Superfood We Love: Garlic Is My All-Time Favorite!

Happy Superfoods Week! In celebration, we’re sharing our favorite superfoods. Our odes to these yummy eats and drinks will hopefully encourage you to try some new uber healthy one (or ignite a deeper love of your fave superfoods)!
Who knew the quest for health could be so damn confusing. It seems that every few months the top 10 superfoods list changes. Strange new foods are added while old standbys get stripped of their credentials. Acai is pretty trendy right now, along with kefir and kale. Flaxseed use to be da’ bomb until chia seeds popped back on the scene. And now I’m reading that I should be eating algae. Frankly, it’s hard to keep up.
There is a different top ten 10 for each season, for weight loss, for women, for men, for gorgeous hair and skin, for synergy (whatever the hell that means), for mood, for detoxification and for longevity. But the one superfood that has never lost its VIP status and appears on everybody’s list is good old garlic.
There is nothing new or exotic about ordinary garlic and, thus, is my all-time favorite. I don’t have to acquire a taste for it — I already love it, I don’t need to figure out how to incorporate it into my diet. I already use it, and it is easy to find — no specialty store required. Unlike acai that is harvested from the Brazilian jungle, garlic is grown in virtually every state, except Alaska, so you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it.
Furthermore, allium sativum, as those scientific types know it, is good for basically everything that ails you. Studies show it helps fight the battle against heart disease, will keep your blood pressure in check and will work to lower those cholesterol levels. Consumption of garlic stimulates the immune system and is naturally antibiotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal. But what makes garlic the ‘super-est’ of the superfoods is its ability to stave off cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth.
Garlic is consumed worldwide and used in every cuisine imaginable. Its pungent flavor can be enjoyed raw, braised, roasted, sautéed, infused, pickled and stir-fried.
Your modus operandi for good nutrition is really not that complicated. Keep your diet varied and colorful. If you can hunt it or pick it — it’s probably good for you. Eat natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible and always keep it in moderation. Definitely keep garlic at the top of your list. Seriously, the Big C and vampires! None of the other superfoods can claim that!
What’s your favorite way to use garlic? —Karen