Holistic Nutrition: Getting the Most From Garlic

You may know that garlic has long been known for its healing properties. In homeopathy and herbal remedies it is considered the "wonder drug" that can fix everything from high cholesterol to acne, and act as a mosquito repellent!

The main medicinal compound in garlic is allicin. Allicin is responsible for giving garlic its antibiotic and antioxidant properties, as well as its anti-fungal benefits.

But long cooking, chopping and storing time can render garlic's benefits totally ineffective.

So what's the healthiest way to handle garlic to reap all its benefits?

Raw, or freshly chopped.

Allicin is produced when garlic is finely and freshly chopped or crushed. But you need to eat it right away, because allicin starts to degrade immediately after it is produced, so its medical effectiveness decreases. Cooking speeds up this decrease and microwaving flat out destroys allicin, thus eliminating any health benefits.

So if you're going to cook with garlic, crush or chop it no more than 10 minutes before. And try to include it in all your favorite dishes.