Spices and kitchen herbs · root

Garlic (Kitunguu saumu (also kitunguu thomu))

In the kitchen

A kitchen staple across Kenya, crushed or minced into pilau, stews, sukuma wiki, curries, and marinades, and browned with onion as a base for most savoury dishes. In keto cooking it is sauteed in ghee, butter, or coconut oil, rubbed onto roast meat and fish, or blended into garlic butter and dressings.

Traditionally used for

Traditionally used as a folk remedy to ease colds, coughs, and sore throats, and commonly taken to support heart health and healthy circulation. Also traditionally used to aid digestion and as a warming ingredient during flu season.

On keto

Used in small culinary amounts it adds big flavour for very little carbohydrate (a clove is roughly 1g carb) and pairs naturally with the fats and roasted meats central to keto eating.

Good to know. Garlic has a mild blood-thinning (antiplatelet) effect: concentrated garlic or supplements can raise bleeding risk with warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel, and other blood thinners, and should generally be stopped about 7 days before surgery. It may also add to the effect of blood-pressure and blood-sugar medications, so watch for lows if you take these. Can trigger heartburn, reflux, or gut upset in sensitive people, and may worsen symptoms for those prone to acid reflux. Normal cooking amounts are fine in pregnancy and for most people, but check with a clinician before taking medicinal or supplement doses.

Sources

General information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional before changing how you eat, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or taking medication.