Some of us may have not paid enough attention to the ingredients we often use for our cooking. "Garlic" is today's subject, and I would like to elaborate the benefits, facts and superstitious belief about "garlic".  A lot of people increase their consumption of garlic after they discover or learn about the health benefits of garlic to one's wellbeing. There is the extra-effort in making sure that almost every meal is prepared with a good quantity of garlic in order to make sure that they get to experience the full benefits of garlic. Eating food that is rich in garlic would help to better the health of an individual in various ways that we won't really expect. Garlic is popularly used to add more flavor and taste to food in ways such as marinating meat or even seasoning, other ways are preparing food using garlic as the major ingredient when cooking food such as; Garlic Pesto, Adobo(a Filipino cuisine), Garlic chicken etc.  When these dished are prepared the essence of garlic in food is so much appreciated because of the aroma and distinct taste of meals when cooked.

Eating food that contains the recommended amount of garlic is helpful for the treatment of various cardiovascular illnesses and conditions especially hypertension. Garlic helps to lower LDL which is the bad cholesterol and raise the HDL(the good cholesterol).

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Speaking of aroma,  many people are fine with the smell of garlic but not everyone is a fan of the smell, there are some people who want to eat more garlic but would not because they do not feel comfortable with the lingering smell after touching it. To get rid of the smell of garlic from your hands and mouth is actually very easy the use of lemon is quite effective when trying to get rid of the smell of garlic when touched or eaten. You could spray some citrus or lemon on your hands and that takes care of the smell. After eating garlic you could drink some lemon juice as well and it helps get rid of the smell in minutes. Taking garlic capsules and supplements can also help in preventing the smell of garlic.

Since garlic is composed of  "allicin", it has been used to help in treatment of various illnesses and diseases over years, the allicin compound in garlic is extracted and manufactured into  capsules and other healthy food supplements for the benefits of one's well-being.

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Garlic contains a sulfur compound called "allicin", this compound is heat proof, after crushing or chopping the garlic, its best to wait for ten minutes before cooking it so that the enzymes could form. Eating fresh garlic is also recommended because just the enzymes are formed just by chewing or crushing, to enjoy eating fresh garlic,  salads and vegetable rolls like  "garlic scape salads" or "Goi Cuon (Vietnamese spring roll recipe made with fresh vegetable) "these are a perfect and interesting recipes that can be eating to stay healthy and for enjoying all the benefits of eating fresh garlic.

GARLIC PESTO

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ADOBO

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GOI CUON

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Benefits Of Garlic To Our Health

• Garlic is used to treat various cardiovascular abnormalities, diseases and illnesses such as hypertension, heart disorder,
• Helps to regulate blood pressure
• Helps in the treatment of diabetes by regulating the blood sugar
• Flushes away fat which is beneficial for weight loss
• It has anti-viral, anti-fungal and antimicrobial compounds that helps to fight infections such as common colds.
• Helps to fight cancer, and when taken regularly, helps in the prevention of cancer
• Reduces bad cholesterol and raised the good Cholesterol
• Helps in the treatment of atherosclerosis 

The Ultimate Garlic Superstitions and beliefs

Many of us are familiar with the myths and superstition tied to garlic and vampires, or bad spirits. Years ago when watching horror movies with vampires and evil spirits was in vogue, I came across a movie that shows how "garlic" can ward off vampires, and also evil spirits. This  was quite a thrilling fact know how magical garlic can be and how vampires are repelled by the smell of the garlic. 

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Apparently not only vampires and evil spirits are repelled by the smell and taste of garlic. After playing the famous game "Plants vs Zombies", I discovered that when I plants a garlic in my garden(in the game) the zombies that are coming after my brain tries to eat it but it seems like they really hate the taste of the garlic so the move to the next plant, if it happens to be a garlic and the continue to eat it, they would die an d my brain will be safe. 

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Garlic isn't just a cooking ingredients, but also a very healthy food that is used for treatment and good health maintenance, as much as possible we should eat more of garlic, in the right proportion 800-1000 mg per day is recommended when eaten raw.

I will be looking forward to sharing some of those delicious  garlic recipes on my future post.