[LifeStyle] Eating garlic: how to take advantage of its benefits and solve the problem of bad breath

[#Steeven.™]

It may not keep vampires away, but it does bring us closer to a more balanced and healthy diet.

Garlic is a food surrounded by legends. According to stories that have circulated for centuries and until today, it is able to protect us from colds, heart disease and is also a weapon against vampires.

Are all its attributes true for the benefit of health?

"There is some hype," says Kristina Petersen, assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Garlic enhances the flavor of food and is a key ingredient in heart-friendly diets, such as the Mediterranean.

Some consider it a vegetable, because it is edible. Others call it an herb, like any other used for flavoring or as a natural remedy. But it is also a spice, a stuffed substance, derived from a plant, used to flavor food.

A clove of garlic has only 4 calories, but relatively high amounts of nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese, reports the American Heart Association.

It is also packed with sulfur-based components, which give it its tangy, strong flavor. One of the most studied components is allicin, which is produced by mincing the garlic clove.

A 2020 study in the scientific journal Antioxidants showed garlic's anti-inflammatory properties. It can also help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

There is a but.

"Those effects are seen when someone receives very high supplemental doses of garlic powder," says Petersen. The effects of putting two cloves of garlic in a recipe are much less than that.

But before she goes to find the bottle of garlic powder in her cupboard, Petersen has more to say. "I would not recommend that someone take garlic supplements," she says. "There could be situations in which it may be indicated, but it should be done in consultation with a doctor."

The investigations on the abilities of garlic in the feeding in cancer do not allow to give any conclusion. Similarly, a review of studies on the effects of garlic on the common flu, done in 2014 and published in the Cochrane Library, concluded that the evidence in this area is not of sufficient quality.

Instead, garlic can interact with some medicines, including blood thinners. People who take these medications are also advised to avoid garlic one week before surgery or dental procedures.

Once this is cleared up, garlic in normal amounts in food can be great, says Petersen.

"I think there are many ways to enjoy it," she says. "It's good in salads, but also with baked vegetables, it really brings out the flavor."

It is particularly good with mushrooms and tomatoes. This type of combination can also be the greatest contribution of garlic to health. Because if vegetables and other healthy foods taste good, they can lead to people eating them more.

 

Bad breath: the troublesome side of sulfur in garlic
Garlic can be a problem for your breath, precisely because of the sulfur-based components. Researchers at Ohio State University tested various remedies to see that it could reduce the effects, which can cause someone to avoid using garlic in food altogether.

Chewing mint leaves, lettuce, or apples, all raw, works best.

"It is a versatile food and has its place in good eating habits," says Petersen. "And although it does not have miraculous effects on health by itself, it is part of a balanced and healthy diet."