If you were wondering about the benefits of garlic on your
health, here is the nutritionist's answer: "Thanks to its very interesting
virtues, garlic is strongly recommended in the diet.”
Garlic: poor
health benefits
Garlic is
particularly recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases: several
studies have shown that the consumption of 2 to 5 g of raw garlic per day can
reduce total cholesterol as well as blood triglycerides (molecules that form in
the small intestine from the fats that we consume and which, too much, increase
the risk of cardiovascular disease).
Other studies
also show that the sulfur compounds contained in garlic have very interesting
anti-cancer properties. These would be effective to fight among other things
against colon cancer and stomach cancer.
Finally, garlic
helps the body fight against infections due to its antimicrobial properties.
A very low
calorie food
On the
nutrition side, garlic is beneficial because it is low in calories (about 4
calories in a pod). Its active compounds being present in very large numbers,
it is enough to consume little to benefit from all its health virtues. The
ideal is to eat about 5 to 6 g per day.
Naturally, its
very low calorie content puts it in the category of "slimming foods".
But beyond its composition, it is also a food that helps keep the line because
it enhances the taste of the dishes, which adds less sauce or fat.
How to cook
garlic? To benefit from all its properties (including sulfur compounds and
antioxidants), it is better to eat it raw.
Some
contraindications to respect
First of all,
for young children or people with difficult transit, it is better to limit the
consumption of garlic. It can cause uncomfortable bloating and excessive
consumption can cause diarrhea.
People taking anticoagulant
therapy should also limit their intake because garlic tends to thin the blood.
Hypoglycemic
drugs (which lower blood sugar levels) increase in effectiveness when the
person consumes a lot of garlic. It is therefore preferable that people with
diabetes under hypoglycemic limit their consumption, under penalty of lowering
the blood glucose below the threshold limit.
