Written by Christiana Stephen

‘Health is like money we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it‘…Josh Billings 

Hello Moms,

Highly valued throughout the ages as a culinary spice, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It is a hardy perennial belonging to the liliaceae family. Other members of this family include leeks, chives, spring onions and shallots, all distinguished by their pungent aroma and flavor (bbcgoodfood.com)

As horrible as the smell is , garlic has lots of health benefits you shouldn’t ignore and we are here today to explore some of the benefits. Studies reveal that garlic contains some active compounds that can reduce blood pressure, but that’s not all.

According to bbcgoodfood.com, numerous research has focused on garlic’s potential to reduce the risk of heart disease, cholesterol levels and cancer. These studies suggest that garlic makes platelets (the cells involved in blood clotting) less likely to clump together and stick to artery walls, therefore acting as an anticoagulant and so reducing the risk of heart attacks. The sulphurous compounds have also been studied for their ability to inhibit cancerous cells and block tumors by slowing DNA replication (bbcgoodfood.com).

It is highly recommended for elderly women because it fights against diseases such as heart attacks and strokes which are considered the world’s biggest killers. This doesn’t mean that young people can’t have these diseases so try and put garlic in your food.

Garlic can pose a bit of  safety issues, so be careful while using them. It has been shown to reduce cholesterol level and it is recommended that the daily amount of garlic ranges from half – one full clove per day (around 3000-6000mcg of allicin). Please note that some people may experience indigestion, intestinal gas and diarrhoea when taking high doses of garlic.

According to authoritynutrition.com, One large 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared with placebo.The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in placebo to just 1.5 days in the garlic group. Another study found that a high dose of garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) can reduce the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%.

‘Eating may be fun-but it comes a time in life that you have to choose between what is valuable and what is peachy’…Christiana Stephen (c) 2016. 

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