How To Incorporate Garlic Into The Diet

It is no wonder many people want to learn how to incorporate garlic into the diet. Garlic is one of the world's healthiest foods. The herb is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, but it also shows promise for improving cardiovascular health. Some people take garlic supplements instead of eating fresh garlic to avoid the side effects of bad breath, but supplements only provide a fraction of garlic's active ingredients, according to Michèle Turcotte, registered dietitian from the Diet Channel. Additionally, by adding fresh garlic to your diet, you benefit from getting vitamin B-6, vitamin C and selenium from natural food sources.

Step 1

Replace the salt shaker from the kitchen table with garlic salt. Registered dietitians Gail Zyla and Jennifer Pitzi Hellwig recommend using garlic salt and dried herbs to get flavoring in your diet without the added sodium. Use garlic salt alone or in combination with other herbs such as onion salt, basil, parsley, thyme and black pepper.

Step 2

Drizzle olive oil on a whole garlic bulb and roast in the oven for one hour at 400 degrees. An article published in the September 2006 edition of "Body & Soul," suggests that roasting garlic reduces its pungent flavor and softens its texture. Allow the cloves to cool after removing from the oven. You can eat the garlic cloves or use them in your recipes.

Step 3

Use roasted garlic in salsas, bean dip and sauces. The roasted garlic inhibits bad breath and adds flavor to your favorite foods and snacks. Phyllis Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," recommends adding roasted garlic to salsas, bean dip and sauces after you cook them or before you consume them to prevent overcooking, which depletes the beneficial properties in garlic. For breads, add butter and roasted garlic to fresh bread and bake at 350 degrees for up to 15 minutes.

Tips and Warnings

George Mateljan, author of "The World's Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating," recommends eating raw garlic if you can, but some people get an upset stomach due to the unstable sulfur compounds in fresh garlic -- which are also the culprits in its odor-causing side effects. He recommends drinking mint tea after eating garlic foods to prevent bad breath.
Talk to your doctor before incorporating garlic into your diet.