The Italian Super Food That You Should Eat
I understand that the thought of eating an Italian meal conjures up the images of having pasta, pizza, and wine.
And while that is true, it’s not the kind of Italian superfood that will help you to stave off viruses, improve your immune system and help your heart.
So what is this Italian Superfood?
Garlic.
Not Italian at all!
Although it is widely associated with the Italian diet, the evidence is that it is not Italian at all. In fact, historians mostly agree that its origins are most likely from China (NIH).
In the past, garlic has been utilized as a remedy during various epidemics such as:
- Typhus
- Dysentery
- Cholera
- Influenza
Whenever an epidemic has emerged, garlic has been the first preventive and curative remedy.
According to the NIH: Extracts from the history and medical properties of garlic.
Russian Penicillin
Since immune system improvement and virus prevention are on the top of the mind and all-consuming during the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought the history of garlic leaves us with interesting insight.
Throughout the years, garlic was given different names that are still in use such as ‘Russian penicillin’ and ‘natural antibiotic’.
Garlic was called Russian penicillin during World War II because, after running out of antibiotics, the Russian government turned to this ancient treatment for its soldiers.
Recently there has been significant scientific research into garlic, and good results have been obtained that it indeed is helpful in healing many diseases.
These diseases have been cross-referenced with historical medicinal beliefs from thousands of years of antidotal benefits.
Many nations from various continents had been protecting themselves, fighting infections, treating disease, and healing by using garlic (NIH).
Benefits throughout history:
- Garlic was recommended to those who suffer from depression in ancient Babylon
- In ancient Indian medicine, garlic was a valuable remedy used as a tonic, to cure a lack of appetite, common weakness, cough, skin disease, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, etc.
- The Egyptians fed their slaves with garlic to make them strong and capable of doing more work. The Old Greek historian Herodotus [1] wrote: ‘Inscriptions on the plates of the Egyptian pyramids tell us how much their builders used the garlic for this vegetable, If it had not been for the garlic, which builders used to a great deal, they would not have been able to keep balance, let alone pull the gigantic plates.’
- The ancient Israelis made use of garlic as a starvation stimulator, blood pressure enhancer, body heater, parasite-killer, etc.
- The Tibetans possess ancient recipes to cure stomach aches with garlic.
- Celsius in the second century was using garlic to cure tuberculosis and fever [6].
- Galen (121–200 AD), the renowned medical writer and physician among Romans, and later among other nations, referred to as the father of galenic pharmacy spoke of garlic as the most popular folk remedy that cured many diseases and named it a ‘rustic’s theriac’.
- Galen used garlic for the regulation of digestion and against colic [3,6].
Now that we’re able to diagnose, measure and track efficacy and outcomes, is Garlic still worth mentioning?
Cold Fighting
Recent studies have revealed that garlic protects from the common cold.
For that purpose, patients have been examined during a period of 12 weeks, in the cold season from November to February.
The results have demonstrated that those who took garlic were less prone to catching a cold or endured the cold easier than those who were given a placebo [15,16].
Lipids, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure
According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure affects over 100-million people in the US alone.
Given the population is currently 328 million this is nearly one out of every three individuals.
If we eliminate children under 18 years of age, that leaves us just 246.37 million adults.
So the percentage is nearly 1 in every 2.4 adults.
Blood pressure medication is not without serious side effects.
Short-term side effects include:
- Dizziness
- Light-headedness
- Cramping
Long-term side effects of blood pressure medicine include:
- Kidney disease
- Blood vessel wall deterioration
- Liver failure
Considering that an estimated 30-million adults are on some sort of blood pressure medication, it would be ideal to have a natural treatment.
Current Meta-analysis of randomly chosen literary data has demonstrated that garlic is related to a decrease of blood pressure in patients with increased systolic pressure but not in patients without increased systolic pressure [24].
Your Doctor
Allicin, which is a compound of garlic has hypocholesterolemic (cholesterol-lowering), hypolipidemic (Lowering of the lipid ratio), and antihypertensive (lowering blood pressure) activity[17,18].
Garlic prevents free radicals accumulation and supports body protective mechanisms that destroy free radicals [17].
This in tune will help prevent the weakening of the blood vessel walls that can easily occur when with the consumption of carbs, sugars, and alcohols.
This study has pointed to the beneficial cardioprotective action of garlic in essential hypertension.
The proven antioxidative, hypocholesterolemic, antithrombotic, and antihypertensive properties of garlic help in the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and lessen the risk of development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease [29,30].
Weight/Fat Loss
For the primary purpose of my career as an exercise scientist and nutritionist, most people come to see me for fat loss, weight loss, to move better, increased energy, to reduce or eliminate medications, and improved health.
Here are a few reasons that make garlic an excellent ingredient to help you with your goals.
Needless to say, it needs to be complemented with the right low glycemic diet along with the right kind of exercises that both increase metabolism and are designed to work properly with any skeletal limitations.
- Garlic is responsible for boosting energy levels that burn all the calories, keeping you fitter. It is known to boost your metabolism, further helping you lose weight efficiently.
- Garlic is a known appetite suppressant. It helps keep you fuller for longer, further preventing you from overeating.
