People have different opinions about garlic. Some people love it some can’t stand it. However, if you have in mind that garlic has great impact on the body and also if you take into consideration the numerous nutritive compounds of garlic, we guarantee that you will easily accept and implement black garlic in your diet.
This veggie is famous for its famous notoriously aroma and taste which is very strong, and has been used by people since 5.000 years ago.
However, what interests us, is its availability on the market as well as the many studies that prove that the garlic is an ingredient that one must-have in the kitchen.
Introduction of White Garlic
Scientific name: Allium sativum. It is also known as Stinking rose.
This root bulbous plant and also the onion belong to one family, but garlic is drawing more attention due to the specific look, intoxicating taste and flavor and due to its many unbelievable health benefits. Lots of people are not familiar with allicin, which is very significant and the powerful compound of this veggie.
The compound allicin has antibiotic natural property, and is the main ingredient responsible for the anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties of the garlic. Allicin is isolated from raw garlic. However, it is not a separate compound. It’s isolated with a reaction when the cloves of the garlic are crushed.
This compound is rich with sulfur and it is capable to destroy all the bacteria and toxins from the organism. It is very powerful and can provide total detoxification of the organism. The occurrence of the reaction is seen if the tissues are crushed and allinase and alliin react, forming the so wanted and needed allicin.
The intoxicating aroma of this plant, is due to allicin. However, the aroma doesn’t stay for a long time. This means that after about an hour, after the cloves have been crushed, allicin is breaking down so the process of getting active amount of allicin is very difficult. The same applies for cooking or other methods of the preparation of garlic. A breakdown of this very powerful substance can be caused. Therefore, why don’t consume it in raw shape?
If you want to get active allicin in enough amounts, you should consume it raw or should crash the garlic by chewing. Although is an experience that can be unpleasant it is nothing when it is compared to the health benefits that you will get.
Aside from allicin, garlic also has other very powerful substances, and some of them are due to the breakdown of allicin. Moreover, it is not familiar which substance is responsible for some of the benefits for the health and which ones for others.
Nevertheless, we know that allicin is for sure responsible for the anti-infective properties of the garlic, which is normally to assume the other health benefits origin from the other sulfur-rich phytochemicals.
Health benefits of Garlic
Extremely potent plant which can shake, detox and cleanse your whole body. The excruciating blend of ingredients in garlic, is what makes this plant so special. It’s abundant with vitamin B6 and C and also has minerals like calcium, selenium, manganese, and phosphorus. Garlic will fully detox and cleanse your body and will get rid of toxic heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead and mercury.
Garlic is also beneficial for reducing inflammation and due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, it protects our immune system from the outside influence. Garlic is also notoriously famous to be beneficial for 14 types of cancer cells, such as lung, breast and brain. It is a powerful antioxidant, which is proven to be beneficial for more than 150 diseases.
Are the Garlic Supplements a good substitute?
Some people are also using supplements and there are garlic supplements available out there. However, the supplement can never be a replacement of real food and it could not provide the organism with amounts that are sufficient of nutritive substances as raw veggies and fruits.
So, even though supplements are recommended in some cases, they can never perform as well as raw garlic. In other words, they can never form allicin in our bodies or form a small insignificant amount of allicin.
Despite the fact that lots of products are labeled as “allicin potential” by numerous manufacturers, this doesn’t indicate that allicin is being produced or the amount that has been produced is not familiar. So, having in mind that the compound allicin is being produced when crushing the cloves the it is best to consume garlic raw, rather to consume it as a supplement.
In which way black garlic is produced?
The process of creating black garlic is started when the bulbs of white garlic are placed for 30 days on temperature of 170 degrees and what you get after this process, is black garlic which is very potent and nutritive, that everybody is trying to lay their hands on it.
The ingredient which is main for the preparation is of course white garlic, nothing else. After the days needed for the preparation (30 days), the black garlic is being ready to consume and its taste also differs. Its taste is sweet and its texture is soft and often resembles to the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce.
The ones that hate white garlic will love the fact that black garlic doesn’t have the intensive taste, odor and spice. Therefore, it is normal to think that black garlic, because of the transformation, will have compounds that are totally different from the ones of the white garlic. The fact that is interesting is that black garlic owns numerous and potent antioxidants, but has low amount of alliin.
Much more great antioxidants than white garlic
It has been proven that black garlic owns double the amount of the antioxidants when compared to white garlic. This as a result of the process that black garlic goes through. One other compound which is very powerful that black garlic has and is familiar s-allylcycteine or SAC, and is familiar and convenient for the inhibition of the synthesis of cholesterol. SAC provides the organism with numerous health benefits and it’s considered as an extremely powerful ingredient.
Don’t throw sprouted garlic
When the garlic is beginning to sprout, it is best to throw it away. Well, it seems that the right thing to do is to preserve that type of garlic because it is proven that sprouted garlic contains more antioxidants than fresh garlic.
The explanation that is applied to sprouted garlic is the same for black garlic. This is due to the fact that when a plant is undergoing a process the process is also changing its compounds and properties. The seeds that are sprouted have an amazing nutritive value and if you implement plants that are sprouted in your diet, the intake of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and many other important compounds will be increased.
Sprouted plants will provide your body with many benefits for the health, like protection from viruses and bacteria, because of its anti-infective, alkalinizing characteristics, which promotes the regeneration of the cell and great antioxidants.
White Garlic vs. Black Garlic – Which one is healthier?
If you like garlic or you are an opponent, the nutritional value of garlic can’t be denied. The various benefits for the health that garlic provides are worth to try and you will be able to feel the positive results since the first week of consuming this miraculous plant.
But, after the entrance of black garlic in the world and it becoming instantly famous, people have troubles deciding whether to choose black or white garlic. Do not be worried, because no matter which one you choose, you won’t make a mistake cause white and black garlic both are extremely nutritive, very healthy and will provide you organism with numerous nutritive ingredients.
The difference may be noticed only in taste and looks, and like previously mentioned the specific odor and spiciness are gone in black garlic and maybe that’s why people prefer to try the new black garlic, which offers more or less the same nutritive ingredients.
Moreover, allicin can be formed by crashing white garlic and you can never get that from the black garlic. A combination of the two can be made and experimented in the kitchen. You can be creative and feel the benefits that garlic owns.
Via: LiveStrong | Mercola
