Garlic is one of my all-time favourite flavours. I think it tastes awesome in almost any dish (which is why I add fresh garlic in almost every dish!) If I’m ever stuck for inspiration, I first reach for the garlic.

Garlic is an amazing medicinal food.

There are so many scientific studies confirming it’s amazing properties that heal. Fresh is always best.

A quick way to add fresh garlic is, of course, the garlic press, but I used to find that it wastes so much. I now crush it using a mortar and pestle. I find it easier to peel – I crush it and the skin almost falls off.

I then leave it for around 5-6 minutes before adding it to the dish. This is because it releases something called allicin (which is a compound in garlic found to have loads of health benefits) when crushed and left for that amount of time before being added to a dish.

Don’t use high heat when cooking garlic as it could destroy its medicinal properties. This almond garlic mix could be used to anything to give it some oomph. 

I’m not a big fan of plain veggies, so I usually add this when I steam veggies. This is a very simple side dish, easy and quick to prepare and could maybe get your kids to like veggies (if they don’t like them!)

Garlic – is a superfood which helps prevent heart disease, strengthens our immune system and can help prevent cancer. It is antibacterial, antifungal, anti viral and anti-inflammatory. It helps to lower blood sugar and blood pressure. It prevents cataracts, helps fight against infections such as ringworm and athlete’s foot.

It is nature’s antibiotic – and it is used worldwide as such. It has no side effects and you get it anywhere! It benefits our digestive system and endocrine system. Our oral health also benefits from consuming garlic.

Garlic is high in manganese and Vitamin B6 and contains Vitamin C (which we all know boosts our immune system)! Use garlic 1-3 times per week to see any benefits (use around 20 gms of garlic each week).

Almonds – A handful of almonds a day keeps heart disease away! True this. Around 12-15 almonds a day are enough to keep your heart healthy and give you lots of good fats. They are loaded with biotin, vitamin E and copper.

Make sure you choose the ones with the skin on as it has antioxidant flavonoids. This, along with the vit E they contain increases the antioxidant level. They also contain manganese, magnesium and vitamin B2. These help with improving our energy levels and at the same time relaxing us.

Be aware though that with certain conditions like pyroles, you do need to lower your intake of copper, so maybe lower your intake of copper rich foods or increase your zinc intake.

Green beans – fall under the legume category, so it has all the health benefits that legumes have.

These have an amazing number of nutrients! In order of density, they contain these vitamins – K, C, B2, B1, A, B3, B6, E. They also contain manganese, fiber, folate, copper, chromium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, choline, protein, omega 3, iron and potassium! Phew! What a list!!!

So they help to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and regulation of blood sugar levels. It is anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants.

Studies show that green beans could also help with postmenopausal osteoporosis because it contains silicon.

Enjoy this delicious excuse for good health!

REFERENCES

Ban JO, Oh JH, Kim TM et al. Anti-inflammatory and arthritic effects of thiacremonone, a novel sulfurcompound isolated from garlic via inhibition of NF-kB. Arthritis Res Ther. 2009; 11(5): R145. Epub 2009 Sep 30. 2009.

Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey.

Josling P¹. Adv Ther. 2001 Jul-Aug;18(4):189-93. PMID:11697022 DOI: 10.1007/bf02850113

J Neurochem. 2011 May;117(3):388-402. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.07145.x. Epub 2011 Mar 14. Oxidative insults to neurons and synapse are prevented by aged garlic extract and S-allyl-L-cysteine treatment in the neuronal culture and APP-Tg mouse model.

Ray B¹, Chauhan NB, Lahiri DK. PMID: 21166677 PMCID: PMC3391571 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.07145.x

Bachrach et al: Garlic allicin as a potential agent for controlling oral pathogens. J Med Food 2011 May 6

*Fani et al: Inhibitory activity of garlic (Allium sativum) extract on multidrug-resistant Streptococcus mutans. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2007 Oct-Dec;25(4):164-8

*Eidi et al: Antidiabetic effect of garlic (Allium sativum L.) in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Phytomed 2006 Nov;13(9-10):624-9

*Javadzadeh et al: Prevention of selenite-induced cataractogenesis in Wistar albino rats by aqueous extract of garlic. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther 2009 Oct;25(5):395-400

*An et al: Allicin enhances the oxidative damage effect of amphotericin B against Candida albicans. Phytother Res 2009 Aug;23(8):1103-8

Abbey M, Noakes M, Belling GB, Nestel PJ. Partial replacement of saturated fatty acids with almonds or walnuts lowers total plasma cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 1994 May;59(5):995-9. 1994. PMID:16240.

Chen CY, Milbury PE, Lapsley K, Blumberg JB. Flavonoids from almond skins are bioavailable and act synergistically with vitamins C and E to enhance hamster and human LDL resistance to oxidation. J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6):1366-73. 2005. PMID:15930439

Durlach J. Commentary on recent clinical advances: almonds, monounsaturated fats, magnesium and hypolipidaemic diets. Magnes Res 1992 Dec;5(4):315. 1992. PMID:16250

Bouchenak M and Lamri-Senhadji M. Nutritional quality of legumes, and their role in cardiometabolic risk prevention: a review. J Med Food. 2013 Mar;16(3):185-98. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2011.0238. Epub 2013 Feb 11.

Oomah BD, Corb A and Balasubramanian P. Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Hulls. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2010, 58 (14), pp 8225-8230. 2010.

Price CT, Koval KJ, and Langford JR. Silicon: a review of its potential role in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Int J Endocrinol. 2013;2013:316783. doi: 10.1155/2013/316783.