Garlic’s good on a lot of foods: fries, pasta, pizza and,
depending on who you talk to, ice cream. It’s used to spice up a
meal every once in a while, but eating two cloves every day can
help improve overall health and circulation.
Garlic’s good on a lot of foods: fries, pasta, pizza and, depending on who you talk to, ice cream. It’s used to spice up a meal every once in a while, but eating two cloves every day can help improve overall health and circulation.
Garlic contains antioxidants, which help neutralize free radicals. In the same way an apple exposed to the air will turn brown, the membranes of cells in our bodies oxidize, releasing free radicals. The molecules, which are produced naturally by the body, attack disease-causing cells. However, free radicals also attack other healthy cells, preventing them from functioning properly.
Lorelie Anderson, an Herbal Health Associate at Herbalife Distributors, a wellness company in Gilroy, said the antioxidants in garlic act as a defense system in the body, neutralizing free radicals. Keeping free radicals in check may help prevent cancer and heart disease as well as the effects of aging.
“Antioxidants are an anti-aging health benefit because (they keep) your body in balance,” she said.
Admittedly, there are some consequences associated with crunching through two cloves of fresh garlic a day. Garlic breath is a concern for some looking to add the herb to their diet.
“They don’t want to eat the fresh, because everyone knows, when you eat the garlic …” bad breath is sure to follow, said Anderson.
To avoid unpleasant garlic breath and still get the benefits, garlic pills or tablets are available, such as Herbalife’s Mega Garlic Plus.
“We suggest people take two a day; one tablet is equal to one clove,” said Anderson. “You don’t have the garlic breath if you take the right supplement.”
According to Anderson, there isn’t much difference health-wise between a supplement and a fresh clove.
“In my opinion, if a tablet can replicate a fresh (clove), it’s just as good,” she said.
However, Anderson also noted that other garlic products – such as powders or salts – do not have the same benefits, because they have been dehydrated or may contain other ingredients.
