Too much garlic?

Many students in culinary arts academy grew up with a relative that loved cooking. Those relatives taught them many important things, like how to carve a turkey, make pasta and possibly even season a cast iron pan. Another part of cooking that is commonly passed down from one generation to the next is the use of certain spices. For example, if your mother is 3/4 Italian, she probably taught you to use a lot of garlic. Having grown up with this train of thought, you probably went to town on the bulb in your classes, possibly even to the dismay of your teachers and classmates. This may lead you to think, “Is there such thing as too much garlic?” Before you panic, here are some facts about the herb to convince others that you can never have enough.

Garlic fights cancer
It may sound crazy, but according to Eating Well, garlic’s active agents (allyl sulfide compounds) can fight cancer. When you go to chop or crush garlic before adding it to a dish, be sure to do so and then let it sit on the countertop for 10 or 15 minutes. During this time the compounds will form and become stable, which will allow them to withstand the heat of your stove or oven and make their way into your system. Chopped garlic that you purchase at the store is also rich in sulfide compounds but doesn’t require the brief waiting period.

Garlic is a good source of manganese
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, manganese is present in the human liver, bones, kidneys and the pancreas. This nutrient assists the body in controlling brain and nerve functioning, clotting blood, releasing and regulating sex hormones and even supporting bones and connective tissues. Without it, our blood sugar would not be properly maintained, nor would our carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Manganese has been shown to help people with osteoporosis, arthritis, epilepsy, premenstrual syndrome and even diabetes. If you eat 6 cloves of garlic, you will have ingested 15 percent of your daily amount of manganese.

It tastes darn good
Cooking up a vegetable stir fry? Add some garlic. Tossing together a leafy green salad? Don’t forget the garlic. Roasting a beautiful pan of lasagna? Obviously it requires garlic. People from many parts of the world add this bulbous plant to nearly every meal because it tastes so darn good! When chopping it up to add to a recipe, be sure to taste the dish before adding more. You want to be able to taste other flavors while enjoying garlic’s unique taste.