Garlic has been used as a health food for a long time. It is easily available in most of the countries and it can be eaten raw or can be cooked and boiled. It is very easy to mix garlic with your food and you can use garlic flakes, garlic powder or fresh garlic. Garlic belongs to the family of onions and shallots and is a very common ingredient in cooking across board. It has a strong pungent smell and has been long used for treating various ailments and health conditions. Not just that it adds a wonderful flavor to your food.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Garlic has very less calories, but has score of other minerals and vitamins. It is a very good source of vitamin b6, and vitamin c. It also has important minerals like manganese, selenium, calcium, potassium and iron. It has some proteins, few carbohydrates and little fiber.
GARLIC REDUCES SYMPTOMS OF COMMON COLD
For long, garlic has been given as a supplement to boost immune system. Various studies have shown beyond doubt that garlic is able to reduce the lengths of cold from five days to just about a day and half. It was also seen that the extract of garlic can considerably bring down the number of days you are sick, especially in case of flu. If you are susceptible to colds it would be wise to include garlic in your daily diet. You can take it raw with water or milk or can boil and cook it. However it is advisable not to take more than two or three cloves of garlic in a day for adults. You will be able to see the benefits of garlic in few days as it will prevent the symptoms of cold and flu from attacking you often.
REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE
Due to the lifestyle in today’s world, there has been a steady increase in the number of cases of heart diseases and strokes. Hypertension is also steadily on the rise. People do not have time to go out and exercise and consuming processed food has compounded the problem. The only way to keep these diseases at bay is to keep your diet healthy and increase the intake of food and supplements that will prevent any kind of health conditions. Several studies have revealed that taking supplements of garlic has a significant role in lowering the blood pressure. Four cloves of garlic everyday will be as beneficial as taking regular medicines in lowering blood pressure.
LOWERS THE LEVELS OF CHOLESTEROL
Eating unhealthy food can raise the levels of bad cholesterol in your body and obstruct your blood vessels leading to many heart related issues. Eating garlic as part of your daily diet helps to lower the levels of bad cholesterol though; it does not increase the levels of good cholesterol. Lowering of bad cholesterol means that, garlic can prevent the blood vessels from getting clogged up and maintains the free flow of blood.
GARLIC IS HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS
Free radicals cause oxidation in the body and accelerate the process of ageing. If you take garlic in high doses it will boost the antioxidant enzymes in your blood stream thereby preventing the oxidative damage. It will also prevent the onset of dementia related to Alzheimer’s.
GARLIC HELPS TO ENHANCE YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
In ancient traditional medicines, garlic was used to reduce stress and fatigue especially in laborers. Ancient Greek used garlic as a supplement to improve the performance of their runners during Olympic Games. Eating garlic helps to reduce the fatigue and stress caused due to excess sweating and exercise. It is very beneficial for athletes who spend lots of hours in training as it will not let fatigue set in and is a natural substance to achieve high goals. Garlic is also helpful in strengthening of bones and has proved to be particularly helpful in ladies in preventing osteoporosis.