Here's Everything About Black Garlic And Why You Should Consume It

Black garlic, as the name suggests, is simply a term used to identify garlic but particularly the one that is black in colour. Black garlic doesn't exist naturally in such form, it is instead made using perfectly normal white garlic cloves which are then aged and processed under such conditions so that they turn completely black in colour and as a result, they usually develop a sticky date-like texture.

In the past few years, black garlic has gained a lot of popularity in the kitchen, among chefs of different cuisines and restaurants across the globe. This rising popularity of black garlic is because of its unique flavour, sweet and earthly, which tastes something like out of the world, it's just so outstanding and yummy.

How Is Black Garlic Made And Its Uses

Black garlic is produced by keeping cloves and bulbs of natural garlic under humid conditions and very low temperatures. These are then left for long periods of time, usually for a couple of weeks, under such conditions so that they age properly. Within the first few days, a chemical process scientifically known as the mainland reaction takes place which breaks down certain enzymes that give fresh garlic its sharp and bitter taste.

As days go by, the chemical breakdown continues and slowly disintegrates the enzymes present in the garlic causing it to slowly turn its colour to pitch black and the transformed garlic finally achieve its new flavour, which tastes sweet to the taste buds.

Black garlic is normally used as an ingredient in the kitchen, usually used in a wide variety of dishes because of its sweet and unique flavour. It can either directly sauteed in oil for giving its flavour to a dish or can be turned into a paste in a mixer and then manually added to a dish, or it can also be turned into powder and sprinkled as a final topping over a finished dish. All in all, there are countless ways in which black garlic can be consumed.

General Health Benefits Of Black Garlic

• Apart from its amazing taste and everything else, what makes black garlic so good as the food is that it is super beneficial for our overall health.
• According to research, black garlic is extremely rich in antioxidants, particularly in flavonoids and alkaloids, and it contains substantially more amounts of antioxidants than raw garlic.
• Not only antioxidants, but black garlic is also stacked with a bunch of other essential nutrients which are considered good for our system in general. As we all know that antioxidants are compounds that protect the cells against oxidative damage and this, in turn, prevents a number of illnesses caused by this oxidative stress such as cancer, atherosclerosis etc.
• Consumption of black garlic on a regular basis can significantly reduce the risk of certain types of cancers by a large percentage. Also, black garlic is said to very good for the heart(boost your heart health with these nutrients).

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• Consumption of black garlic tends to promote the production of HDL i.e. good cholesterol in the system and on the other hand, also gets rid of LDL or bad cholesterol, a fat-like substance that usually causes blockage in the blood vessels and arteries surrounding our heart. With LDL cholesterol-free blood vessels and better blood flow coming in and out of the heart, our cardiovascular health remains intact.
• Black garlic also helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body and maintains healthy levels of blood sugar in the system throughout the day. It is said to have remedial and medicinal effects in people suffering from type 2 diabetes, as they have several block sugar spikes after carb-heavy meals.
• Black garlic makes sure that there are lower chances of blood sugar spikes even after having a carbohydrate-heavy meal. It also ramps up the production of insulin in pancreas, which is an enzymes responsible for breaking down glucose and gets rid of it through excretion. Healthy blood sugar levels automatically mean better functioning of the kidneys, liver, heart and digestive organs.

Potential Side Effects

• While incorporating black garlic in your diet is completely harmless and have a lot of amazing benefits, however, there are some potential downside to consuming black garlic or even raw garlic in larger amounts.
• Sometimes garlic(benefits of consuming garlic in morning) in large amount may cause bleeding through the nose or may cause minor ruptures in blood vessels causing severe bleeding as well. But that's very rare. So, people with thin blood might avoid eating garlic at all. Also, garlic may cause adverse allergic reactions in some people.
• The bottom line is that consuming black garlic generally poses no serious risk or complications and generally there are no side effects involved but it's advised not to consume it in large amounts.

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