Garlic is not just packed with oodles of flavours but health benefits too. However, its pungent odour has probably kept many people away from it.
It is closely related to onions, shallots and leeks. It grows in many parts of the world and is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and delicious taste.
Garlic is incredibly nutritious.
A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of garlic contains:
- Manganese: 23% of the RDA
- Vitamin B6: 17% of the RDA
- Vitamin C: 15% of the RDA
- Selenium: 6% of the RDA
- Fiber: 0.6 gram
- Decent amounts of calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B1
Healthy Benefits:
- Garlic also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. In fact, it contains a little bit of almost everything we need. This is coming with 42 calories, with 1.8 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbs.
- It is also proven that this precious ingredient prevents cardiovascular diseases by making the arteries more elastic and less prone to hardening.
- Garlic is packed with antibacterial and antiviral properties; hence it boosts immunity against illness and infections.
- When crushed, this ingredient produces a healing component called allicin.
- Since it has antioxidants properties, it is believed that garlic slows the ageing process and also helps prevent cancer.
- The anti-inflammatory properties in garlic help people to combat arthritis, rheumatism and gout.
- The probiotics in garlic are nothing but live bacteria which while travelling through the gut into the large bowel, increases the number of good bacteria in the system.
- Garlic is also considered to be the best liver purifier, cleansing it of mercury, food additives and excess hormones.
- So, a garlic clove a day can keep the doctor away. However, most people do not know the correct way of enhancing the benefits of garlic.
