Garlic Gets Healthier: Here's How to Incorporate it Into Your Diet

Garlic Garlic. For centuries, it was associated with warding off evil spirits. But it’s medicinal properties far outweigh any negative associations.

Garlic is a wonderful herb that should be incorporated into many dishes. It’s succinct properties typically add to any dish with its aroma and distinct flavor. It can be diced, infused, and meshed into a variety of dishes from soups to quiches. It adds a quality that’s distinct and lovely to many fish recipes as well as sandwiches, salads, and pasta dishes. It may not make it into cereals or desserts, but it’s a very viable, digestible, versatile component.

By now, everyone’s heard about it’s healing properties but reports that cooking cancels out certain advantages of raw garlic have undoubtedly raised some questions. Turns out there’s a way to protect the disease-fighting benefits of this pungent herb from being lost when heated. Researchers at the American Institute for Cancer Research have discovered that chopping or crushing garlic activates and increases its cancer-fighting potential, and that letting it rest before cooking protects the active constituents that make it so good for us.

Nutrition Advisor Karen Collins, RD, says that research shows that allowing it to be crushed or chopped and to sit at room temperature for at least ten minutes before adding it to your favorite recipe not only activates the cancer-fighting components, but also keeps them viable, even if your recipe calls for cooking at high temperatures. Collins suggests chopping or crushing your garlic before you even pre-heat your oven or prep any of the other ingredients. If you’re roasting garlic whole, cut off the top of the bulb and allow it to sit for at least ten minutes prior to putting it in the oven. Removing this small section is enough to kick off the conversion process.