Ask any cooking buff what ingredient they can’t do without in the kitchen and chances are you’ll get the same answer time and time again – GARLIC. Apart from being used to flavor recipes with its distinct kick, it also has an aroma that will get your mouth watering the moment you get a whiff of it.
But garlic’s not just good for culinary dishes – this savory little plant adds a spicy kick to any juice recipe you add it to and brings to the juicing table a load of health benefits that deserve recognition.
And if you’re worried about the taste – don’t worry ’cause a little garlic goes a long way and as long as you juice it with plenty of other flavorful juicing ingredients, you’ll hardly notice the taste while getting a whopping load of health benefits!
6 Delicious Garlic Juice Benefits
Boosts your iron metabolism
Garlic juice is quite abundant in sulfur compounds that help boost the body’s ability to produce a type of protein called ferroportin.
At its simplest, ferroportin basically picks up the pace on the metabolism of iron and keeps it circulating in the system. Aside from giving vital organs the ideal amounts of iron they need to keep functioning up to par, this also helps stave off anemia and similar blood-related health issues.
Significantly reduces bad cholesterol
When it comes to triglyceride and cholesterol reduction, reaching for a glass of garlic juice is one of the best things you can do.
This is because garlic is packed with allyl polysulfides, allicin and allixin that don’t just help manage sailing cholesterol levels, but also play significant roles in the prevention of stroke by circumventing the hardening of veins and arteries.
Protects blood vessels from oxidative stress
Now while our bodies need oxygen to function properly, having excessive levels of it in the system can make oxygen molecules highly reactive.
This is called oxidative stress and can result in unwanted inflammation and premature aging. Besides increasing your risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack, oxidative stress also triggers the formation of plaque along the linings of blood vessels that can potentially clog up blood flow in the long run.
This is where garlic juice comes in – it helps you load up onthiacremonone and 1,2-vinyldithiin, compounds that disrupt and inhibit the activity of molecules that set off inflammatory effects in the body. Moreover, ajoene, a type of disulfide found in garlic, also prevents the formation of unwanted blood clots like in the case of thrombosis.
Naturally detoxifies
N-acetylcysteine and S-allylmercaptocysteine are among the fairly long list of beneficial compounds you’ll get when you integrate garlic juice in your regular diet.
Interestingly, these sulfur compounds help gather toxins and free radicals that may have accumulated in the body, especially in the circulatory system, and expel them right out usually through the pores of the skin along with sweat. These detoxification capabilities are also very effective against mercury, lead and other heavy metals that may have ended up inside you. See some yummy detox juicing recipes!
Boosts your immune system
Adding a bit of raw garlic to your juice recipes is an easy and effective way to bolster your immune system since allicin, one of the key components of garlic that also gives its unique smell, has been shown to improve circulation and keep viruses at bay in the process. Since your whole body is getting the ideal amounts of blood it needs to keep its defenses up, you won’t find yourself easily getting sick anytime soon.
Remarkably, poor blood flow not only tends to lower the body’s resistance against illnesses, but also makes you feel a bit under the weather most of the time. In short, garlic juice doesn’t just help you keep clear of disease, but is quite the picker upper, too.
It’s a natural antibiotic
Garlic has already been used to prevent infection and control the spread of the same ever since time immemorial. From relieving tooth abscesses to keeping clear of sepsis that may result from injury, medical practitioners back in the day always had garlic in their list of remedies whenever infection was involved.
Apart from being loaded with anti-microbial allixin, allicin and alliin, garlic is also rich in S-propylcysteine (SPC), S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), diallyl sulfide (DAS) as well as N-acetyl-S-allylcysteine (NASC) that are known to fight off bacteria and viruses that can set off infections.
Tips of Juicing Garlic
- Due to garlic’s potency, keep in mind not to use more than three to four cloves a day when whipping up your juices. Although garlic does have a lot of health benefits, tossing too much in the juicer at once can potentially cause dizziness, nausea and an upset stomach.
- Make sure you aren’t taking any blood thinning medication when you put garlic juice in your daily menu. The sulfur compounds in garlic can heighten the effects of the medicines and can cause excessive bleeding.
