Garlic not only adds flavor to your food but also has many health benefits. A few flakes of garlic change the taste and nutritional benefits of your food. I put garlic into the hot oil before putting onions into it for caramelizing. Here are a few benefits of garlic that I have known from people and through internet.

Colds

From ages it is believed and established that garlic has the power to cure cold. You might think as to how garlic flakes cure common cold. Well, it has been seen that garlic cloves improve the immune system. This gives a boost to the natural defense system . Regular consumption of garlic improves the immune system and protects the body from viral infections

Cancer

As I mentioned earlier, garlic improves the immune system therefore a healthy immune system has the ability to fight cancer. Scientific researches on humans and animals have determined that garlic has the capability to reduce the formation of cancerous cells. Garlic restricts cancer causing compounds from forming, and slow the growth of tumor cells. Garlic is especially helpful in blocking oesophagal, breast, stomach, prostate and bladder cancer. Researches have shown that compounds in garlic also have the ability to reduce the size of tumor by half.

Heart Disease

Heart diseases are caused by many factors but the many benefits of garlic also have therapeutic values too. High level of cholesterol causes heart diseases and garlic has a quality to lower the cholesterol level. Age, poor diet, smoking and some environmental factors cause the heart’s blood vessel, aorta, to stiffen. This makes it difficult for the blood vessel to maintain the blood pressure. Studies show that consumption of garlic helps to keep the blood vessel flexible and hence keeps heart diseases away.

Hypertension

Garlic has the ability to control your blood pressure by thinning the blood. It also prevents forming of clots. Researches show that people who consume garlic have fewer incidences of hypertension and heart disease.

Infection

Garlic is said to have anti bacterial properties. It also has antiviral and antifungal abilities. It is effective against intestinal parasites, recurrent yeast infections and the growth of candida albicans is slowed by garlic. Garlic can help by stimulating T-cells that help fight infection.

Garlic is just an aid to antibiotics in fighting infections, but it is not enough to replace them. Moreover, your doctor needs to know if you plan to begin supplementing garlic. If you are under medication for high blood pressure or are scheduled for surgery, garlic intake can affect due to its blood thinning and anticoagulative properties, so it is a must to consult your physician before making any changes in your diet.

Is a raw vegetable diet too cumbersome to maintain?

I feel it’s easy to maintain raw food diet rather than cooking them and spending hours in preparations. If you have an organized kitchen with proper storage containers and you are able to store then it is easy for you to maintain the diet. You may explore the produce markets and find out the new fruits and vegetables available. You may experiment with recipes too.

Will you consume bacteria with raw vegetables?

All vegetables are required to be stored carefully and they must be touched with clean hands and stored in clean places. It is recommended that you consume fresh vegetables and fruits as soon as possible. Avoid storing too much of raw vegetables at home. Bacteria tend to grow on old food stuffs. Raw cultured vegetables have lactobacilli which is also present in our digestive tract. These bacteria are beneficial for your body. Moreover, it is not necessary that all bacteria die when the food is cooked.

Does a raw food diet supply enough nutrition?

Yes, a raw foods diet supplies all vital vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that the body needs to thrive. It hydrates the body with its natural water contents so you don’t have to consume 8-10 glasses of water per day. Fresh vegetables have the capacity to detoxify the body to remove the toxic substances from the body. Green leafy vegetables have the highest protein content and are very good for the body.

Do raw foods taste bad?

Taste of the food depends on how you prepare the food. Even if you don’t cook the food you can make it tasty and presentable. The natural juices in the food are so tasty that you won’t even require seasoning the food stuffs. All this depends as to how present the food.

Do you need to eat only raw food diet to avail the benefits?

Raw food diet can give you a flawless skin, high vitality, immunity for many diseases but this does not mean that your diet should be 100% raw. Have raw food for a few days and then reward yourself regularly by eating some cooked delicacies. More of raw vegetables is good but it is not necessary to have all of raw food. 

Can we have variation in raw food diet?

Why can’t we have a variety in raw foods, there are so many fruits, vegetables nuts, seeds and grains to eat. Try to mix and match them and place them on the plate to make look interesting and attractive.

Is raw vegetables diet costly?

When you start consuming raw vegetables you may initially feel that your expenses are going beyond your budget. You would shop more for fresh, organic, local produce or because you would be buying different cooking tools for your kitchen. It’s a one time expenditures not a regular one. In spite of this if you try raw diet then you would realize that you are actually saving money on it.