresh garlic, and either chop it or mince it, and add it to most all my food dishes. A tip to consider, is to add the garlic at the end of your cooking so that you don’t lose too much of its properties.  Either way, raw or cooked, garlic is extremely beneficial to your health. I love the flavor of garlic and I have always found ways to include it into my diet. I love it raw in my salads, and add it to gravies, marinara sauces, soups, stews, meats, pastas, chili, and rice dishes. Some people prefer to add garlic in their diet through supplements.  You should read the label for guidance on the recommended dosage.  Additionally, you should check with your doctor before supplementing garlic since garlic has blood thinning and anti-coagulative properties - especially if you are scheduling a surgery or taking medication for high blood pressure. It is important to get your doctor’s approval before making any change to your diet.