This spicy pickled garlic trend might improve your brain

Eating a whole jar of garlic cloves isn’t everybody’s ideal snack. However, Tiktok has gone wild over a video of a girl spooning pickled garlic from a jar, which she claims is healthy for you. And she isn’t wrong; science has proved that regular consumption of garlic is beneficial for improving cognitive health.

The trend first surfaced on Tiktok earlier this year when a user known as @lalaleluu posted a video sharing how she enjoys eating garlic. Since then she shared a walk-through tutorial and people have continued to test out the trend since. 

While some people may take supplements to prevent the effects of ageing, such as the best fish oil supplements and the best vitamins for women over 50 to prevent disease and decline that results from ageing, you could give this Tiktok trend a go, as garlic is a proven anti-inflammatory and cognitive protector. 

Firstly, Lala advises buying a jar of natural pickled garlic (avoid any that are in chilli oil as this is too oily) and you want to drain the vinegar out before mixing any ingredients in. Then she simply squeezes in a generous helping of Sriracha, a teaspoon of chilli flakes and some dried thyme before mixing it all together in a jar and eating.

The video below shows how quickly the snack is put together:

@lalaleluu

Reply to @johneng33 BUSSINNNNN

♬ original sound - Lala

Cooking with garlic has always been popular for its health benefits as well as its flavour. If eating an entire jar of garlic isn't to your tastes – and we wouldn't blame you – you'll find some tasty garlic infused recipes in our best vegan cookbooks.

Kim Plaza, Nutritional Advisor from leading gut health brand, Bio-Kult says “Garlic is a common spice that many people enjoy for its taste, however garlic is also noted for having many health benefits, thanks to its diverse bioactive compounds; such as organic sulfides, saponins, phenolic compounds and polysaccharides.”

The University of Louisville carried out a study on mice to find out if the garlic compound, allyl sulfide, could help improve cognitive health in the elderly. The results revealed that garlic can in fact counteract age-related changes in gut bacteria. These changes are ones associated with memory problems and ageing. 

Plaza recommends adding garlic into your diet as a prebiotic (a food that promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut) to support a healthy microbiome. You can use it raw or cooked in salad dressings, sauces, dips and soups, this way you can gain a variety of healthy compounds found in garlic. 

She notes, “As it contains sulfur compounds, you’ll want to add it quickly to any oils to keep in the goodness and gain all of those fantastic benefits.”