Last Updated on May 27, 2020 by Nick J-Pepe
Closely related to the onion, shallot, and leek, garlic is also often considered a staple in our diets and our cupboards. Nowadays, garlic is famous for its smell and delicious taste. Who can resist garlic bread?
However, in ancient history, the main use of garlic was for the health benefits of garlic and medicinal properties. Garlic has been popularly documented by the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese. But why is it so important to get your garlic supplements?
Here, we focus on the health benefits of garlic and how it is popularly consumed, not in ancient times, but now.
Low on Calories, High on Nutrients
Firstly, garlic is incredibly low in calories. But within those calories, it provides an incredible amount of nutrients.
Including manganese, selenium, fiber, and vitamin B and vitamin C. So, even consuming garlic with your dinner provides an excellent variety of nutritional benefits.
The rise in popularity of aioli or garlic mayonnaise, allows many dishes to provide flavor and extra nutrients, at no additional calorie intake. It’s been used to add flavor to everything from seafood to Mexican dishes, as documented by Deliveroo.
If you are prone to the common cold or sickness, taking garlic supplements can help to boost your immune system. In one study across 12 weeks, it was discovered that a daily garlic supplement decreased the chances of contracting a cold by 63%.
Healthy for the Heart
Heart disease and cardiovascular illness like heart attacks and strokes are some of the world’s biggest killers. But, studies suggest that garlic may have the health benefits to combat high blood pressure and hypertension, which are both leading causes of cardiovascular diseases.
You’d need to eat a lot of garlic, however, for this to have a decent effect on your cardiovascular health. And, so, highly dosed garlic supplements are preferred for this effect. Likewise, it has also been proved that garlic improves cholesterol.
For those with LDL or high cholesterol, taking garlic supplements can reduce cholesterol by about 10-15%. One of the most exciting and contemporary pieces of research notes that garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms.
This could aid in preventing diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Large doses of garlic increase antioxidant enzymes, which halt cell damage, while reducing oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure. Thus, for those coming into old age, it is far more important to take garlic supplements to prevent brain and body deterioration.
The Health Benefits of Garlic Enhance Physical Performance
If you regularly go to the gym or enjoy the athletic activity, it’ll be great to learn that garlic was the first-ever ‘performance-enhancing’ substance used by athletes in ancient cultures – most notably by Olympic athletes in Greece.
There are many contributing factors to this assumption and the health benefits of garlic. Garlic is great at combating fatigue and, likewise, can lower an athlete’s peak heart rate. It is easy to consume garlic, as it can be added easily to most dishes and is fortunately tasty.
It can be consumed cooked or raw. However, it’s always better to eat raw, whether you crush, chop or cleave, as garlic has active-compound allicin forms, which are only active when crushed or raw.
So, eating whole cooked garlic might taste good, but has little to no health benefits. Try adding garlic to your extra virgin olive oil or mayonnaise or take one garlic supplement a day, and you are more than getting your fill of this amazing bulb.
