What are the health benefits of garlic? The garlic that makes your food tastier every day is much more than just a seasoning. The great ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Chinese, extolled this edible plant. And this, especially, for its medicinal properties.
Who has never had garlic tea against flu symptoms, for example? Basically, it is too tight to swallow as a potent home remedy, although not tasty. Even so, after that, the cold goes away quickly, without the need for drugs.
Although it causes discomfort while it is raw, because of its smell and spicy, it is an excellent ally for health. Most of the benefits of garlic, by the way, are given by means of sulfur compounds, released when the tooth is chopped, crushed, or chewed.
Teeth that nourish
But not only that. Garlic is also highly nutritious for our bodies. It even contains very few calories.
For example, a 28-gram serving of garlic (about 5 cloves) has only 42 calories. Of this total, 1.8 grams are protein and 9 grams are carbohydrates.
This same portion of garlic also contains 23% of the recommended daily intake of manganese; 17% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6; 15%, of vitamin C; 6% of selenium; and significant amounts of calcium, copper, potassium, iron and vitamin B1.
How to take advantage of garlic for health?
According to experts, to have access to the health benefits of garlic (which you can find below), it is necessary to consume half to 3 cloves of garlic per day.
The tip to potentiate the “miracles” of garlic is to chop or knead the garlic cloves 10 minutes before seasoning the food. Anyone who understands the subject guarantees that this rest increases the amount of allicin, the main responsible for its beneficial properties to health.
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Check out some health benefits of garlic:
1. Fight viruses, bacteria, and fungi, as it is rich in allicin;
2. Fight colon cancer, due to the presence of allyl sulfides;
3. Prevent atherosclerosis by reducing high cholesterol and triglycerides;
4. Protect the heart, by reducing cholesterol;
5. Decrease high blood pressure and prevent thrombosis, by facilitating blood circulation;
6. Act as an anti-inflammatory;
7. Improve asthma symptoms and facilitate breathing.
8. Improve immunity, if consumed raw, as it is rich in vitamin C and other nutrients that help, especially, against the symptoms of colds and flu;
9. Prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as it contains antioxidants that support the body’s protection mechanisms against damage caused by free radicals, especially in the brain;
10. Improve athletic performance, as it contains components capable of reducing fatigue and increasing work capacity (in Ancient Greece it was also used for these purposes);
11. Combat heavy metal poisoning, especially lead. The benefit is due to the sulfur of garlic, which protects the internal organs;
12. Improve bone health by minimizing the loss of bone structure and increasing estrogen in women (especially during menopause);
13. Increase longevity, by fighting infectious diseases, reducing the chances of heart disease, increasing immunity, and having all the other benefits already listed in this selection.
So, did you know that garlic could bring so many benefits to your life? Do you have a habit of consuming this spice in your day-to-day? Comment below!
