Garlic is one of the most flavorsome cooking ingredients around. It’s no wonder, then, that it’s a staple ingredient in many different cuisines around the world. Or that the value of fresh market garlic tops $220 million a year in the US.
But cooking with garlic is only one way to enjoy this pungent vegetable’s charms. What many people don’t realize is that raw garlic makes for a delicious and nutritious addition to many dishes.
But what are some of the benefits of eating raw garlic? Let’s take a look!
Fuller Flavor Experience
Raw onions are great for adding a tantalizing tang to salads, dips, and other kitchen creations. In the same way, raw garlic provides you with a fuller flavor experience without having to load up your meals with salt and fat. But what is garlic best used for when raw?
Raw garlic is a must if you want to make traditional Spanish-style aioli, which marries the sharp taste of raw garlic with the soft and mild flavor of high-quality olive oil. Raw garlic is also an essential ingredient in pesto, hummus, and chimichurri. Or, you might prefer to eat raw garlic in a salad, as a soup topping, or even spread on toast.
Nutritional Powerhouse
Garlic is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. It also contains potassium, thiamine, calcium, phosphorous, and copper. These vitamins and minerals all form part of a healthy, balanced diet, and can support good health in many different ways. For example, vitamin C is essential for good immunity, while manganese is necessary for normal brain and nerve functioning.
Allium vegetables, including onions and garlic, are also rich in allicin, a sulfur-containing compound associated with all kinds of garlic health benefits.
The allicin that garlic contains is one reason why garlic supplements are so popular. But, while many garlic supplements provide less than five percent of their potential allicin, these Allimed supplements – https://myvillagegreen.com/products/allimed-450-mg – deliver the full 100 percent.
Potential Health Benefits
Healing traditions such as Ayurveda consider garlic to be a therapeutic food. This is thanks to its potential to help with health concerns such as the common cold and high blood pressure.
The organosulfur compounds found in allium vegetables are of particular interest to those who believe in the benefits of eating garlic. Although, it’s not clear how the body uses these unstable compounds, especially when exposing garlic to heat.
In the same way that cooking with garlic dulls its intensity, research suggests heating garlic may reduce its beneficial effects. For this reason, scientists recommend eating garlic raw as a way to reap the full benefit of its powerful enzymes.
The Benefits of Eating Raw Garlic
As this quick guide shows, the benefits of eating raw garlic are plentiful.
As well as adding more flavor to your dishes, raw garlic packs a powerful punch when it comes to nutrients and potential health benefits. Not to mention, there’s absolutely no danger of you being attacked by a vampire!
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