Food of the Month: Glamorous Garlic

Care of Karen Soper The Stinking Rose, a famous restaurant on Columbus Avenue in San Fransisco, California is filled with dishes all made with garlic. In fact – they claim to “season their garlic with food”! If you have ever been there you’ll know how compelling the dishes are and how the culinary enjoyment of a restaurant filled with garlic dishes is truly a novel experience. However famous San Fransisco’s Stinking Rose restaurant, the use of garlic is not so new to the world. Garlic has been used for thousands of years for both its medicinal and culinary properties, and in almost 2010 it is still touted as a powerful home remedy for colds and a must-have for quick pasta entrees. It is a bulbous plant of the family genus allium, in which there are approximately 500 members, including other well known plants like leeks, shallots and onions. Allium sativum basically means “cultivated garlic”. Garlic can be used in many ways – raw or cooked; whole, crushed or sliced. Raw garlic is stronger than cooked, and minced garlic stronger than sliced. Roasted whole garlic has a totally different taste to crushed raw garlic. The “active” component of garlic, that pungent… Read More

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Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition

Garlic Greatness

Care of Amy Symington     Although often criticized for its stanky breath and garlicky sweat inducing qualities, Allium Sativum, also known as garlic, is definitely worth the potential risk of losing friends. Here is why. It is a prebiotic.  Firstly, what the heck is a “prebiotic”?  Well, it is a non-digestible food that stimulates the growth of good bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria) that exists in the small and large intestines. Simply stated, a prebiotic improves the host’s health by improving their metabolism. In turn, this increases the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and reduces the risk of colon cancer and potentially most illnesses. Raw garlic is an example of a prebiotic. It is an immune booster.  When crushed or chewed, garlic releases a compound called allicin that has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties, which is why it is often used to combat those nasty winter illnesses. What is even better than that, garlic helps in preventing said illnesses from occurring in the first place. It is also used to fight fungal infections like thrush, combat bacteria related digestive disorders and doubles as a disinfectant. It is good for your heart. Garlic reduces the presence of… Read More

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Filed under: Eat Veg elifelines Food of the Month Nutrition