Garlic, vinegar and olive oil contain substances that provide health benefits and may also protect you from disease. People often mix the three ingredients in dishes, sides and salads. They make healthy alternatives to fatty additives. Some of their health benefits are based on research and they have also been used as folk remedies. However, you should not use them as a substitute for treatment. Check with your doctor for dietary advice concerning particular disorders.
Antioxidants
Garlic contains a high amount of antioxidants that show promise for protection against heart-related risk factors and cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Antioxidants fight free radicals, which cause cell damage in your body. The antioxidants in garlic may reduce free radicals or prevent damage they cause. Garlic may decrease harmful cholesterol levels that lead to heart disease and may also reduce blood pressure. Garlic may boost the immune system and make it function more effectively to combat cancer and even the common cold.
Potential Vinegar Benefits
Vinegar has been used as a folk remedy to treat everything from sore throat and congestion to arthritis and chronic fatigue. Proponents say sipping a small amount of apple cider vinegar helps relieve stiffness in joints for arthritis patients and it may help lower harmful cholesterol, although research has not confirmed these claims. However, a 2007 study by researchers at Arizona State University found that vinegar ingestion at bedtime has a favorable impact on waking glucose levels for people with type 2 diabetes. The 11 participants in the study had improved glucose levels after they consumed 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar at bedtime. The acetic acid in the vinegar may benefit diabetics with metabolic disturbances contributing to fasting glucose before breakfast, according to a report on the study in the November 2007 issue of "Diabetes Care," an American Diabetes Association publication.
Healthy Fats
Olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, the healthy fats that may improve cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats may lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels while raising protective HDL cholesterol, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Excess LDL cholesterol builds up in the bloodstream and forms plaques on the arteries that interfere with blood flow to the heart and contribute to heart disease. HDL clears the bloodstream of excess cholesterol and delivers it to the liver. The monounsaturated fats in olive oil may also benefit people with type 2 diabetes by controlling insulin and blood sugar levels, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud in a March 2011 article for MayoClinic.com.
Olive Oil Choices
You can use olive oil in your cooking or when preparing foods as a replacement for oils with saturated fat or high-fat additives, such as butter, which contribute to raising harmful cholesterol. Spread olive oil instead of butter on your garlic bread or your baked potato. Add olive oil and vinegar as dressing for your salad with a dinner prepared with garlic for a heart-healthy diet. Choose extra virgin or virgin olive oil, which go through less processing and retain their natural ingredients, over standard olive oils.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Garlic
- Diabetes Care: Vinegar Ingestion at Bedtime Moderates Waking Glucose Concentrations in Adults With Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes; November 2007
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol -- Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- MayoClinic.com; If Olive Oil is High in Fat, Why is it Considered Healthy?; Donald Hensrud, M.D.; March 2011
- Global Healing Center: The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Member Comments