The good for you food of the week is garlic. Now that Halloween is fast approaching, you may be stocking up on garlic to ward off those little Twilight wannabes that are bound to invade your neighborhood. But don’t be afraid to incorporate it into your diet, since it has many health benefits.
A member of the lily family, garlic has been grown for over 5,000 years. The bulbs are made up of several cloves, clustered together, and encased in papery skins. It has been treasured for centuries for both gastronomic and curative purposes. A popular festival is held in honor of “the stinking rose” every year. Not only does it add an incomparable flavor to your food, you’ll get some vitamins and minerals, too. It’s an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin C and vitamin B6, and it’s even a good source of tryptophan, selenium, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B1, copper and protein.
Garlic is said to help reduce inflammation, due to an enzyme it contains. It’s also seen as a key component in a diet that helps protect against cancer, especially of the colon and stomach. It can slightly lower blood pressure and LDL (“bad” cholesterol), reduce plaque buildup in the arteries and lower or help regulate blood sugar.
Fresh garlic always tastes best, but there are other forms. Chopped garlic in a jar will keep for quite a while in the refrigerator and save you some prep time. Garlic powder is suitable for some recipes. When you use fresh garlic, keep the bulb intact as long as possible. Once you begin breaking off cloves, you’ll want to use the rest of the bulb as soon as possible. If you see cloves that are drying out, just pull them off. You can store fresh garlic in a cool, dry place. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t sprout.
Eating raw garlic can irritate your stomach, so keep that to a minimum. Try infusing olive oil with garlic for added flavor. Add it to vegetable dishes, soups, chili, sauces, marinades, and more. If you’ve got sick people in the house, be sure to add some to your chicken soup for optimum health. For a quick and easy entrée, cut slits in a pork tenderloin, stud it with slivers of garlic, place it on a rack in a roasting pan, pour a little apple cider in the bottom of the pan (you can also add rum) and roast it. For a special treat, roast a whole head of garlic in the oven until soft. It will take on a sweet, nutty flavor. Then spread it on toasted baguette slices or serve with pita chips.
True, you may not have the freshest breath after eating garlic, but just think of all the good you’re doing for your body. And besides, that’s another way to scare off vampires.
How do you use garlic?
Any tips for getting rid of garlic breath?
Read all the good for you food of the week articles
Check out this easy roasted garlic recipe from epicurious
Comments
I use garlic every chance I get. I think it's the Italian in my that requires me to add it to just about every dish from eggs, to soup, to pizza, to pasta.
I think the only thing that cures garlic breath is time. ;)
I love garlic! It adds so much flavor to so many dishes! I'm Italian, also, so it's "required" in our house!
Garlic breath? What garlic breath?! Haha! Just make everyone else eat it and you won't notice it as much:)
From the land of that "popular festival"...We roast bulbs of garlic whenever we get a chance. Peel a bulb, add a little olive oil, wrap in foil and throw it on the grill or into the oven. This has become a family favorite for garlic bread and with our Thanksgiving turkey.
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