Most people are aware of that garlic has health benefits, so here we will discuss 5 benefits of garlic, but most importantly how to consume garlic for optimum absorption of health benefits. If you are swallowing, cooking, or frying your garlic cloves, you are getting very less actual benefit. Read on!
Firstly, benefits of garlic:
- It boosts the immune system.
We know that a healthy immune system translates into a healthy life. Garlic helps boost our immune system, keeping illness at bay. For instance, the compounds in Garlic help fight germs and reduce the severity of flu and the common cold. It also works as a prebiotic as a “food” for the good bacteria in our intestine. - It is rich in nutrients.
It’s an excellent source of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc, all of which are crucial for optimum health! - It is high in antioxidants
The antioxidants present in garlic or aged garlic help prevent oxidative damage. This means it plays an important role in preventing cell damage, and it could help combat the risk of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. - Garlic Can Help Reduce Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension majorly contribute to heart attacks and strokes, among other things, which are known to be among the top causes of death in the world. Studies show that garlic supplements seem to significantly lower levels in people with high blood pressure. - Garlic may lower bad cholesterol
Which means, a lower risk of Heart Disease. How? Studies show that in people with high cholesterol, garlic supplements seem to reduce the total bad cholesterol levels (LDL) by 10-15%, while having no solid effect on the good cholesterol (HDL) whatsoever. Not just that, the collective properties of reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, plus its antioxidant properties, may reduce the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
But here’s something really important – it matters how garlic is consumed. Garlic has a particular enzyme called alliinase, which needs to be converted into allicin – the most beneficial form. This is only activated when the garlic is crushed or chopped. So garlic should ideally be crushed and chopped and consumed only after about 10 minutes. Eating raw clowes of garlic really has only marginal impact, other than on your breath!
Another downside even when crushing garlic, is the alliinase can easily be deactivated by heat, as well as by our stomach acids. One study found that a mere 60 seconds in heat can deactivate alliinase, thereby losing out on most the benefits. So when we use garlic for cooking purposes, most of the medicinal benefits are actually lost. And if crushed garlic is consumed raw, most of the allicin is neutralized by stomach acids.
So, what is the most scientific way to consume garlic for health benefits?
The by far most superior way of getting the maximum benefits from garlic may be by taking a quality garlic supplement with an enteric coating. In this, fresh garlic is dehydrated at low temperature and ground into powder. However since most of the beneficial benefits are deactivated by stomach acids, the supplement is enterically coated and hence get absorbed not in the stomach but in the neutral PH of the intestine thereby preserving alliinase and releasing allicin in the intestine.
Contrary to what many people might believe, this is actually gives optimum absorbtion of allicin, even compared to eating garlic in raw crushed form. And for last several years I am personally taking a quality enterically coated garlic supplement from Nutrilite on a daily basis. And taking garlic in this form not only has superior absorption of Allicin but also eliminates the unwanted bad breath!
Credits: healthsachet – watch their excellent video on most scientific way of consuming garlic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhr4OKQtTso
Firstly, benefits of garlic:
- It boosts the immune system.
We know that a healthy immune system translates into a healthy life. Garlic helps boost our immune system, keeping illness at bay. For instance, the compounds in Garlic help fight germs and reduce the severity of flu and the common cold. It also works as a prebiotic as a “food” for the good bacteria in our intestine. - It is rich in nutrients.
It’s an excellent source of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc, all of which are crucial for optimum health! - It is high in antioxidants
The antioxidants present in garlic or aged garlic help prevent oxidative damage. This means it plays an important role in preventing cell damage, and it could help combat the risk of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. - Garlic Can Help Reduce Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension majorly contribute to heart attacks and strokes, among other things, which are known to be among the top causes of death in the world. Studies show that garlic supplements seem to significantly lower levels in people with high blood pressure. - Garlic may lower bad cholesterol
Which means, a lower risk of Heart Disease. How? Studies show that in people with high cholesterol, garlic supplements seem to reduce the total bad cholesterol levels (LDL) by 10-15%, while having no solid effect on the good cholesterol (HDL) whatsoever. Not just that, the collective properties of reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, plus its antioxidant properties, may reduce the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
But here’s something really important – it matters how garlic is consumed. Garlic has a particular enzyme called alliinase, which needs to be converted into allicin – the most beneficial form. This is only activated when the garlic is crushed or chopped. So garlic should ideally be crushed and chopped and consumed only after about 10 minutes. Eating raw clowes of garlic really has only marginal impact, other than on your breath!
Another downside even when crushing garlic, is the alliinase can easily be deactivated by heat, as well as by our stomach acids. One study found that a mere 60 seconds in heat can deactivate alliinase, thereby losing out on most the benefits. So when we use garlic for cooking purposes, most of the medicinal benefits are actually lost. And if crushed garlic is consumed raw, most of the allicin is neutralized by stomach acids.
So, what is the most scientific way to consume garlic for health benefits?
The by far most superior way of getting the maximum benefits from garlic may be by taking a quality garlic supplement with an enteric coating. In this, fresh garlic is dehydrated at low temperature and ground into powder. However since most of the beneficial benefits are deactivated by stomach acids, the supplement is enterically coated and hence get absorbed not in the stomach but in the neutral PH of the intestine thereby preserving alliinase and releasing allicin in the intestine.
Contrary to what many people might believe, this is actually gives optimum absorbtion of allicin, even compared to eating garlic in raw crushed form. And for last several years I am personally taking a quality enterically coated garlic supplement from Nutrilite on a daily basis. And taking garlic in this form not only has superior absorption of Allicin but also eliminates the unwanted bad breath!
Credits: healthsachet – watch their excellent video on most scientific way of consuming garlic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhr4OKQtTso
