Do a Yahoo search on Garlic and you'll get 109,000,000 hits in .14 seconds for the lovely stinking rose.
Several compounds in garlic may have anti-cancer properties. The allyl sulfur compounds are said to play a major role in the fight against cancer. These compounds reportedly help cause cancer cells to die naturally, a process is called apoptosis.
Several studies from around the world have found that people who eat more garlic seem to have a lower risk of certain types of cancer. In particular, large human studies that looked at diet and cancer have suggested that people who eat more garlic have a lower risk of stomach, prostate, mouth and throat, kidney, and colorectal cancer.
Before you rush out and start mainlining raw garlic remember that diet is all about balance. Too much of any one food is never a great idea. When a study suggests that more garlic was eaten that doesn't mean that any one person ate 10 cloves a day. Too much garlic has actually been shown to irritate some people's stomach lining. More garlic means that is was a part of their diet.
Garlic does makes your breath stink but considering it is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium I think a little garlic breath is okay. My advice is to eat garlic with a loved one or chew some fresh parsley after a garlic meal.
With over 400 varieties available make sure the bulb you choose is perfect; choose one that is dry with plenty of paper covering. Any green shoots and the garlic is either old or wasn't dried properly. Store garlic in a cool dark place and not in the fridge.
Garlic was often used in folklore for everything from a natural mosquito repellent to a cure for the Plague; you win some and you loose some. Aside from its amazing addition to most savoury dishes it also reduces the formation of carcinogens when cooking at high heat. The next time you are whipping up a marinade for your chicken or steak add some garlic and reduce those evil carcinogens from forming. Yup, good things really do come in small packages.
Up for a festival?
Check out these Canadian Garlic Festivals:
Perth, Ontario
August 8 & 9 2009
Garlic is Great Festival
Saturday, August 21, 2004, 8am - 4pm
Newmarket Farmers' Market, Newmarket, Ontario
South Perth Garlic Festival
August 29 & 30, 2009
100 Mile House, BC
Stratford Garlic Festival
September 12, 2009
Hills Garlic Festival
New Denver, BC
September 13, 2009
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