Students and Nutrition: The wonderful powers of garlic
Erin Dooher
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Forum
You're taking 18 credits, working 20 hours a week, studying for midterms and trying to have a social life. We all do this and try to get by on four hours of sleep a night. You don't have time to be sick.
So what happens? You get sick. Tonsils flare, nose runs. You run to the medicine cabinet, grabbing for a daytime mask-your-symptoms cold medicine.
Well, sniffle no more. There's a naturally occurring fix that comes from your vegetable garden. The cure is easy, tasty, and will ward off any intruding vampires should the need arise. The cure I speak of is garlic.
The power of garlic isn't a new concept. The ancient Egyptians, Hippocrates, the Romans, the Greeks and many other savants have harnessed the power of garlic for thousands of years.
So why haven't we embraced the habit as well? We're skeptical, but maybe there are reasons for us to change our minds.
Peter Josling, one of the biggest garlic enthusiasts in the world, did a study on the relation between garlic and immunity and found that taking garlic supplements significantly decreased chances of contracting a cold.
Finally, a study has proven what our skeptical brains don't want to believe: a food can be our medicine.
Josling's study also proved that people who did have the help of garlic had fewer and lighter cold symptoms compared to those who took a placebo.
This beneficial effect may be because garlic works to decrease your body's inflammatory response. When you get a cold, many of the unpleasant symptoms you experience are your body's response to an intruder. Garlic helps decrease those inflammatory responses while still allowing your body's antiviral response to fight off the pathogens.
Basically, this means that if you start getting a cold, eat garlic and you will probably be feeling better within the next day or two. This is much better compared to being sick for one to two weeks had you not eaten garlic.
We all know when we're getting sick. Next time you feel those tonsils start to swell up, your sinuses hurt and your ears pop, put down the chamomile tea.
Pick up some garlic. And I'm not talking garlic-flavored pork rinds. I'm talking fresh garlic, the kind that makes you smell because you eat so much, the kind that could kill a vampire. Chop it, smoosh it, mix it, eat it. You'll feel great and have to find a new excuse to skip class.
Erin Dooher is a guest columnist for the Daily Barometer and a post-baccalaureate student in dietetics. The opinions expressed in her columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Dooher can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
So what happens? You get sick. Tonsils flare, nose runs. You run to the medicine cabinet, grabbing for a daytime mask-your-symptoms cold medicine.
Well, sniffle no more. There's a naturally occurring fix that comes from your vegetable garden. The cure is easy, tasty, and will ward off any intruding vampires should the need arise. The cure I speak of is garlic.
The power of garlic isn't a new concept. The ancient Egyptians, Hippocrates, the Romans, the Greeks and many other savants have harnessed the power of garlic for thousands of years.
So why haven't we embraced the habit as well? We're skeptical, but maybe there are reasons for us to change our minds.
Peter Josling, one of the biggest garlic enthusiasts in the world, did a study on the relation between garlic and immunity and found that taking garlic supplements significantly decreased chances of contracting a cold.
Finally, a study has proven what our skeptical brains don't want to believe: a food can be our medicine.
Josling's study also proved that people who did have the help of garlic had fewer and lighter cold symptoms compared to those who took a placebo.
This beneficial effect may be because garlic works to decrease your body's inflammatory response. When you get a cold, many of the unpleasant symptoms you experience are your body's response to an intruder. Garlic helps decrease those inflammatory responses while still allowing your body's antiviral response to fight off the pathogens.
Basically, this means that if you start getting a cold, eat garlic and you will probably be feeling better within the next day or two. This is much better compared to being sick for one to two weeks had you not eaten garlic.
We all know when we're getting sick. Next time you feel those tonsils start to swell up, your sinuses hurt and your ears pop, put down the chamomile tea.
Pick up some garlic. And I'm not talking garlic-flavored pork rinds. I'm talking fresh garlic, the kind that makes you smell because you eat so much, the kind that could kill a vampire. Chop it, smoosh it, mix it, eat it. You'll feel great and have to find a new excuse to skip class.
Erin Dooher is a guest columnist for the Daily Barometer and a post-baccalaureate student in dietetics. The opinions expressed in her columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Dooher can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Acai
pemf
posted 4/05/09 @ 7:04 PM PST
Erin,
You are absolutely right about the benefits of garlic! I've been eating it for years whenever I don't feel well and it helps me knock down the flu, the common cold, pain, inflamation and more. (Continued…)
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