Follow _ Lama Nasr:
Eating garlic is a great way to improve your health. In addition to being nutritious, garlic has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. The greatest health benefits come from fresh, raw garlic. But if you prepare it correctly, you may be able to get many of the benefits of garlic from its cooked form as well.
With only 13 calories per serving (which count as three cloves), garlic contains healthy vitamins and minerals. Raw garlic provides B vitamins, particularly vitamin B6, providing 6% of the daily value (DV) in one serving, and niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin (B2) and thiamine. B vitamins act as coenzymes that help your body make energy from food.
Fresh garlic is a good source of antioxidant vitamin C, providing 5% of the daily value for every three cloves. Garlic also contains vitamin K for blood clotting. Minerals in garlic include manganese, with 8% DV per serving, for the nervous system and brain. Additionally, garlic contains smaller amounts of copper, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and iron depending on the nutritional value.
Unfortunately, cooking garlic significantly reduces its vitamin content. Vitamins B and C in garlic are water soluble, so it’s easy to destroy them when preparing food, especially cooking. Because boiling reduces vitamins, particularly vitamin C, the National Institutes of Health suggests that steaming and shortening cooking times can help preserve the vitamin C in garlic. Vitamin K is fat-soluble, so cooking won’t affect it.
Although minerals cannot be broken down, according to Austin Community College, boiling garlic can leach some minerals such as manganese, calcium, and others. To maintain the vitamin content of garlic in your recipe, add it at the end of the cooking process to avoid prolonged exposure to heat.
–
