Hello guys! It's the first day of the month of May...yay! I hope that I'm one of your first wishers today haha! I'm so grateful to God for life and for the opportunity to share in this new month with all of you. Okay now that the wishes are out of the way, let's move on to the topic on ground.

You may have heard of, seen or used garlic one way or another. It's not the most common thing in the way of seasoning but it is popular enough. I've personally never liked the odour that garlic gives of when it's raw but it does taste pretty good in food. Most people however do not care for it in desserts. Apart from it's use as a food flavour, garlic is also employed herbally as medicine.

Garlic isn't my favorite plant in the world by a long shot, but it has proven to be very nutritional to the body. Garlic was the subject of a recent study by some scientists at Nottingham University in the UK in which they concluded that garlic can reduce the risk of developing some types of cancers, heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. This discovery was something that I found to be very interesting. There are so many natural fruits and vegetables that can add a great deal of nutritional value to our bodies, but how many do we have proper information about?

As much as I'd like to go on a tour and tell you the importance and nutritional benefits of all the plants that I know, for the sake of this post I'm going to limit it to just garlic.

"the way in which garlic is prepared can have a positive effect on the bulb’s ability to benefit your health."

Some Health benefits of garlic

1. Rich In Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Manganese

Vitamin C helps boost the immune system, Vitamin B6 helps to maintain eye and skin health as well as liver and nerve function. It also helps to boost levels of energy in the body. Manganese on the other hand is usually stored in the bones, kidneys and pancreas is essential for the breakdown of carbohydrate, protein and cholesterol in the body. It is also essential for bone health.

2. Blood Pressure Reduction

A study carried out on an old garlic extract over a 6-month period showed that it was as effective as Atenolol (a drug) in reducing blood pressure.
A high blood pressure is the major cause or driving force of cardiovascular diseases and is responsible for a large potion of human mortality.

3. Prevention of Cell Ageing and Cell Damage

As a result of the antioxidants that garlic contains, the oxidative damage that leads to ageing is prevented and supplementation of garlic has shown to increase the level of antioxidants in the human system while reducing stress due to oxidants in people with HBP. Chances of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's are thus reduced as a result of the anti-oxidation and cholesterol reduction attributes of garlic.

4. It Improves Work Rate and Overall Atheletic Prowess

Garlic has shown ability to reduce fatigue induced by exercise. Being one of the earliest enhancement supplements known, garlic's performance in healthy athletes is yet to be conclusive as a study carried out on some health sportsmen showed no effect but reduced heart rate in people with heart disease by about 12%.

5. Highly Effective Against Cold or Flu

Garlic, as earlier mentioned contains Vitamin C, helps to boost the immune system and under a series of tests, has proven to be effective against cold. Placebo, is a sham treatment that is carried out on a patient in order to compare the results with that of a drug or treatment was used on some people down with cold and garlic showed an almost 65% progress on said patients.

With all these said about this wonderful Central Asian bred vegetable, it is obvious that a diet plan, which includes garlic on a daily basis could enhance the lifespan of the average human, prevent and reduce the risk of certain diseases. I therefore strongly recommend that if you did not previously have garlic inculcated into your diet, then you should not hesitate to do so.
For those who may be suffering from one ailment or deficiency in the listed minerals and vitamins and are stacked up on one medication or the other, you may consider inquiring about garlic from your doctor to see if you can supplement with it in your meals.

Never forget: "Health is Wealth"

Do stay healthy and have a wonderful day!

Thanks for reading!

Here is a link to my post on how procrastination can end your life

Proud member of the #newbieresteemday