When it comes to reshaping your body, your diet is everything. Not only will consuming the right types of foods diminish unwanted body fat, but avoiding certain foods can prevent you from gaining weight. The right diet will also provide you with the energy to strength train at your best, contributing even further to your overall shape. Often, I see people eating foods that keep them up at night or diminish the quality of their sleep and their workouts suffer as a result. It is my belief that we need to get back into the kitchen as individuals and take the power back into our own hands. One of the most important steps in learning how to cook food that you and your family will actually want to eat is use of herbs and spices. I highly encourage you to stock up on all of the basics, and learn how to use them by following simple recipes and taking your time to practice.
Today, I am going to talk about the nutritional benefits of garlic, the most common herb used today. You will soon find out that not only do most herbs and spices add great flavor to your foods, but they also have wonderful health benefits, especially when consumed in their natural state.
Here are some wonderful health benefits of our favorite herb garlic.
- Strengthens immune system; I eat whole garlic almost everyday to avoid getting sick.
- Treats Hypothyroid; as garlic is a natural source of iodine.
- Benefits your cardiovascular system by lowering your LDL levels and arterial plaque.
- Can fight fungal and bacterial infections both orally and topically.
- High in Vitamin B6; excellent for your immune system and new cell growth.
- Has been linked to the prevention and even treatment of various cancers.
Many people avoid cooking because it can be a hassle. Often when we do cook these days, it means “heating up” something purchased from a store with a list of ingredients. This is opposed to making a meal from scratch using only whole ingredients. You cannot ensure that you will get the benefit your body needs from meals unless you prepare them yourself.
Here is a quick and easy way to peel garlic:
Take an entire bulb of garlic and crush it between the heel of your palm and the counter to break apart all of the cloves, remove any excess peel. Drop the cloves into a small to medium sized pot and put the lid on, squeeze the lid down on each side with your hands as you vigorously shake the pot for fifteen to twenty five seconds. When you remove the lid, you will find your garlic has been peeled for you! You can pull the cloves out one by one and ensure no peel got stuck to the individual cloves. Now this wonderful health food is ready to be cooked in one of many different ways, or maybe even eaten raw in hummus or salad dressing.
Learning how to cook is taking your health into your own hands and garlic is one of the best ways to get started enjoying healthy food!
Thank you for reading, watching and being a part of the Kettlebell Movement community!
Sincerely,
Peter Hirsh
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