Regular consumption of garlic and onion contributes to reducing blood cholesterol levels, thanks to the presence of the substances allicin and alliin, which have hypotensive, antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects, which act by reducing the formation of free radicals, in addition to repairing injuries and protecting the cell integrity.
Studies have shown that daily consumption of meals seasoned with garlic and onion combats “bad” cholesterol (LDL) by up to 40% and, in addition, it has also been observed that it also reduces the presence of gallstones by around 80%. However, this consumption must be daily and does not exclude the need for other dietary precautions, such as avoiding the use of fat in cooking and excess carbohydrates in the diet as much as possible. Check out what a cholesterol-lowering diet should be like.
As the amount of antioxidant substances present in garlic and onions can vary depending on the type of planting carried out, it is best to prefer foods of organic origin because they contain fewer additives and pesticides and a greater amount of substances beneficial to health. A good strategy is to plant garlic and onions at home, to consume regularly.
How to consume
To make the most of all the benefits that garlic and onion can bring to control dyslipidemia, it is recommended to consume 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 an onion raw per day.
A very easy strategy to achieve this goal is to use garlic and onion as a seasoning, but for those who do not appreciate these flavors, you can choose to take onion and garlic capsules that are found in health food stores.
Some recipes that contain raw garlic and onion are salads and garlic water, but you can also use these seasonings cooked, but never fried. Cooking rice, beans and meat with garlic and onion gives a pleasant flavor and is healthy, but other options include trying garlic pâté to spread on bread and bake in the oven or preparing a tuna pâté with garlic, onion and olive, which has many benefits for heart health.
Tuna, garlic and onion pâté recipe
This pâté is very easy to prepare, yields a lot and can be used to spread on bread or toast.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of natural yogurt;
- 1 can of natural tuna;
- 6 pitted olives;
- 1/2 onion;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- Parsley to taste.
Preparation
Chop the onion into very small pieces, crush the garlic and then mix with the other ingredients until everything is very uniform. If you prefer, you can run the pâté in a blender for a few seconds to make it more uniform and less thick.
Watch the following video and see other tips that help lower cholesterol:
