Garlic - caloric content

We all know that garlic is useful - for example, it helps to cope with a cold. But modern medicine has discovered in it yet another wonderful property: garlic helps maintain harmony. Laboratory studies at the Weizmann Institute (Israel) showed that rats during garlic feeding lost weight even when sitting on a diet high in sugar.

Benefits and composition of garlic

It has long been proven that garlic successfully reduces high blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks, helps cope with diabetes and successfully destroys cancer cells.

The key to the useful properties of garlic is in a substance called allicin, and is formed by mechanical destruction of garlic cells. This substance helps to reduce the level of unhealthy fats and cholesterol in food.

Analyzing the chemical composition of garlic, nutritionists confirm that garlic is a source of calcium, manganese, phosphorus and selenium. Calcium is not only our bones and teeth, but also the speed of transmission of impulses from the peripheral nervous system to the brain. Manganese, among other useful properties, makes us more calm and attentive. Phosphorus is involved in the growth of cells and metabolism, and selenium is absolutely necessary for stable functioning of every organ of the human body. In addition, in garlic is very high content of vitamins C and B6.

How many calories does garlic contain?

Now about caloric content: in one garlic clove, on average, there are only 4 calories, in three - about 13. In one hundred grams of fresh garlic (according to different sources) contains from 60 to 135 calories, and in the same quantity of pickled - 42 calories. In a teaspoon of fresh garlic, according to American dieticians, contains 25 grams of protein .

Why do many websites say that garlic is a very high-calorie product? The authors lose sight of the particular features of its preparation. A glass of garlic mass is enough for a whole season, if you add it to sauces for spaghetti or seasonings for ragout. In this case, by "glass" we mean 48 crushed denticles, which generally contain about 200 calories.

Despite the fact that in fresh garlic there are almost no calories, its culinary processing eventually leads to an increase in the energy value of the dish. The fact is that almost nobody eats garlic in pure form, it is added to other products as spices. And you will agree, there is a difference: rub garlic meat or bread. An example is a popular snack: fried garlic in olive oil, which is smeared with bread. If you consider a single slice of garlic cooked in this way, it already contains 10 calories instead of four.

The chef, according to the New York Times, argues that the benefits of garlic, even fried in oil, is much higher than from a strict calorie counting.