Eating raw garlic is a common folk remedy because it is purported to help relieve many kinds of ailments, including cardiovascular problems, problems with the blood, and the common cold. It is so helpful because it has extremely strong anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. There are very few side effects from taking garlic except for the smell left and it is a safe and effective way to boost the immune system. The best way to have these effects is to eat raw garlic. But how to eat raw garlic? And how to deal with the strong breath after eating it?
10 Easy Ways to Eat Raw Garlic
Eating raw garlic can be challenging, in part because of its pungent odor. Here are some excellent ways you can have a try:
1. Just Eat It
This sounds like an easy option, and it works pretty well. You simply chop up a clove or two of garlic and eat it right off the spoon. Not everyone is able to tolerate the taste of garlic, but if you are able to do so, this is a good way to take in garlic. You can avoid having garlic on your breath by eating it right before you go to bed.
2. Eat It in a Salsa
Make up a batch of salsa and add minced garlic to it. It complements well the flavor of the salsa and makes the salsa spicier. You can make a large batch of salsa with several cloves of garlic and store it in the refrigerator for use over several days of eating.
3. Put It in Pesto
Garlic goes great along with pesto sauce. You can make your own pesto from scratching or simply buying it at the store and then blending in the garlic. You shouldn't allow the garlic to heat up or cook and you should consume it right after mincing the garlic or chopping it up.
4. Use It in a Salad
Take thin pieces of garlic and add it to your salad or mince it up into fine pieces and put it in the salad dressing before eating. Garlic goes especially well with Ranch dressing or with a vinaigrette dressing. You won't have any problems learning how to eat raw garlic if you use garlic in this fashion.
5. Eat It on Toast
You crush or mince the garlic basically and then put it on toasted food that you have already done. This is better because when you heat garlic, you reduce the amount of allicin in it, which is its most healthful ingredient. You can also mix raw garlic with butter and put it on your toast that way.
6. Eat Fermented Garlic
If you find that raw garlic is too spicy for you, put the garlic in salt brine in order to ferment it. The taste is mellowed out after doing this and there are enzymes and bacteria added to the garlic that makes it doubly healthful.
7. Put It in Guacamole
Avocadoes and fresh garlic go very well together. The bland taste of the avocado is spiced up by the garlic for better taste and it can be used along with chips or crackers as you like.
8. Put It into Pasta Sauce
You need to do this after the pasta sauce has cooled down, so you don't lose the allicin in raw garlic. You can always cook some of the garlic into the sauce and then add some raw minced garlic after the sauce has cooled down a bit. Use it right at the tableside.
9. Put It in Mashed Potatoes
Cook some potatoes and mash them with milk and butter. After the mashed potatoes have been cooled down some, add minced garlic for extra spice. This will be a great answer to how to eat raw garlic.
10. Add It to Honey Lemon Tea
This might sound a bit unorthodox, but it really tastes good. Make up some honey lemon tea and add the juice of a crushed garlic clove to spice up the tea. You will have a cup of hot drink with many health benefits.
In the video below, a lady shares her ways of eating raw garlics that you may also learn from.
How to Deal With Garlic Smell
While you might know that garlic is really good for you and have discovered new ways of how to eat raw garlic, you might still be reluctant to eat it by the garlic breath that comes after consuming it. Don't be afraid, here are some ways you can minimize the smell of garlic.
- Chew on parsley. Many recipes call for both garlic and parsley because the parsley neutralizes garlic odors. You can also chew on parsley after eating something containing garlic.
- Chew on mint, fennel, cardamom, or anise seeds. These are herbs that act just like parsley to rid your breath of the garlic odor.
- Drink tea. Certain types of teas, such as peppermint and green tea, have polyphenols in them that can neutralize the volatile sulfur compounds produced by garlic. You can drink tea with garlic or after eating it.
- Try lemon. Lemon can neutralize the odor of garlic and also adds anti-bacterial properties that destroy bacteria. Just suck on a wedge of lemon after chewing on garlic and wash your hands using lemon in order to get the garlic smell off your hands.
- Try milk. Milk is effective in reducing the garlic odor in your breath after eating it. One theory believes that the fat in milk helps reduce the garlic odor. This is why it is better to drink whole milk rather than skim milk and it is better to mix the garlic with the milk itself, rather than drinking the milk later.
- Chew on gum. Sugar-free gum will neutralize the odor of garlic and help you get rid of food particles containing garlic that may be attached to your teeth or stuck between teeth.