Few things are better than walking into a kitchen and smelling the uniquely pungent aroma of garlic being sautéed, perhaps with wine and butter. The flavor always adds a layer of ambiance to the meal – but doesn’t break the bank.
It’s one of our favorite spices – in 2020, the US produced over 346 million pounds of garlic, and it is estimated that the average person consumes two pounds of garlic per year. For some, this statistic may be shocking – but garlic is such a versatile spice that is used in nearly every type of cuisine. So what does that mean for our health?
Is garlic good for you?
To find out more about what garlic does for our bodies, we spoke with Ilisa Nussbaum, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Yale Children’s Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. Nussbaum says that garlic’s superpower lies in what gives it its characteristic fragrance. “(Garlic) has these compounds that are called organic sulfur compounds. That’s what gives it that smell. Onions have that too. It gives it that strong odor, and it has a ton of antioxidants that really protect your cells from damage,” she explains.
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