Our family often enjoys garlic as food, whether in bruschetta, in soups, added to stir fries, or with meat.
When we’re sick, however, we take large amounts as medicine: chopped up raw (my husband makes a very garlicky bruschetta when he’s feeling off), simmered in chicken soup, or even added to mashed potatoes. Garlic is known to have significant antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-parasitic properties, and it helps us feel much better.
The main drawback to using garlic as a medicine is, of course, smelling funny. If you’re sick in bed, a garlicky odour won’t offend anyone, but when we’re well enough to be involved in outside activities, the children and I eat less. To reduce the odour, we also occasionally raid our parsley patch (which, by the way, is still flourishing this late in the year!).
What’s more, garlic also has significant cardiovascular and anti-cancer benefits. That’s exciting news to me, because I have a higher cancer risk due to celiac disease.
So whether we enjoy it in moderation for its pungent taste, or occasionally eat huge amounts to reduce the impact of a cold, our family is hooked on garlic. It’s yummy, healthy, and inexpensive.
The internet is full of all sorts of informative and practical garlic links, many of them advertising various forms of purified garlic supplements (we just buy the bulbs from the grocery store). However, I only included two (impractical) National Institute of Health links in this post to show you reliable and verifiable research results. Some people may need this ‘ammunition’ to convince sceptical family members and others.
For more helpful hints, see Being Frugal’s Tightwad Tuesday , We are THAT Family’s Works for Me Wednesday, and Life as Mom’s Frugal Friday.
We love garlic, too.
Jenn