HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC, why never to throw away SPROUTED garlic, and how to mince it in 30 seconds

 

GARLIC: Allium sativum:

what the science says, how to eat it, how to mince it,

and why NEVER to throw it away when it sprouts

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC: what the experts say

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a branch of the US Dept of Health and Human Services, publishes and funded many studies regarding herbs and vitamins' health benefits. Here is what they have to say about Garlic

• no effect in lowering blood cholesterol
• may slow hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
• may slightly slower blood pressure in people who are already hypertensive
• some studies suggest eating garlic as a regular part of your diet may prevent certain cancers, although no clinical trial have specifically looked for this. One study that did try to find a link between long-term use of garlic to prevent stomach cancer found no link

    HOW TO EAT GARLIC

A Study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology found that heating the garlic immediately after crushing it reduces its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory effects. If possible, eat raw without cooking, since the heat destroys some of the benefits of garlic. Research has shown that just 60 seconds of microwaving will cause garlic to lose some of its cancer-protective properties, and so does boiling.

 Check out my Pinterest board for a collection of recipes that includes uncooked garlic


  ALLICIN

  Also the most potent compound in garlic that gives it many health benefits is not very stable when the garlic is crushed or cut, so immediate consumption (within 2 hours) is recommended. This is another reason buying minced garlic isn't the best idea. 

When mincing garlic, as I have shown below, is so easy, why buy the lazy version? Like seriously.... Allicin, the component in garlic that gives garlic its health benefits, is a compound that stays intact for only 2-16 hours at room temperature when it's in an extracted for of garlic (supplements), but in its most intact form inside the garlic it stays viable for over 2.5 days.


   Garlic Supplements or Fresh Garlic?
Lets take a look at the science...and the non-science

  Fresh Garlic:

• relatively cheap
• readily available
• lasts for a long time at room temperature compared to other spices or produce items at the grocery store
• When they sprout, they are better for you
• you might get the dreaded garlic breath

Garlic supplement:

• definitely cost more than fresh garlic
• last longer than fresh garlic
• no "garlic" breath

 What about SPROUTED Garlic? What's the scoop on that?

The ACS (American Chemical Society), which publishes the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published an study in February 2014 that details why you should not throw away sprouted garlic. Here's the gist of it:

• sprouted garlic has increased antioxidant activity and a concomitant changes in the metabolite profile
• when seedlings grow into green plants, they make many new compounds, including those that protect the young plant from pathogens. Study authors Jong-Sang Kim hypothesizes that this same process is taking place when greens shoot from old heads of garlic. Comparing sprouted garlic that had sprouted for 5 days or more found that they indeed did have HIGHER levels of antioxidant activity than fresher, younger bulbs (and also had different metabolites).

 HOW TO MINCE GARLIC IN 30 seconds

  Smash it with the flat surface of a butcher knife (or any knife with a large surface), and the peel comes right now. Now mince as shown in video.

 


  CHECK OUT MY PINTEREST BOARD for recipes to eat GARLIC, these are recipes are delicious and they do not require cooking garlic

Follow Living Busy with Janine's board eating superfoods: RAW garlic (no cooking) on Pinterest.