The goodness of garlic

Garlic has been a staple in my household since I was a little girl and being Russian, garlic is an important ingredient for many Russian dishes. I love it raw, cooked, baked and any other way it can be made, but I know many people who hate the smell and taste of garlic. Now, let's think about all the health benefits garlic brings and rethink our choice. Garlic smell and taste can be easily masked without you even knowing it's there, but your body will reap the benefits.

For one, garlic is known for its antioxidant protection. Its warming, pungenet flavor makes it a stimulant to the immune system. It has been used as a remedy for coughs, colds and flus. Garlic lowers fever by promoting sweating which eliminates toxins from the body.

Garlic is on the top of the list for minor irritations such as dandruff (this was news to me!), flatulence aka gas, and insect bites.

The herb also elevates good HDL cholesterol and lowers the bad LDL cholesterol.

However raw garlic contains the highest content of active ingredient, hence it's best medicinally. But when it's cooked, the chemistry changes and it offers other benefits.

Raw garlic produces a compound known as allicins that can help to protect against cancer and heart disease. However, when you cook garlic, allinase becomes inactivated, preventing the production of allicin. Still, it may be possible to prepare cooked garlic with allicin levels similar to raw garlic. A report by Science Daily explains that if raw garlic is first chopped and then allowed to sit for 45 minutes it can produce allicin.

If you are considering taking the easy, lazy route by taking a garlic capsule, think again! The more processing garlic undergoes (which it does in the process of making a capsule out of it), the more health-giving benefits are destroyed.

According to Pat Crocker, author of The Healing Herbs Cookbook (Robert Rose, 1999), one clove of raw garlic provides about 6 grams of protein, 29 mg of calcium, 202 mg of phosphorous, 529 mg of potassium and 15 mg of vitamin C. Garlic also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, natural sugars, the nucleic acid adenosine and trace minerals such as copper, germanium, iron, manganese, selenium, tin and zinc.

My most favorite way to prepare garlic is to stick the whole bulb in the oven preheated to 400F and bake for 40-1hr. Cut the top of it off and splash some olive oil inside the bulb and viola! It pops right out of the bulb and is soft, creamy and delicious. You can even make a galic dip with it. Add some sour cream to it, some chives and mmmm yummy and healthy dip!