Be Healthy with Garlic

     Pick plump garlic with un broken skin. Squeeze gently to make sure garlic is firm and not damp. Size of garlic cloves does not necessarily impact taste or nutrients so larger cloves may be easier to prepare.

• Rich in sulfur-containing compounds that contribute to pungent odor and powerful health benefits, garlic also provides vitamin B6, vitamin C and important trace minerals.
• Garlic makes important contributions to cardiovascular health, and may help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
• Garlic helps prevent calcification and as an antioxidant reduces plaque formation in blood vessels.
• Compounds in garlic help relax blood vessels in several ways.
• Significant research has shown vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium and manganese also contribute to garlic’s protection of the cardiovascular system.
• Compounds in garlic work with its vitamin C to fight inflammation and help to protect against some severe asthma attacks and may also help reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Allicin, one of the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic's characteristic odor, is a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent that joins forces with vitamin C in a combination that has been shown to be effective not only against common infections like colds, flu, stomach viruses, and Candida yeast, but also against powerful pathogenic microbes including tuberculosis and botulism.
• Garlic may help he impact of the bacterium responsible for most peptic ulcers, as well as gastritis.
• Garlic juice, even when diluted up to 1:128 of the original juice, demonstrates significant antibacterial activity against a spectrum of pathogens including antibiotic-resistant strains.
• Garlic’s effectiveness in fighting the common cold may be due in part to its ability to significantly reduce the activity of a chemical mediator of inflammation that not only promotes inflammation but sets up ideal conditions for viruses, including HIV, to replicate.
• Consuming garlic and onions may greatly lower risk of several common cancers including cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and renal cell cancer.
• The organosulfur compound found in garlic called ajoene may also be useful in the treatment of skin cancer.
• Compounds in garlic may inhibit the development and activity of carcinogens. Breast, prostate and stomach cancer may be affected. Good intakes of vitamin C and selenium, provided by fresh garlic, are associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
• Garlic may help prevent the development of abnormal vascular contraction seen in diabetics.
• The most potent active constituent in garlic, allicin, has been shown to not only lower blood pressure, insulin and triglycerides in laboratory animals fed a fructose (sugar)-rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain.
• Garlic may protect against “asbestos-induced genotoxcity," by reducing mutations in certain blood cells.
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  Source: World’s Healthiest Food