Is Raw Garlic Good For You To Eat?

You may find you enjoy the pungent flavor of raw garlic. This vegetable adds depth to a variety of dishes, and it also contributes to your health. Raw garlic is good for you -- eat it to bolster your intake of vitamins and minerals. Because it is low in calories and fat, it is appropriate for nearly any meal plan.

Low in Calories and Fat

A three-clove serving of raw garlic is a good choice for reduced-fat and reduced-calorie meal plans. You take in just 13 calories from a serving of this vegetable, and it contains trace amounts of fat -- 0.04 g. If you adhere to a 2,000-calorie diet, the number of calories in raw garlic account for less than 1 percent of your allowable intake.

Provides Manganese

Raw garlic is a source of manganese, containing 8 percent of the daily recommended intake per serving. Because manganese plays a part in making sex hormones in your body, not getting enough may trigger fertility problems. You also need this mineral to help promote bone and connective tissue growth and help normalize the function of your brain and nerves, so eat raw garlic to boost your intake.

Contains Vitamin B-6

Consume a serving of raw garlic, and you take in 6 percent of the vitamin B-6 you require each day. The vitamin B-6 available in this vegetable is critical for your nerve function -- it helps manufacture chemicals known as neurotransmitters that allow nerve cells to communicate. You also need it for your brain function. A study published in the March 2011 issue of the "Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition" indicates that not getting enough vitamin B-6 in your diet may trigger epileptic seizures. While this condition is rare, consider adding raw garlic to your diet to help you get the amount of this vitamin your body needs daily.

Boosts Vitamin C Intake

Eating raw garlic will not significantly contribute to your vitamin C needs, but it will slightly boost your intake. Each serving of garlic provides 5 percent of the daily recommended consumption, which makes garlic a good choice when you have a cold -- vitamin C may shorten the duration of illnesses. It also encourages collagen production, so eating garlic is good for your skin and joints.

Improves Nutrient Availability

Including raw garlic in your meal plan may improve the nutritional value of the other foods in your diet. Research in the July 2010 edition of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" reveals that garlic increases the level of iron and zinc your body has access to when you consume grains. This improved bioaccessibility makes garlic a smart choice for boosting nutrition.