Ingredient FAQ: Garlic Powder

April 18, 2023

Published: April 18, 2023

Updated: April 27, 2023

Kyla’s recipes are full of delicious ingredients that have lots of health benefits! We’ll highlight some of them in blog posts so you can learn more about how they affect your nutrition. This post is about garlic powder, a simple, savory, and healthy spice! In this blog, we’ll explain the health benefits of eating garlic powder and how it differs from fresh garlic.

Garlic

The Basics

Who doesn’t love the taste of garlic? Garlic powder is a flavorful spice made from roasted garlic cloves that have been ground into a fine powder. It’s different from garlic salt – we’ll explain more about this later.

Nutrition Profile and Health Benefits

Garlic powder is very good for you! It is usually consumed in small portions. One teaspoon of garlic powder has 10 calories, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 2 mg of sodium, and no fat, cholesterol, or protein.1 

Fresh garlic has a lot of health benefits. Garlic powder has many of the same ones but in smaller amounts. Garlic has been used in medicine for thousands of years.2 It is beneficial for many different conditions, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood sugar and diabetes, liver health, and immune system function. Eating garlic can help protect you against the common cold and other infections.3

Garlic Salt vs. Garlic Powder vs. Fresh Garlic

A recipe may call for garlic salt, garlic powder, or fresh garlic. These aren’t quite the same thing. Garlic salt is made from dried garlic and salt, while garlic powder is made from garlic only. These spices have different flavors and nutrient contents. Garlic powder is slightly higher in calories. Garlic salt tastes saltier and is higher in sodium. So, garlic salt may not be a good choice for people following a low-sodium diet.

Fresh garlic has the greatest amount of nutrients and contains the most healthful properties.4 Of these three options, it is the healthiest choice. But, one reason to choose garlic powder over fresh garlic is convenience. Garlic powder is easy to store and has a much longer shelf life than fresh garlic.

Risks of Eating Garlic Powder

Eating garlic is really good for you and, for most people, doesn’t cause any problems. You likely already know the biggest drawback to eating foods with a lot of garlic – garlic breath and body odor. Some people may experience bloating, gas, or stomach pain from eating garlic and garlic powder. It may also cause heartburn or GERD. This most often happens if you suddenly increase your consumption of garlic. But, most of the time it is perfectly safe to eat garlic powder and fresh garlic.

Uses and Alternatives

You can use garlic powder to flavor all kinds of foods. If you don’t have garlic powder, garlic salt and fresh garlic are good alternatives. You will need to adjust the amounts of the ingredients since garlic salt is saltier than garlic powder and garlic powder has a more concentrated flavor than fresh garlic. Some other good substitutes for garlic powder are chopped chives and onion. These will have a different flavor than garlic powder, but they are still very tasty!

Summary

Garlic powder, like fresh garlic, has a lot of health benefits and adds great flavor to your food. It has beneficial effects on heart health, immune function, liver health, and more! Garlic powder is different from garlic salt, which is higher in sodium, and should not always be used in the same way. It is safe for most people to eat a moderate amount of garlic powder, so try adding it to one of the next meals you cook!

References

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Spices, garlic powder. FoodData central. Published April 1, 2019. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171325/nutrients
  2. Rivlin RS. Historical perspective on the use of garlic. J Nutr. 2001;131(3):S951-S954. doi:10.1093/jn/131.3.951s
  3. Ansary J, Forbes-Hernández TY, Gil E, et al. Potential health benefit of garlic based on human intervention studies: A brief overview. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(7):619. doi:10.3390/antiox9070619
  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Garlic, raw. FoodData central. Published April 1, 2019. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169230/nutrients
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