Fight Flu Naturally With Raw Garlic & Ways To Eat Raw Garlic

Fight Flu Naturally With Raw Garlic & Ways To Eat Raw Garlic

Does the thought of eating raw garlic make you go ewwww ?  Think again!  Garlic is one of the most ancient medicinal foods in the world and the number one natural remedy to fight flu. You just need to find some creative ways to eat raw garlic. Why raw ?? Garlic is rich in compounds called allicins that build up the immune system and help fight flu. Unfortunately, cooking garlic destroys the garlic’s ability to make allicin and makes cooked garlic generally not as beneficial as raw garlic. If you absolutely cannot eat raw garlic even with the ideas I’ve given you, go for roasted garlic or any form of garlic that is cooked as little as possible. But go ahead and look at my suggestions on ways to eat raw garlic. You may just get to become a fan of raw garlic !!The amazement of people when they experience the positive effects of eating raw garlic when suffering from  infections, has led many to reconsider their concerns over garlic breath. It all  pales into insignificance when measured against the health benefits.

General benefits of raw garlic:

The magic ingredient in garlic called allicin has superior healing powers ! It’s a strong antiseptic, antibiotic that lowers cholesterol and reduces plaque by helping prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together.Raw garlic exerts antimicrobial activity against viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.Unlike antibiotics that actually weaken your immune system, garlic actually boosts your immune system. It has also been seen to be beneficial in treating cancers.

When to take raw garlic.

You can make eating garlic a part of your normal routine or take it in an extra strong dose when you feel a cold coming on. It provides some additional insurance along with a flu shot ! Some people have found that eating 2 cloves of garlic 3 times/ day on the onset of a cold seems to just take the cold away. 

 

Ways to eat raw garlic!

Remember the potency of allicin the magic ingredient in garlic is intensified when garlic gets crushed, chopped  or mashed.

Dips : One of my favorite ways to use raw garlic is in a dip. Just whip it up with some chickpeas or white beans to get a creamy hummus. here’s a great garlicky hummus recipe. You can also use garlic  in salsa and sauces. A little chopped garlic mixed with avocado adds flavor and tastes great. 

Garlic Butter : Make your own garlic butter and spread over bread.  Here’s a great recipe for garlic butter ! It’s better than garlic bread ! You can use garlic butter on baked potato!

Salads : Ah yes, just chop fresh garlic and use in a salad dressing or just mixed with salad. Here a great salad recipe using fresh garlic and here’s another one. Both use crushed raw garlic in their salad dressing.

Soups : The  way to use fresh garlic here is to smash or chop garlic and toss it in after the soup is done. Heat will reduce the efficacy of the magic compound ” allicin”  a little, but since you’re not really cooking the garlic it will still be effective. Here’s a great recipe for a super garlicky soup. Just add the garlic in the end 😉 !! The same rule applies to stir fry  and other dishes that you want to add garlic to. Add it at the end of cooking to get maximum benefits. After some time it will become a habit. 

Juice it : Oh yes !! Juicing it with other fruits and veggies is a great way to consume raw garlic. You won’t even taste it. Here’s a great fresh juice recipe using raw garlic, some tips on how to juice it and some tips on the flu vaccine.

Raw garlic shot : For those brave  souls who can chop garlic and chug it down, just remember to take it with some fat like olive oil or coconut oil. The oil will protect your stomach and improve absorption of the compound. Taking raw garlic on am empty stomach will upset the stomach. Although swallowing whole garlic  is easier, to get the maximum healing benefit, crush garlic before chugging it down. I’ve tried it with orange juice and it tastes pretty good.  You can also try crushed garlic in honey : like they say…. a spoonful of honey makes the garlic go down. Follow up raw garlic with a little fat.

Roasted garlic : For those dubious folks who cannot think of eating raw garlic, try a roasted version.  Great recipe here ! You’ll still be able to tap into the flu fighting power of allicin in garlic. Roasted garlic is great in a lot of recipes. Here’s a great mashed potato recipe using roasted garlic & another cauliflower mashed potato recipe using roasted garlic !! You can also soak garlic in oil and make garlic confit ! Here’s a neat recipe to make garlic confit and a chicken salad that tastes yum with it.

 

Damage control !

Side effects of eating raw garlic are a garlicky odor and breath which personally I don’t  find offensive but there are those people who do.  This is due to sulphur in raw garlic. So, arm yourself with fresh parsley, peppermint, spearmint, cardamom seeds and fennel seeds, all of which  purify the system and freshen breath.  All these herbs can be used in cooking with the garlic too. You can also use mints, chewing gums and mouth washes to mask garlic breath.  Drinking a lot of water will help the garlic compounds evaporate through your skin faster and let the odor linger less. Another tip is to eat your garlic dose at night while you sleep. The allicin will work it’s magic and heal your cold and the odor will evaporate with your morning shower. There are  always deodorant sticks and perfumes that are very handy for the daytime garlic shot. I personally think the benefits far outweigh any concerns about garlic breath or odor.

Cooking garlic

Cooking garlic may affect the amount of the active ingredient called allicin that you consume, but cooked garlic still offers many health benefits , so if you can’t eat it raw or roasted, eat it cooked.

Looking for some great recipes that use raw or roasted garlic ?  Look no further: here are some neat ones from blogging buddies of mine !! All of them are loaded with garlic, raw, roasted or lightly cooked. Check them out ! So, go ahead! Kill off those cold and flu bugs and get the maximum garlic health benefits by eating it raw. If you have any ideas on using raw garlic, do share! 

