Health Benefits of Garlic – superfoods – amazing health – improve your health
The health benefits of garlic
Discover the health benefits of garlic, a powerful superfood used in many of our luxury healthy hot sauces. Learn more about the benefits of eating garlic.
Health benefits of garlic
Alongside onion, fresh garlic is one of the most used ingredients worldwide, and it is little surprise why. As well as the superb roster of benefits of eating garlic, the strong taste can also add a punch to otherwise bland recipes, including pasta dishes, meats and seafood. Better yet, garlic can also be blended into salad dressings and dips, added to soups, or used as a subtle marinade.
A powerful superfood, garlic not only adds an incredible wealth of flavour but also boasts a myriad of health-boosting properties:
- Contains antibiotic properties
- Reduces the risk of heart disease
- Has antimicrobial and antifungal properties
- Supports bone health
- Contains anti-cancer properties
- Helps combat the common cold
The health benefits of garlic cover the entire spectrum, making it one of the most popular superfoods in the world. Garlic is packed with a host of powerful nutrients and is particularly rich in manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium. However, garlic’s organic sulfur compound allicin, a potent antibiotic, gives it its pungent smell and makes it a healthy addition to your diet.
Research indicates that eating garlic can positively impact your arteries and blood pressure. It is believed that red blood cells turn the sulfur in fresh garlic into hydrogen sulfide gas that expands our blood vessels, making it easier to regulate blood pressure.
It is also reported that garlic oil works as an anti-inflammatory. The Arthritis Foundation even recommends it to help prevent cartilage damage from arthritis.
The health benefits of garlic also reportedly actively benefit brain function. Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage from free radicals, which may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Aside from keeping the body healthy, garlic was one of the earliest “performance enhancing” substances. Most notably, Olympic athletes in ancient Greece were given raw garlic to reduce fatigue and enhance exercise performance.
Garlic; a delicious superfood
The benefits of eating garlic have made it a popular superfood for centuries. The effective medicinal properties of garlic made it a favoured ingredient since 1500 BC with the Egyptians and ancient Greek civilisations who used it to treat various medical conditions. The Egyptian medical text, the Codex Ebers (1500 BC), prescribed raw garlic for abnormal growths and improved strength and stamina, while the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates recommended garlic for pulmonary ailments to treat sores, as a cleansing agent and for abdominal growths.
Garlic benefits; a versatile and healthy ingredient
Garlic is as versatile as it is tasty. When roasted in olive oil, garlic can melt in your mouth like butter, while chopping and eating garlic raw can taste pungent and sharp. However, to retain maximum nutrition, eating raw garlic on an empty stomach offers better health outcomes as allicin’s nutritional component gets diluted during cooking. Either way, the health benefits of garlic are significant and can be actively felt inside and out.
If you want to enjoy the many health benefits of garlic, then browse our range of luxury healthy hot sauces designed to elevate any meal from ordinary to extraordinary. Why not try our spicy gourmet Perfect Piri Piri Hot Pepper Sauce, ideal as a marinade for Piri Piri chicken or a deep smoky condiment? Alternatively, opt for Chilli No. 5’s Chinese Hot and Sour spicy stir fry sauce for an exquisite taste of the orient in a healthy prawn stir fry or as a sweet dipping sauce for your steamed buns.