It tastes great, and it might help you lose weight!
Everyone knows about garlic. You can use this flavorful allium vegetable in almost every recipe on the planet! You’ll find it used in all types of cuisines, from Asian stir-fry dishes to Mexican tacos and Mediterranean sauces. It’s a key component of condiments like aioli, and garlic bread wouldn’t be the same without its namesake ingredient. If there is a problem with garlic, it’s that pungent odor. Oh, boy, does it make your breath stinky! Luckily, there’s a fermented version of garlic. Along with its reduced odor and mild flavor profile, there are all kinds of other health benefits of black garlic.
What is Black Garlic?
Black garlic is a staple of Asian cuisine, and it’s made during a month-long fermentation process. When exposed to heat for an extended period of time, the white garlic cloves turn black inside their skins. It’s sweeter, softer, and has a smoother flavor than white garlic, but you can use it interchangeably in most recipes. During the fermentation process, the temperature and humidity are strictly controlled, so don’t try making it yourself! Check out Asian markets or specialty stores for this unique ingredient and start adding it to your diet to gain these health benefits of black garlic.
Health Benefits of Black Garlic
There are so many black garlic benefits: weight loss, antioxidant power, blood sugar regulation, and more! Below are some of our favorites.
Black Garlic Benefits: Double the Antioxidants
Black garlic has nearly twice as many antioxidants as white garlic. These high levels of antioxidants can fight off free radicals that cause cancer, and they can also help prevent chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Antioxidants have also been linked with improved skin health and anti-aging properties.
Read up on antioxidants and their role in workout recovery.
Black Garlic Benefits: Weight Loss
As it turns out, black garlic benefits weight loss efforts! A recent study found that including black garlic in your diet might help you burn more fat and lose weight faster! While it won’t work like a magic pill, adding black garlic to your favorite foods may help speed up the weight-loss process. Luckily, garlic flavors naturally pair so well with the best fat-burning foods!
Black Garlic Benefits: Protect Against Infection
Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which normally begins to break down as soon as it’s exposed to air. Since black garlic is fermented, this compound is readily available. That means you’ll benefit from its antibiotic, antifungal, and antimicrobial benefits, helping protect your body against infection.
Learn about more healing herbal remedies.
Black Garlic Benefits: Lower Blood Pressure
It’s no substitute for your blood pressure medication – and you should definitely consult your doctor before making any changes in your diet – but studies show that compounds in black garlic may be used as a way to lower blood pressure.
Black Garlic Benefits: Regulate Blood Sugar
As if all these health benefits of black garlic weren’t enough, the antioxidants in black garlic can help control oxidative stress brought on by diabetes, too. Read more about eating healthy as a person living with diabetes.
Black Garlic Benefits: Improve Digestive Health
Like many fermented foods, consuming black garlic can help regulate and improve your digestive health. Black garlic contains natural prebiotics, which can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
For more prebiotic benefits, check out our guide to how to create fermented recipes at home.
There are so many reasons to introduce black garlic into your diet. Many of the black garlic benefits, weight loss, improved digestion, and lower blood pressure, can vastly improve your quality of life—plus, black garlic is a delicious addition to so many different recipes!
It’s important to note that while there is some promising research on the health benefits of black garlic, more studies are needed to confirm these effects and to determine optimal dosages for specific health conditions. As with any dietary supplement, it’s advisable to consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.
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Are your favorite black garlic benefits weight loss, blood sugar control, or something else? Let us know! Love content like this? Leave us a comment and let us know about it! You can also follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to get access to more great SkinnyMs articles.
