You’ve Been Eating Garlic Wrong Your ENTIRE Life (And Missing Out On INCREDIBLE Benefits)

Garlic is one of the most popular spices in the world. Its pungent and unique flavor is a part of many delicacies, and while commonly used as a spice, garlic is a healthy vegetable from the allium family which includes onions and shallots as well. Besides its use in the kitchen, garlic is a well-known and powerful remedy against numerous diseases.

The healing powers of garlic start in the moment we feel the aroma. Without tasting and smelling foods, our stomach wouldn’t be ready for digestion, which is why supplements are never as effective as real food. If you swallow a garlic capsule, you have bypassed the first step of digestion, and your mouth is certainly not craving for a vegetable capsule. People with diminished sense of taste can benefit from garlic as a flavor enhancer and as an addition to meals in order to trigger the first phase of digestion.

Health benefits of garlic

Garlic can provide more than just digestive benefits. In Ayurveda, it is often used for lung and large intestine diseases, and people who have the Kapha and Vata Doshas are best suited for garlic consumption. Garlic is rich in organosulfur compounds, which give it its aroma and most of its health benefits. These compounds can treat diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. There are two types of organosulfur compounds in garlic: γ-glutamylcysteines, and cysteine sulfoxides.

It’s important to understand how these compounds are activated. When you mince or crush garlic, it releases an enzyme called alliinase. When this enzyme is damaged from all the mincing and pressing, it is converted to sulfenic acids. A similar reaction occurs in onions, but instead of sulfenic acids, they release a gas which brings tears to your eyes.

When the sulfenic acid react in garlic, they form allicin, a compound responsible for the strong smell of garlic.

These are the top garlic health benefits:

It improves the cardiovascular health and circulation, prevents blood clotting and plaque build-up in the arteries, while also reducing blood pressure and the blood lipid levels;

Garlic reduces inflammation in the body along with reducing the risk of osteoarthritis and other inflammatory diseases;

Garlic boosts the immune function due to its potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiseptic properties;

Garlic is a known cancer fighter and is especially great against breast, lung, gastric and pancreatic cancer.

Science is still looking at how the compounds of garlic are absorbed in the body. While allicin has been found to be absorbed in the intestines, it has never been detected in blood, urine or stools. These findings suggest that allicin is probably quickly metabolized and it has also been found that “garlic breath” is a great indicator of the bioavailability of allicin.

How to use garlic to maximum benefit

Garlic should not be cooked because it will lose all its beneficial properties during the process. Mincing or crushing it is allowed in order to release the enzyme reaction which creates allicin. However, if you heat minced garlic the reaction won’t occur. After the allicin is created, garlic can withstand 10-15 minutes of cooking without damaging the compound. Here’s a chart of how many garlic nutrients are lost with cooking:

  • 5-15 minutes = minimal loss of nutrients
  • 15-30 minutes = moderate loss of nutrients
  • 45+ minutes = substantial loss of nutrients

Garlic is recommended for:

  • Colds & flu
  • Coughs
  • Sore throat
  • High blood pressure
  • Lowering LDL cholesterol levels
  • Killing parasites
  • Regulating blood sugar
  • Ear infections
  • Increasing bile flow
  • Immune stimulation
  • Anti-microbial properties
  • Mastitis
  • Busting candida

Garlic is a cheap and widely available food which can be found everywhere. If the garlic you bought starts sprouting, don’t throw it away – sprouted garlic may be even more beneficial than the non-sprouted one! Sprouted vegetables usually contain more antioxidants because they are asexual, meaning that you can easily plant it and get healthy garlic soon. So eat some garlic cloves every day in order to boost your health!

3 garlic recipes

Honey garlic

Ingredients

  • A small jar
  • Knife
  • 1 garlic head
  • Organic honey

Preparation

Crush the garlic cloves and leave them for 15 minutes, then put them in a jar and cover them with the honey. Cover the jar tightly and leave it in your cupboard for 3-5 days. After 3-5 days have passed, your garlic-honey remedy is ready for consumption. Take 1-2 garlic cloves a day or as needed.

LGG elixir

Ingredients

  • Tincture bottle
  • Knife
  • Wide glass jar
  • 2 tablespoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon fresh juice
  • 1/4 of a teaspoon of lemon zest (optional)
  • Small knob (3-5 cm) of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 cups (500 ml) of filtered water

Preparation

Boil the water first, then allow it to cool down. In the meantime, crush the garlic and let it sit for 15 minutes, then place the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in a teapot. Pour the water in and let everything sit for 5 minutes, then enjoy the beverage.

Garlic tincture elixir

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of garlic, minced or pressed
  • ½ of a cup of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
  • ½ of a cup raw honey
  • A crack of black pepper

Preparation

Crush the garlic and put it in a glass jar, then leave it for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, mix the ACV and honey and pour the mixture in the glass. Leave the mixture in a dark and cool place for a month, then strain it through a gauze and put it into a tincture bottle which should be kept in the fridge. Take 10-20 drops of it as required.

 

Source : http://theheartysoul.com/proper-way-to-prepare-garlic/?t=THS