- In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, there is an association between garlic and fat-burning. The compounds in it are known to stimulate the fat-burning process.
- It is a great detoxifying agent. It helps flush out toxins that can be a hindrance to your digestive system. So, including garlic in your diet will only help keep your digestive system in check.
Very Popular
Tim Ferriss who is the author of the 4-Hour Body has searched the world over looking for the best practices for body fat reduction, increased muscle mass, and improved fitness.
Tim states: Garlic extract and its parts have been used to manage cholesterol and even treat staph infections.
Of course, Tim uses garlic extract for fat-loss purposes.
He has had the best fat-loss results using extracts with high doses of allicin. Allicin is an enzyme found in garlic, and when delivered in a stable form, has the benefit of inhibiting fat regain (4-Hour Body).
For Weight Loss But Also for Diabetics
Garlic has been demonstrated to naturally reduce sugar, which will ultimately lower and improve insulin levels.
When insulin levels are lower your body will store less body fat and also be more able to use fat for energy, therefore reducing your body fat.
This is interesting for diabetics as well. In fact, the disease diabetes is defined as a group of diseases where blood glucose levels are too high.
This chronic elevated sugar will result in blood vessel damage and diseases, which will ultimately result in disease to the organs.
Research to Lower Glucose and HbA1C
According to a 2017 study in the NIH Effect of garlic supplement in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials:
The present study confirms that additional garlic contributes to improved blood glucose control in 1–2 weeks as well as in 24 weeks in Type 2 Diabetics, and plays positive roles in total cholesterol and high/low-density lipoprotein regulation in 12 weeks.
Furthermore, a double-blind clinical trial in diabetic patients revealed that herbal medicine containing garlic at a dose of 750 mg 3 times per day for 12 weeks had potential effects for diabetes management by reducing fasting glucose blood levels through the decrease of HbA1 (NIH).
Can garlic cure your sweet tooth? Not quite, but it may affect your fasting blood glucose (Aepios).
Vampires
If all of that hasn’t yet persuaded you to consume more garlic, I have one more.
How about staving off vampires?
A persistent belief in the power of garlic is to ward off vampires.
Probably the most popular theory of the origin of the vampire is the disease Porphyria, a term for several diseases which are all caused by irregularities in the production of heme, a chemical in the blood.
Some forms of this disease cause sufferers to be sensitive to light and lead to a disfigurement of the skin, including erosion of the lips and gums.
These factors could have led to the corpse-like, fanged appearance that we associate with vampires and their dislike of sunlight. Interestingly, people who suffer from Porphyria also have an intolerance to foods that have high sulfur content…such as garlic.
Insects and Vampires
Another theory is that garlic is known to repel blood-sucking insects (mosquitoes, ticks, etc.) because it acts as a form of deodorant.
Many blood-consuming insects track their prey by smell, and garlic covers up the scent of blood that they so crave.
Some insect repellents are made from blended garlic extracts exclusively.
Rabies in Humans
Lastly, the traditional belief that garlic’s odor deters vampires may have originated with the disease rabies.
“In 1998,” writes Mark, “Spanish neurologist Dr. Juan Gomez-Alonso made a correlation between reports of rabies outbreaks in and around the Balkans—especially a devastating one in dogs, wolves, and other animals that plagued Hungary from 1721 to 1728—and the ‘vampire epidemics’ that erupted shortly thereafter.
Various other symptoms support the rabies-vampire link:
Dr. Gomez-Alonso found that nearly 25 percent of rabid men have a tendency to bite other people.
That almost guarantees transmission, as the virus is carried in saliva.
What does all this mean?
It means that garlic has many medicinal benefits.
From fighting infections, viruses, and the common cold, to lowering blood pressure, bad lipids, and diabetes.
Furthermore, it is effective in helping curb appetite through lowering glucose, helping to lose weight and drop body fat and possibly fight off vampires.
Recommended Use:
Take 650-750mg of Allicin Garlic at least once and up to three times per day.
Furthermore, use Origin Keto Salad Dressing as a salad dressing and marinade.
Ingredients List:
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
- Dry Mustard
- Garlic Powder
It’s worth noting that the second strongest natural antibiotic is oregano which is also included in Origin Salad Dressing & Marinade.
Garlic and Oregano
Oregano is one of the most powerful antibacterial essential oils because it contains carvacrol and thymol, two antibacterial and antifungal compounds.
In fact, research shows oregano oil is effective against many clinical strains of bacteria, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa according to The Observer.
Garlic, Oregano, and Dry Mustard
The final noteworthy ingredient is dry mustard.
Dry mustard is also reported to have historical significance as a medicinal agent.
Mustard was originally used as a medicinal plant rather than a culinary one.
Pythagoras employed mustard as a remedy for scorpion stings, and Hippocrates made mustard plasters to treat toothaches and chest colds.
While this article is mainly about garlic, oregano, dry mustard, AND garlic are used in the preparation of ORIGIN.
It is made with Garlic Powder, designed to help lower blood glucose with each use.
- Keto-Friendly
- Paleo-friendly
- Sugar-free
- Carb free
- Preservative-free
- Contains no sucralose
- Contains no trans fats
It is also Gluten-Free and tastes great!
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