Garlic, One Of The Healthiest Vegetables On Our Planet
Garlic is one of the most important culinary herbs there is, and it is a proven health tonic. Eating a clove or 2 of garlic a day really might keep the doctor away, as it benefits health on multiple levels.
Garlic is often described as an herb or a spice, it is actually neither.
Garlic grows underground in a bulb and sprouts long green shoots. It is more accurate to call garlic a vegetable than an herb, and, in fact, it belongs to the allium family of vegetables, along with onions and leeks.
This is where its health benefits begin, because allium vegetables are known for their aroma, and Garlic is sometimes referred to as “The Stinking Rose”. That unique scent comes from sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin, that have many health-promoting effects.
Studies demonstrated Garlic’s effects for more than 160 different diseases.
In general, its benefits fall into 4 main categories, as follows:
- Reducing inflammation (reduces risk of osteoarthritis and other diseases associated with inflammation)
- Boosting immune function (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties)
- Improving cardiovascular health and circulation (protects against clotting, retards plaque, improves lipids, and reduces blood pressure)
- Toxic to 14 kinds of cancer cells (including brain, lung, breast, gastric, and pancreatic)
In terms of cancer, Garlic has been shown to kill cancer cells in laboratory studies, as well as shown promise when consumed via your diet. One study showed that women who regularly ate garlic along with fruits and vegetables had a 35% lower risk of colon cancer.
Those who consume high amounts of raw Garlic also appear to have a lower risk of stomach and colorectal cancers.
Furthermore, among people with inoperable forms of colorectal, liver, or pancreatic cancer, taking an extract of aged Garlic for 6 months helped to improve immune function, which suggests it may be useful for helping the immune system during times of stress or illness.
Also worth noting, diallyl sulfide (DAS), a sulfur-containing compound in Garlic, has been found to inhibit the formation of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which form when meat is cooked at high temperatures.
DAS prevents a specific type of HCA from transforming into DNA-damaging compounds by decreasing the production of certain liver enzymes required for this transformation.
What this means is that adding chopped Garlic to your burgers, meat loaf, and your steak via a marinade may help cut down on cancer-causing cooking byproducts.
Garlic is good and good for us.
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively.
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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