The 3-Ingredient Snack I'm Eating Daily To Prevent The Flu

This year has been one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory. Whether or not you choose to get vaccinated, it's good to cover all of your bases by bolstering your immune system in other ways. I have colleagues who are stocking up on expensive supplements, meditating, and sipping bone broth to keep the virus at bay—but I prefer to rely on my trusty garlic toast.

I first discovered the powers of garlic several years ago when a run-in with a quick-to-the-knife donor kebab stand in Berlin left me with a mouthful of raw chicken. Frantic Googling led me to a research paper1 about garlic's antibiotic-rivaling power to eradicate salmonella. During the three-day period while I waited to see if I was poisoned (onset for salmonella takes about half a week), I tested a handful of different ways to eat the garlic, and this toast was by far my favorite. It allows the garlic to be minced and rest for 20 minutes, a necessary step to activate the allicin2 that accounts for its healing powers. The fat from the olive oil cuts the sharp astringency of the garlic, making it easier on the taste buds and the stomach, and the salt and herbs (optional but recommended) somehow elevate the taste from medicinal to (somewhat) craveable: garlic bread's less decadent, more functional cousin.

After nailing the recipe, I began adding it to my regular food first aid kit. In addition to being a salmonella fighter, garlic is generally antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral and has been shown in studies to fend off colds3 and flu4. It can also reduce the severity4 of symptoms if you've already contracted something.

Serves 2