Black Garlic Has All the Health Benefits of Regular Garlic — And None of the Bad Breath

If you haven’t heard much about black garlic benefits yet, you probably will soon. Black garlic is a delicious superfood that has been been quietly growing in popularity all over the world in recent years. And when you find out all the benefits of black garlic, you’ll want to get a taste as soon as possible.

What is black garlic?

Believe it or not, black garlic is just regular garlic that has been fermented over time at a high temperature under high humidity. This aging process is what turns the cloves black, and it’s also what causes them to become sweeter in taste and more jelly-like and chewy in consistency than typical garlic, according to the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis. The timespan of the fermentation process varies widely based on cultures and manufacturers, but most black garlic has been aged for at least 30 days. Although the precise origins of black garlic are unknown, the food has been consumed in certain Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Thailand for centuries. In recent years, chefs all over the world have been starting to add the healthy ingredient to dishes such as chicken, risotto, soup, and fish. Considering how delicious and nutritious black garlic is for you, it’s little wonder why.

Black Garlic Health Benefits

As you might be aware, garlic in general boasts several health benefits. According to the Cleveland Clinic, garlic can boost your immunity, work as an anti-inflammatory food, improve heart health, and give you better-looking hair and skin. Experts are understandably excited to tout the cardiovascular health benefits of garlic, but many folks may be turned off by a common “side effect” of eating the healthy food: bad breath. To make matters worse, some people may also experience indigestion after eating garlic. That’s where black garlic enters to save the day. According to Consumer Reports, the aging process of black garlic actually rids the bulb of its pungent and irritating properties (along with that infamous stinky scent). So if you’re prone to indigestion or reacting negatively to strong smells, black garlic might be easier for you to stomach — literally.

In addition to being easier to digest, black garlic also boasts higher antioxidant properties than traditional fresh garlic, according to a study published in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. On top of that, a 2017 review of studies published in Molecules reports that black garlic has shown a wide variety of other biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and cardio-protective effects. No wonder why black garlic is being marketed as a “functional food” — it has so many positive functions!

How to Eat Black Garlic

By now, you’re probably curious about what black garlic tastes like, especially if you don’t have any restaurants or stores near you that sell it. Luckily, black garlic is actually available for purchase online in the form of whole foods, such as RioRand Yuhongyuan Organic-Grown Black Garlic (Amazon, $14.24). If you’d prefer to consume your garlic in capsule form, there are also a few supplements available for purchase, such as Aged Black Garlic Capsules — Garlic Pills for High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Support ($23.95, Amazon). Remember: Always get the OK from your doctor before you try any new supplement or dietary aid.

If you try black garlic and decide you like it, the good news is that you can use it in many of the same ways that you would regular garlic. Natural Living Ideas suggests that an easy black garlic recipe to start with would be simply pureéing the black garlic with olive oil and then smearing it onto bread as a tasty topping. When you’re ready to take on more challenging black garlic recipes, you might consider checking out the website Black Garlic North America, which includes dishes such as black garlic noodles and black garlic noodles.

For being such a dark food, black garlic can sure bring a whole lot of light to your life!

Next, learn about more tasty superfoods that can help you live longer in the video below:

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