Garlic is a versatile ingredient that is widely recognized as a superfood in both the East and West. It contains compounds that help remove heavy metals from the body and improve immunity, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Many people may not be aware of the amazing benefits of garlic, but knowing them can make you enjoy garlic dishes more. Moreover, depending on how it's consumed, garlic's antioxidant content can increase by up to 50 times.
Outstanding effects in removing heavy metals
Garlic is a popular food ingredient for its unique smell and spicy taste, originating from its sulfur compounds, including allicin. These sulfur compounds in garlic help reduce the absorption of arsenic in brown rice and mercury in seafood and support the removal of environmental hormones and heavy metals through feces.
According to a Japanese study, the amount and speed of mercury excretion increased in rats that consumed aged garlic. Additionally, a study involving people working in a car battery factory showed that allicin intake reduced blood lead levels by 19% and improved toxic symptoms, effects similar to some drugs.
In traditional medicine, garlic is known as 'design' and is believed to strengthen the spleen, warm the stomach, promote digestion, and prevent heart disease. Garlic is a superfood acknowledged by both the East and West.
Garlic is great for people with:
1. Hyperlipidemia
Garlic is especially good for people with high cholesterol. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety specifies that garlic helps improve blood cholesterol levels and has also been proven to help regulate blood pressure.
When consuming garlic powder, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends taking about 0.6-1g at a time to help improve blood cholesterol levels. The World Health Organization also suggests consuming 0.4-1.2g of garlic powder per day.
Research has shown that garlic is more effective in reducing bad cholesterol than raising good cholesterol. Garlic also contains many other beneficial ingredients for health, making it a popular health food.
2. Cancer prevention
Numerous research results validate that garlic helps prevent stomach and colon cancer. According to overseas studies, consuming about 18g of garlic per week can provide a 50% prevention effect for stomach cancer and a 30% prevention effect for colon cancer.
Research on various types of cancer such as breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and prostate cancer is also ongoing. Garlic's phytochemicals detoxify carcinogens, inhibit cancer formation, and induce apoptosis of cancer cells. It also exhibits excellent antibacterial and antiviral effects, increasing resistance to various bacteria and viruses.
How to maximize consumption benefits
The allicin content in garlic tends to decrease when heat is applied, so raw garlic has more of this compound, with even more produced when crushed or chopped. However, eating raw garlic can cause stomach pain and worsen inflammation for people with weak stomachs. So, what's the best way to make the most of Allicin's benefits?
The following golden tip involves a method using garlic brown rice to increase garlic's antioxidant content by up to 50 times. For those with weak digestion, you can choose sprouted brown rice. Prepare 6 cloves of whole garlic and 1 to 1.5 cups of soaked brown rice for two servings, then add the garlic while cooking the rice and press it to finish. By cooking garlic in the rice cooker, the sulfur compound again and the anti-aging antioxidant polyphenol flavonoid content increase. Cooked garlic has up to 50 times higher antioxidant activity compared to raw garlic, with polyphenol flavonoid content increasing by 7 and 16 times, according to research results. Additionally, brown rice itself is rich in thiamine, vitamin B1 that helps convert sugar into energy, and allicin in garlic increases its absorption rate, aiding in fatigue recovery. Through this combination, garlic and brown rice can provide optimal benefits.
Garlic has excellent effects in removing heavy metals and maintaining health. It is a popular food ingredient among Koreans and can be utilized in various dishes, allowing full enjoyment of its taste and benefits. Especially with garlic brown rice, the combination maximizes garlic's health advantages as emphasized in traditional use and modern research. Moving forward, consider preparing various garlic dishes at home for a healthy life.
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