The article "Garlic and Its Benefits" talks about nutrition, it was written by Steven Wong.
Garlic and its benefitsBeing brought up in a typical chinese family, the garlic flavoring has always been a must in every meal. And because I eat garlic so often, that it is abuot time that I learn about that wonderful food and what it is that I have subjected my body through all these years. Garlic not only tastes wonderful, it is supposed to be very good for your body.Garlic has sometiems been called the Stinking Rose.
Garlic is a cousin to onions, leeks, chives, and shlalots.
A bulb or head of garlic is composed of samller cloves. It is a root vegetable, with the bulb grwoing underground.The garlic crop is harvested in mid-July and hung in sheds to dry before reaching their prime in late-July/early-August. But due to commercial demands, fresh and dried garlic are available year-round in most markets.There are over 300 varieties of garlic grown worldwide. It has been in used for 6,000 years ago. It is a native crop to to Central Asia and also a staple food in the Mediterranean region.
It is right now more often used as a seasoning in Asia, Afirca and Europe. The Egyptians used to worship garlic and models of garilc bulbs had been found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Once it was even used as a form of currency. Folk superstition use garlic to repel vampires (our favourite Drakula) and had also been revered as an aphrodisiac.You store unpeeled garlic in an open container in a cool, dry place away from other foods.
You don't rferigerate or freeze unpeeled garlic. Peeled garlic cloves may be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
It is important that garlic in oil be stored under refrigeration to avoid potentially-deadly bacteria growth.
Garlic powder, on the other hand, should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.The smaller you chop garlic, the more pungent it becmoes.
Chopping finely and/or pressing a clove exposes more surfaces to the air, causing a chemical reaction to produce that strong aroma. This pungent smell comes from an enzyme which contains sulphur moelcules. These sulphur molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream and lungs, and escape through exhaled air and perspiration. Thus, the garlic breath.
Whole cooked garlic cloves are quite mild, with a nutty flavor.Studies have shown garlic can suppress the growth of tumors, and is a potent antioxidant good for cardiovascular health. During the Middle Ages, garlic was used by monks to protect against plagues.
Hippocrates used garlic vapors to treat cervical cancer, and garlic pieces were placed on wounds durnig World War II as an inexpensive, and effective replacement for antibiotics, which were scarce during wartime.Other studies have also shown that garlic can reduce LDL or "bad" cholesterol and is a good blood-thinning agent to avoid blood clots that could lead to heart attack or stroke.In 2003, scientists reported that garlic could provide the cure for cancer.
Scientists say, "Garlic which is already renowned for its antioxidant properties, produces a chemical that gives it its flavour, that could be used in a "smart bomb" to fight cancer." This chemical, allicin, comes from garlic. Israeli researhcers recreated the reaction between that garlic chemical allicin at the site of a cancer tumour. It then penetraets and kills the tumour cells but healthy cells nearby were left intact.
The researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovet successfully used the same technique to blcok the growth of stomach tumours in mice.Again in 2002, researchers in US said that garlic could help prevent guys from developing prostate cancer. It was found that guys who ate the vegeatble had a 50% lower risk of having prostate cancer than those who ate the least. Two hundred and thirty-eight guys with prostate cancer and 471 guys without were asked about what they ate. It was fonud guys who ate more than a third of an ounce (10 grammes) a day of onions, garlic, chives or scallions were much less likely to be in the group with cancer.Also persons who take a garlic supplement each day are far less likely to fall victim to the common cold than those who do not. No wonder garlic had been traditionally used to fight off and treat the symptoms of the common cold.However, a word of caution. Some health professionals warned that the high sulphur content in garlic can cuase colitis and dermatitis by destroying the natural flora in the gut. They say excessive high doses of garlic may even prevent blood clotting and interfere with proper thyriod function. (I guess, excessive doses of anything is bad for our health!)Well, how not to be excessive and how much should we consume? Doctors have suggested that - half a clove - is the amount that they guess a person would have to eat each day to gain from its anti-cancer properties.
It should be sevred raw to have maximum effect, they said. If it is cooked, it should be about four and a half cloves.So three you are, shall we head on to the nearest Chinese restaurant for some Raw Garlic? In Asia, eating garlic is like taking water.
We have ample supply of garlic daily with our lunch and dinner. Could it be that Asians eat a lot and stlil remain slim?
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