THE ULTIMATE FLU FIGHTER

GARLIC has been prized for its medicinal benefits for thousands of years but its flu-fighting potential is also backed by a growing body of evidence. One UK study from 2001 demonstrated that taking a garlic supplement daily reduced both the chance of getting a cold and the recovery time.

The main active ingredient is allicin — produced when garlic is crushed, chopped or chewed, breaking down alliin, a sulphur compound. Allicin supports our immune system to fight viruses. A COUPLE of garlic tips:

LEAVE your crushed or chopped garlic to one side for ten minutes before eating or cooking — this allows more alliin to interact with the enzyme alliinase to form allicin. AVOID ‘garlic-breath’ by eating an apple alongside garlic. The chemical interaction between the chemicals in the plants, such as the quercetin in uncooked apples and sulphur compounds in the garlic, ‘deodorises’ the garlic.