Weight Management 5 MIN READ 3232 VIEWS April 20, 2022

All that You Need to Know About Garlic for Weight Loss

Written By HealthKart
Medically Reviewed By Dr. Aarti Nehra

Garlic for Weight Loss

Garlic can do wonders if it is a part of your weight loss diet. You can trust garlic for weight loss as when consumed on an empty stomach, it can make you feel fuller, suppress appetite, and aid in controlling your food intake. Garlic aids in reducing fat accumulation in various ways. Read further to understand the garlic benefits for weight loss, how it helps in reducing fat, and the different ways of including this wonderful medicinal herb in your diet.

Why Trust Garlic for Weight Loss

Garlic is an integral part of every Indian kitchen. The addition of garlic in recipes enhances the aroma and taste of the dish. Garlic is good for weight loss and has innumerable health benefits. Power-packed with vitamins and nutrients like calcium, manganese, protein, fibre, and Vitamin C and B, this wonder herb helps in shedding the excess fat in the body by majorly helping enhance metabolism as well as energy levels. 

Before understanding the various garlic benefits for weight loss, we should be aware of the fat burning process and how garlic kickstarts the whole process. White Adipose Tissue or White Fat and Brown Adipose Tissue or Brown Fat are the two fat types in our body. White fat is body fat. Brown fat burns calories, produces heat, and aids weight loss. Thermogenesis, the fat burning process, helps maintain body weight and is aided by Brown Fat.

With age, there is a reduction in brown fat which leads to weight gain. Research has proved that the sulphur containing compounds like Alliin in raw garlic gears up the fat-burning process and thus aids in weight loss.

Various Health Benefits of Garlic

Besides aiding weight loss, the health benefits of Garlic are innumerable.

  1. Nitric oxide production in blood vessels is very essential to improve and maintain their elasticity and prevent the hardening of the arteries. Sulphur present in garlic stimulates the production of nitric oxide and thus reduces the risk of strokes by maintaining blood pressure levels.
  2. The job of triggering the enzymes in the liver that enables the natural flushing of toxins from the body is done by Selenium present in garlic.
  3. Garlic helps slow down the aging process. Collagen helps in the upkeep of skin elasticity and Vitamin C present in garlic helps in the production of collagen. Also, the compound alliin and allicin present in garlic have anti-ageing properties that reduce wrinkles on the skin.
  4. Garlic with warm water can be a great solution for common cold and cough.
  5. The compound allicin has great antioxidant properties that protects the body from free radicals. This helps in enhancing immunity.
  6. Garlic helps maintain bone health by replenishing the estrogen level in women post-menopause.

How to Include Garlic in Your Daily Routine?

In most households, garlic is a part of daily cuisine. It is generally preferred as it enhances the taste as well as the flavour of the dish. However, whether included in daily food preparations or consumed raw, garlic helps in weight loss and also provides all the health benefits. Here are some easy recipes for garlic consumption:

1. Garlic with Milk

Garlic for weight loss with milk may seem a weird combination. But this recipe helps in digestion as well as weight loss.

Ingredients:

  1. Fresh Milk: 1 Cup
  2. Garlic: 5 to 6 cloves
  3. Turmeric: 1 tablespoon
  4. Pepper Powder: A pinch
  5. Honey: ½ to 1 tsp (as per taste)

Crush the garlic cloves and allow them to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Resting of crushed garlic enhances the health benefits as the enzyme reaction required to activate the healthy compounds is sparked

Method:

  1. Boil milk in a pan.
  2. To the boiling milk, add the crushed garlic, pepper powder and turmeric.
  3. Keep on low flame till the garlic softens.
  4. Once garlic softens, remove from heat and strain the mixture.
  5. Consume lukewarm with a dash of honey.

This way, garlic improves gut health that eventually helps in weight loss.

2. Garlic with Lemon and Ginger

Garlic benefits weight loss when combined with ginger and lemon tea.

Ingredients:

  1. Water: 2 glasses
  2. Garlic: 1 to 2 cloves
  3. Ginger: A small piece
  4. Lemon Juice: 1 teaspoon

Method:

  1. Crush ginger and garlic to a fine paste. 
  2. Boil 2 glasses of water in a vessel.
  3. Add the crushed paste to the boiling water
  4. Allow the mixture to boil for 5 minutes.
  5. Cover the mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and strain the mixture.
  7. Add lemon juice and consume with honey to enhance the taste.

The above recipe is a great detoxifying drink.

3. Garlic and Honey

To make your weight loss journey smooth, do try this recipe.

Ingredients:

  1. Garlic : 3 to 4 cloves 
  2. Honey: As required to cover the garlic cloves

Method:

  1. Remove the outer layer of garlic leaving the clove cover intact.
  2. Take a glass jar and place the garlic cloves in the jar 
  3. Pour raw honey over the garlic cloves.
  4. Refrigerate the mixture for a few days.
  5. The goodness of the two ingredients will seep in.

Consume the mixture on an empty stomach. Garlic helps in weight loss when consumed on an empty stomach because it keeps you full for a longer period and reduces food consumption. Garlic and weight loss go hand in hand but consuming this mixture for a longer period will benefit skin and heart health. It also is an amazing immunity booster.

Other forms of Garlic for Weight Loss

Raw garlic prepared as mentioned above can be your most beneficial company in your weight loss journey. However, studies have shown that raw garlic is more beneficial than cooked garlic. Garlic supplements can also be of great benefit for individuals who do not prefer either raw or cooked garlic. Garlic oil is one such supplement that can be of great help. Aged garlic extract has been very effective in weight loss for women post-menopause. The efficacy of aged garlic extract is higher when compared to garlic oil. It also helps in controlling blood pressure levels.

Who Should Avoid Garlic?

Though garlic is good for weight loss, there are, however, some restrictions on the inclusion of garlic in the daily diet. Garlic has always been known to be administered for preventing fungal and viral infections. Garlic and weight loss complement each other. Garlic is known to add flavour and aroma to food preparations. However, there are certain don’ts as well with regard to garlic consumption.

  1. Garlic can be a potential threat to individuals who are on blood thinners because it too contains blood-thinning properties.
  2. If you have never included garlic in your diet, you should consult a physician before you consider garlic for weight loss.
  3. If a surgery is scheduled, then you should stop consumption of garlic a week before the surgery.
  4. Excessive consumption of garlic can also be harmful.

Conclusion

Garlic, the wonder herb, not only enhances the taste of your food but also provides various health benefits. It is easy to rely on garlic for weight loss, as it aids in shedding the extra pounds and improves your overall well-being. Now that you are aware of the easiest ways of including garlic in your daily routine to improve your overall health as well as weight management, gulp a few cloves of garlic first thing in the morning. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read these next