Decrease Inflammation with Garlic
By: Dr. Timothy Dunn
This blurb will be focusing on Garlic, and I will be going over a research article showing the benefits of garlic. I have also included a great tasting recipe I use myself to make sure I’m getting plenty of garlic in my diet.
According to Chia-Wen Tsai et al, garlic has been shown clinically to help to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose concentration, and has even been shown to help to prevent arteriosclerosis and cancer. Garlic consumption has also been shown to decrease inflammation and the risk of oral, stomach, esophageal, colon, and Allium. Garlic is also a natural antibacterial agent as well as antithrombotic and antioxidant. The benefits of garlic seem endless so make sure to eat plenty! Below is a great recipe including plenty of garlic!
Quotes from Article
“Garlic (Allium sativum L.), one of the best-researched herbal remedies, holds a unique position in history, traditionally employed to treat infection, colds, diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other disorders.”
“Clinically, it has been evaluated for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose concentration, as well as for the prevention of arteriosclerosis and cancer.”
“Epidemiologically, garlic consumption inversely correlates with the risk of oral, stomach, esophageal, colon, and prostate cancers.”
“In addition, the biological activities of garlic, including antibacterial, antithrombotic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and antidiabetic actions and modulation of drug metabolism, have been extensively investigated”
In summary, garlic should be a staple in everyone’s diet to help decrease inflammation. Choosing smart recipes like this one is just one way we can make a healthy choice of what we are fueling our bodies with so that we can live the best lives we can. In our chiropractic clinic we always tell our patients to focus on moving well, eating well, and thinking well. These things will all contribute in decreasing inflammation and pain in the body. As always, we at the chiro health team are here to help and educate. See a great tasting Garlic Chicken and Asparagus recipe below.
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chunks
2 bunch of asparagus, rinsed and trimmed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided (1 teaspoon for the chicken bites and 1 teaspoon for the asparagus and sauce)
¼ cup of grass fed butter
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice
1/2 cup (125ml) low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
Slices of lemon for garnish
For the chicken seasoning:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
Cooking Directions
- Slice chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Let sit on a shallow plate while you prepare the asparagus.
- Wash and trim the ends of the asparagus, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and set aside.
- Melt half the butter (1/4 cup) with olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Gently stir-fry the chicken bites until golden brown. Lower the temp, and add one teaspoon of minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for 1 more minute and set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet over medium-high, add the remaining teaspoon of minced garlic, then deglaze with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce to half the volume. Add the remaining 1/4 cup butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, and parsley.
- Add the blanched asparagus and toss for 2 minutes. Push asparagus on the side and add the sauteed chicken bites back to the pan and stir for another minute to reheat. Garnish the chicken and asparagus with more parsley, crushed chili pepper, and lemon slices, and serve!
References
Chia-Wen Tsai, Haw-Wen Chen, Le-Yen Sheen, Chong-Kuei Lii, Garlic: Health benefits and actions, BioMedicine, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 17-29, ISSN 2211-8020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomed.2011.12.002. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211802011000374)
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our St. Louis Park Chiropractors located in the West End, near the corner of MN-100 S & Lake Rd./Westside Dr., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can become healthier, stay out of pain and reduce risk of diabetes and other diseases!