Known for over 4,000 years, garlic is a food with origins in Central Asia. Reflecting its spread through the legends of caravans, garlic is mentioned in ancient manuscripts from Greece, Egypt, and India as both an ingredient for cooking and a treatment against diseases. But let’s delve deeper!
Allicin, at your disposal
Further along the path, as noted by Dr. William W. Li: The bulb with a strong smell is cleaned, chopped, sliced, or grated and sautéed to flavor the cooking oil before adding other ingredients. Additionally, garlic is added directly to soups and stews and can be roasted whole alongside other ingredients or used as a filling. Like onions, garlic contains allicin, which gives it fat-fighting properties and activates the body’s defense mechanisms. Researchers in Iran studied the effect of garlic on 90 middle-aged men and women who were obese and suffered from metabolic syndrome.
Waistline reduction
How did it work? They administered to half of the participants garlic powder equivalent to half a teaspoon of freshly grated garlic (one and a half to two), which they had to consume daily. The other half of the participants received a placebo without garlic. After three months, garlic consumers observed a significant reduction in waist circumference by 1.25 cm, compared to those who received the placebo, who showed no change in waist size. It is noted that the reduction in waist circumference reflects a decrease in harmful visceral fat in the abdomen.
Delicious stalks
Quickly: Garlic is available all year round in the form of bulbs with several green stalks tied in a bunch, under a parchment-like skin. In summer, you can find garlic stalks at the market. These are the tips of the garlic plant, which form artistic curls resembling a cowboy’s lasso. Although they do not contain as much allicin as the bulbs, the stalks are delicious, and consuming them is a way to sustainably use the entire plant.
Other beneficial vegetables from the Allium family
Shallots, often referred to as French onions, are smaller than regular onions and have an elongated oval shape, with a thin, dry skin. The edible part grows in clusters, similar to garlic stalks. Like onions and garlic, shallots have a strong smell when chopped, but a sweeter and more delicate flavor when cooked. Shallots often contain more quercetin and four times more antioxidant efficacy in protecting DNA than onions and garlic, making them a favorable choice when it comes to combating body fat. Shallots can be sautéed for flavor in a dish or can be roasted, used raw in a sauce, or even pickled.
Anti-inflammatory properties
Green onions are another important vegetable from this family. Also known as spring onions, they have a slender green stalk with a small white bulb at the end. They are regularly used in Asian cuisine and are found in stir-fries or salads, but also in marinades and are used as a garnish to add a spicy flavor. Like all members of the Allium family, green onions contain quercetin, which can combat body fat. Laboratory studies show that extracts from green onions also have anti-inflammatory properties and cancer-fighting (anti-angiogenic) effects.
Wild garlic, a therapeutic delight
Another sophisticated product of spring is wild garlic. It has a small white bulb, a slender white stalk, and narrow green leaves. Due to its allicin content, it has a strong garlic smell. It contains a large amount of quercetin, about three times that of green onions and one and a half times that of red onions. The season for wild garlic is very short, lasting only a month, so buy it when you find it at the market. Tip: choose carefully and look for plants that are intact and not soft to the touch (they are harvested in the wild) and wash them well to remove the soil. It can be cooked very simply: put a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron or grill pan, wait for the oil to heat up, add the wild garlic, and cook it for just one minute, after which you should consume it immediately. A delight!
Like onions, garlic contains allicin, which gives it fat-fighting properties and activates the body’s defense mechanisms, Dr. William W. Li
The medicinal properties of garlic are legendary. It was used to treat colic, menstrual cramps, liver diseases, parasitic infections, flu, herpes outbreaks, and skin diseases.
