I suspect many of you will shutter when you learn that I spent last Sunday at a Garlic Festival! That's right, I was surrounded by some of the strangest, kindest, most interesting, most eccentric, and passionate people anywhere! I tasted a bit of fresh garlic and bought ground, pickled and fresh garlic. I have to admit, I avoided the garlic red velvet cupcakes but I did gobble down a lot of garlic popcorn! Then, as if I had not had enough, I came home and ate more garlic pesto. I used to avoid garlic thinking it would make me smell, but now, after several years of attending the "festival" for several years, listening to endless garlic lectures, tasting lots of garlic, listening to lots of passionate people, and lots of reading, reflecting, and thinking, I am beginning to believe how amazing and healthy garlic is, and I eat quite a bit!
Did you know:
- Garlic appears to have cancer protecting properties. If you let garlic sit after chopping, you get more of that wonderful, healthy nutrition. Mircrowaving appears to negate the cancer protecting properties. It may be the alliu in garlic that is the key here. It's a pretty complex mechanism involving nucelar erythroid factor and a mechanism that helps cells want to abandon the "shut down" process.
- Eating garlic every day may lower the risk of all cancers except breast and prostrate.
- Garlic may improve your metabolism! Sulfides in garlic may increase production of ferroportin, a protein that is important to the transport of nutrients within a cell/
- Garlic appears to have cardioprotective benefits, too! Red blood cells take the sulfur and use it to protect our blood vessels and blood pressure.
- Garlic may even help control the number of fat cells in our bodies! It's the flavanoids we can thank for that!
- Leeks and onions are cousins of garlic
- Garlic appears to have antibacterial and anti viral properties. It might just help ward off or shorten the flu or a cold.
Garlic is not just for getting rid of vampires. It has many healthy benefits.
References
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265853.php
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
2 comments:
I've always wanted to attend the garlic festival in Gilroy, CA, but this sounds fun too. Thanks for the facts on garlic.
THIS IS DOING IT RIGHT DONERIGHTRAY. You NOW all know all the garlic existing facts except the very most important. Its a fun crop to grow. It rewards you early on the 4th July for all your previous labors and it tastes great ..eat up ... PS: The blogger is right she would avoid it at all cost ... now she goes to the celebrate the harvest of garlic in Saugerties, NY, home the Exchange Hotel and other depressing featured attractions...life is full of surprises ..you just have to control your enthusaim.
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