Garlic has long earned its reputation as one of nature’s most powerful foods. Celebrated for supporting cardiovascular health, strengthening immunity, and helping to ward off chronic disease, it truly deserves its place as a medicinal superfood.
However, if you aren’t consuming garlic properly, you might be missing most of its benefits — or worse, experiencing unpleasant side effects such as bloating, heartburn, or digestive upset.
Let’s explore some common garlic mistakes and how to correct them so you can make the most of this remarkable bulb.
1. Swallowing whole cloves
If you eat garlic without chopping, pressing, or crushing it, you prevent allicin — the key healing compound — from developing.
What to do instead:
Always chop, crush, or grate garlic and then let it sit for 3–5 minutes before using. This activates the enzymes that trigger allicin formation.
2. Overheating garlic
Allicin is sensitive to heat and can break down at temperatures above 60°C (140°F). Overcooking destroys many of garlic’s valuable nutrients.
How to avoid this:
Add garlic toward the end of cooking or sauté it gently over low heat for no more than 2–3 minutes. For maximum benefits, try adding raw, freshly chopped garlic after cooking.
3. Eating raw garlic on an empty stomach without testing your tolerance
CONTINUE READING NEXT PAGE
Grandma’s Culinary Mastery Potato Soup
Just add bay leaves and SALT and stop spending money at the pharmacy (Did you know that?)
How to make Hyderabadi Chicken
Chicken and RiceCasserole with Parmesan
Blueberry Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bake
Char Siu Chicken: 3-Ingredient Easy Dinner Recipe Everyone Loves
There’s a Reason Your Rice Cooker Came With a Paddle – Here’s How To Use It
Hands down, one of my fave cookies of all time!
We call it ‘Biscuits from the Heart.’ Only three ingredients, but it tastes like you’ve been in the kitchen all day
