There are almost no savory recipes that don’t call for at least a clove of garlic.
They even add it to perfectly nice, fresh salad dressings.
They flavor chips and crisps with it. They add it to soups.
Restaurants reek of it.
Kids come to school with the previous night’s garlic dinner on their morning breaths.
And their parents go to work smelling the same.
And they don’t even notice it anymore because…everyone is doing it.
Its distinctive scent aside, depending on the quantity (and most cooks seem to be generous with it), garlic overrides the flavor of other tastes in food.
We praise its healing properties; some people even eat it raw; they pop those cloves like pills. I have even spotted shampoos and remedies made of garlic. It is recommended for almost every ailment. Just add more garlic. Help!
Traditionally, Ayurvedic recipes do not have garlic in them. Unfortunately, all the new Ayurvedic cookbooks seem to override that.
Garlic Is Not Good for You
While I will share some awesome discoveries I found when I searched for ‘garlic is not good for you’, but wish there was more research done on the topic.
But who could compete against all those ‘garlic is superfood’ posts and articles that are everywhere?
But, while garlic apparently does have some health benefits, many seem to be overstated or plain wrong. (Study link)
Nevertheless, we seem to be on the verge of overconsuming it.
Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation
I will quote some interesting finds from this article on the toxicity of garlic by Andreas Moritz for your information. (you don’t see many anti-garlic articles out there)
I also recommend his awesome book:
You do not find many references in Ayurvedic medicine for medicinal properties of Ayurveda except that it does have an anti-bacterial effect. It is more often recommended to plant garlic in the fields to prevent mosquitoes and other insects from flying in and eating up the crops. So, in that sense, garlic definitely has a major use. But it should, in my opinion, not be used for food. That’s why everybody type reacts to it; it is not really good for any of the body types. The only body type that can cope with garlic, more than others, are the Kapha body types. They have a thick skin and thick intestinal lining. So it is less likely for them to get serious damage, unlike the vata type, who has a very thin intestinal lining. Vata types are more likely to get injured by garlic. And the pitta body types can get inflammation in the intestine if they eat too much garlic, especially the raw form
Garlic burns; it literally can burn little holes through the lining of the intestines. Also, it can certainly penetrate the mucus lining and make its way through into the intestinal wall, where it can burn little holes that eventually can lead to perforations, if you eat it too often. And that is the part where they already have been eaten or damaged. So particularly people who have leaky gut, where the toxins already escape from the intestines and move into the bloodstream, should be extra careful. This is because garlic should not really be in the blood.
If it Is Not Good For My Cat…
And to top it all off, while writing this post, I received a Readwise daily email with this quote I underlined years ago when I read this book.
Well, if it is not good for cats (and dogs), surely, it can’t be good for us.
And here are Sadhguru’s two pennies on the topic:
Note: Alliumphobia is fear of garlic. It is telling that there is such a phobia!
Tell me, are your favorite recipes made with garlic?
I do enjoy cooking with it and meals that are prepared with garlic BUT I will never understand the desire to eat it raw. A raw clove of garlic is just FAR too much for me! We don’t cook with it all that often in our house – it’s one of those ingredients that we tend to save for our ‘special dishes’ because we both enjoy the taste, but don’t want too much of it on a daily basis. For us, it’s all about moderation 🙂
I don’t cook with garlic very often at all and I once read that using both garlic and onions in the same dish is counter-productive, so I try to avoid this in particular. However, I don’t mind it if someone serves it to me. I do get how some people can have an allergic reaction to it, though. It is very strong, especially uncooked!
I’ve neevr really had that much garlic, although I do love a good slice of garlic bread!
Amber | https://theunpredictedpage.com
I had to giggle as I read this because I’m currently making spaghetti with a fair amount of garlic in it. But I also totally get the allergic reaction. I have a friend who is allergic to onions, and the results are much the same as you described with garlic. We definitely agree on the raw garlic aspect though. I’ll never understand how people consume raw garlic. It is just gross! It is such a distinctive taste, and it stays with you for what seems like all day.
I eat garlic almost every day and I love it raw or cooked. Hopefully I don’t smell too much of garlic!