References :

Why raw garlic is beneficial 



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35 thoughts on “Fight Flu Naturally With Raw Garlic & Ways To Eat Raw Garlic”

  • I love this post, Sue! I’m one of those people who adores garlic in any form and am a firm believer in its healthy benefits. A shot of garlic a day keeps the doctor away ;). thanks so much for sharing a couple of links to my site. Now to go find some ideas for lunch and dinner today…

    • Welcome ! and thanks for the neat soup & rice recipe. Can’t wait to try both, esp the soup !!!!! Yumm !! Love garlic too !

  • Mmm…. you may have got me hooked. I always hate taking meds for flu & this may just be the remedy. Glad you provided a recipe list so we can see what’s out there with raw, roast garlic. Love the garlic butter ! Good post Sue !

  • Great info as always. I have used raw garlic occasionally and felt good when I did. took care of sniffles like a shot. These tips to use it will make it easier. Always thought it was easier to swallow the whole garlic, but makes sense… release the allicin. I like the garlic shot in the night idea ! Great tip. Nice bunch of recipes. I may try the juices tonight and the salad dressings too. Great information Sue. Thanks! Sharing on FB.

    • Yep, crush or chew garlic to get maximum potency . juicing it is probably a good idea. May try that myself tonight when I make me celery juice. I have to pick up parsley though. Pretty sure that will make it all nice fresh tasting. Let me know how the juice goes when you make it Steve & thanks for stopping by !!

  • Sue this is a great article, super informative and great recipes included! I love garlic so much, so not only am I happy to hear it has plenty of good reasons to eat it, I now have some new recipes to try it in.
    Thank you!

    • Thanks Nicole ! Love your easy all natural garlic butter. Going to make it probably Friday eve for our soup & bread night. I can’t wait to try the recipes too. Yumm ! Garlic lover like you !

  • Well done! Beautiful post. VERY informative! I love to cook with garlic, and we use raw garlic in our family all the time. My wife has even juiced with garlic before (but we won\’t go there… Wow. She had to hide out for a few days!). Salads, salsas, dips, pastas… Garlic is delicious and it is so good for you. Thank you so much, Sunithi, for this informative post. You have put all this helpful information all in one place. Thank you!

    • Thanks Jeff ! Thanks for the recipes. I love the way you snuck it into a healthy salad & make it healthier !! Can’t wait to try those dressing myself. If you create some more garlicky recipes I would love to link up here. I was thinking of juicing garlic tonight… not sure now 🙂 ! May be with parsley it won’t be that bad 🙂 !

  • Hi,
    I really love your site as it is so enticing and full of healthy way of eating. I want part of this as I would like to get something started with my family of which is hugh which includes 13 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren and I’m still enjoying what life has to offer.

  • You did a great job, Sue. I was so surprised to see it so soon. During the Disqus comment exchange I thought, this would make a great post. What I would have toiled over for days, you whipped out in an evening with a much more fresh perspective than I ever imagined. I like the note about coating the stomach to prevent upset. I generally keep peeled garlic cloves drowned in olive oil in the refrigerator. This not only preserves the garlic but provides some flavorful oil for cooking. Good post!

    • Thanks Kevin! I really got the idea from your post and had a great time putting it together. I was looking for fresh ideas and your post provided just that! Keeping garlic in olive oil is a great idea. I always learn stuff from you :)!! You can put out another post… pretty sure it will have a different perspective or you can borrow mine;) Just offering… No need to take me up on it :)!

  • Hi Sunithi,
    Raw garlic indeed has a number of health benefits. It even possesses elements which are good for keeping the heart healthy. We use garlic butter at home, for sandwiches and other bread products. Garlic butter is indeed yummy, I genuinely admire it. Thanks for the share.

  • Hi! I’m actually partial to eating raw garlic and I only eat them during those days when I have periodic cramps and migraine, I find your article very engaging and informative. Not to mention yummy, I love garlic butter for the record.

  • I was not really into eating raw garlic but because your tips on eating raw makes it look promising, I’ll definitely try it. Thanks, Sunithi! I appreciate the post!

  • Sue, I cook most of my meals with garlic but I cannot even come close to chewing raw garlic. I heard that it’s also good for those with high blood pressure…

  • garlic is also very healthy for clearing bacterial infections of the lungs. when made into soup and mixed with olive oil, it treats heals against all types of lung infections.
    Garlic oil can also be massaged on the chest to strengthen the lungs and the ribcage.

  • Can’t believe I found this site about Garlic. I love Garlic and have done for years, me and a mate years ago were going to try and have a night with all Garlic dishes, even the ice cream. I love Garlic in honey, I just get a jar, put a heap of honey in it, put about 5-10 cloves of Garlic in it, leave it for about a week and then just have a spoonful or whatever takes your fancy and you’ll find the honey also helps soothe the throat if you get a sore throat or Flu over winter. But having this mixture I doubt you’ll even get the flu.

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  • garlic is awesome. I love it. It’s the best. taking raw garlic is difficult though. chug some water, chew some garlic, chug some water, etc. It’s also nice chopped up in pasta.

  • I’ve been taking raw garlic for a few years now and this is how I do it.I take 2 good sized cloves and chop them very fine,I then add them to a small cup with about an ounce of water and half way through my meal I chug it down and continue eating.

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