It may be said that having onions can cause to you to break wind a lot and burp the same amount. The smell isn’t exactly fragrant either. The smell of garlic breath can cause even Dracula to keep his distance (now that’s definitely a plus in my opinion). But I mean how many times have you heard people saying, “You ate garlic? I don’t think your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife is going to give you any lovin’ tonight!”?
Photo Credits: vegekitchen
But as lethal as these two vegetables may sound, they actually have a lot more benefits for your health as compared to others. Here are some you need to know to convince you to have more of them, regardless of the smell you may have to emit after that. Don’t worry, it disappears after awhile.
#1 Fight cancer
If you haven’t heard, onions and garlic contain chemical compounds found inside allium vegetables that can slow or stop cancer cells from spreading in various parts of the body such as the lungs, colon, esophagus and breasts. These chemical compounds can also reduce the rate which the tumors grow, or better still – stop the growth altogether. If you still aren’t convinced, , according to The Linus Pauling Institute, garlic may be especially effective as a weapon against gastric and colorectal cancer.
#2 Infections, begone!
For those of you who avoid these two vegetables, you may want to think twice about continuing to do so. Besides reducing the symptoms of bronchitis and the common cold, onions can also fight harmful bacteria. Garlic can help to strengthen your immune system overall and make you less vulnerable to contracting infections as it has both antibacterial and antifungal properties.
#3 No more heart disease
Photo Credits: No More Heart Disease
It’s almost as if onions and garlic are miracle vegetables of sorts because besides already being able to keep your infections at bay and ward off cancer, they can also help to prevent heart disease. How? Well, onions are rich in natural chemicals called flavonoids which not only help to protect you from heart disease, but may also reduce your risk of blood clots which can ultimately lead to cardiac arrests and other forms of heart disease. Garlic, like a faithful and equally potent sidekick, also has the potential to reduce the risk of blood clots, keep your arteries flexible and helps reduce blood pressure.
Chock-full of benefits
Being the richest food sources of healthy sulfur compounds, many nutritionists and doctors recommend eating them as regularly as you can to obtain their full health benefits. As much as experts may recommend that you consume them raw, not many of us can handle the taste so the next best bet would be to cook them with some meat or other vegetables in a soup or stir-fry dish to make them taste more palatable. You will still be able to enjoy the benefits of these allium vegetables and keep yourself going for longer, albeit with a less desired “fragrance”.
