Try to find the good in garlic

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Try to find the good in garlic

Posted by Krystle Dunham

Be Healthy Jackson

October 20, 2008 11:36AM

 

 

For some, the idea of eating garlic at a meal can't be tolerated,

often because of the zesty aftertaste that doesn't seem to go away.

But before nongarlic lovers eliminate the herb from their diets, they

may want to reconsider.

 

" Garlic should really be in everybody's regimen, " says Pam Gage,

personal wellness coach at NutritionWorks, 209 E. Washington Ave,

Suite 201. " By eating garlic daily, your body gets what it needs. "

 

A garlic primer

At the store and in the kitchen

 

• Buy firm, plump garlic bulbs with dry skins, and avoid garlic with

soft or shriveled cloves and those stored in the refrigerated section

of the produce department. Fresh garlic should be stored in an open

container in a cool, dark place.

 

• When cooking, a medium garlic clove that is minced equals about 1/8

teaspoon. Once broken from the bulb, an individual garlic clove will

keep from three to 10 days.

 

• If you are adding fresh garlic to your food, start with a little

bit. Too much garlic can upset your stomach if you are not used to

it. Side effects can include gas, heartburn or stomach pain.

 

• Eating fresh parsley, chewing on a coffee bean or eating some

citrus fruit can help eliminate garlic breath.

 

Source: www.lifescript.com

 

These benefits include improved circulation, reductions in blood

pressure and cholesterol levels and even help for treating cancer.

Garlic also can keep arteries soft, which helps prevent plaque from

attaching to artery walls, Gage says.

 

Garlic is a cousin to chives, leeks, onions and shallots. Medical

researchers believe garlic may act as an antioxidant, cleaning up

free radicals in the body that can damage cells. Allicin, a component

in garlic, is thought to play a role in garlic's health qualities.

Allicin is created in raw garlic when it is crushed or chewed, giving

the herb its signature strong flavor and odor. It's estimated one

fresh garlic clove makes about 4,000 to 12,000 micrograms of allicin.

Ajoene, in turn, is part of allicin. Ajoene has been shown to slow

blood clotting, protecting against heart attack and stroke.

 

Besides eating garlic raw, there are other ways to receive the herb's

health perks. Cooking with garlic or taking garlic supplement tablets

can work just as well, says Candy Snow, personal wellness coach at

Celestial Nutrition, 956 Horton Road. However, Snow says cooking

garlic will affect some of the benefits garlic offers, such as

decreasing vitamin content, but only slightly.

 

Pamela Rinker, sales associate at Walt's Health Food & Specialty

Shop, 102 W. Michigan Ave., says whether someone takes garlic

supplements or decides to eat garlic raw, it's important to consume

it one way or another. Garlic can help eliminate viruses, bacteria

and yeast infections.

 

" Garlic is really good for the immune system, " Rinker says.

 

The digestion process starts in the mouth when garlic enters the

saliva glands, leading to garlic breath. Taking a garlic supplement

is the best way to maximize garlic's benefits without the herb's

taste lingering in the mouth. " Garlic is an excellent, inexpensive

supplement for health, " says Snow, who takes a garlic supplement. " We

just want the benefits without the bad taste. "

 

If garlic is part of your diet, make sure you know where your garlic

is coming from. With a supplement, check with your pharmacist or

physician and make sure to read the label. Gage says people often

find garlic supplements that are inexpensive, but these supplements

don't always provide the best of garlic's health benefits. " In the

end, they waste their money, " she says.

 

One way to go about finding the right garlic supplement is to talk to

a personal wellness coach, Snow says. A personal wellness coach will

know which garlic supplements work or don't work with certain

medications. How well different supplements represent the nutritional

content of raw garlic varies based on the quality of the supplement,

Snow says, and personal wellness coaches can help clarify this as

well.

 

 

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e_good_in_garlic.html