Onions Health Benefits – Nutritional Super Food

Surprising as it may sound the Onion has an amazing array of health benefits. Even eaten raw the humble onion has many benefits including low calories, vitamins, essential cancer fighting properties and an amazing flavor. Often used as in ingredient in many dishes worldwide the health benefits of this fascinating vegetable can frequently get overlooked in the hustle-bustle of our fast living lives. Nearly every culture for thousands of years has come to realize the increasing health benefits of this pungent vegetable.

When we think of an onion perhaps we only consider the colour. Yet many onions are differentiated by their colour from red, spring, yellow and white each offering a range of health benefits and tastes. Onions can be served cooked, roasted, deep fried, and dried as well. They can also be made into delicious onion soup. Often people eat onions raw although this is not for everybody even if it has distinct health advantages. Many cultures throughout the world use onions to give their food a distinct yet tasty flavor.

The allium is also of particular use as an addition to Intermittent Fasting.

The onion belongs to the Allium cepa (lily family) and has many recognizable relatives including Leeks, shallots and garlic.
The health benefit of onions requires taking note of their amazing internal properties.

The health benefits of onionsfeatures a very high level of naturally occurring chemicals. Onions (although it varies in consideration of the pungency) contain varying degrees of:

• High content of Thiosulfinates
• High content of Sulfides
• High content of Sulfoxides

Thiosulfinates add to the health benefits of onions by displaying anti-bacterial properties eradicating many common forms of bacteria present in the everyday home including disease-causing pathogens such asE. coli and salmonella. This anti-bacterial health benefit of onions helps the user ward off and prevent common illnesses such as the cold, common coughs, asthmas and the onions can even be use as an insect repellent. This use of onion as a health benefit may sound strange to our everyday thinking yet any ancient culture realizes the importance of the onion in increasing body health benefits. The beauty of onions remains that they are so widely available to everybody throughout the world.

The common onion helps reduce the buildup of harmful bacteria in the human colon due to the presence of oligomers. Health benefits of oligomers include the stimulus of healthy beneficial bacteria that effectively begin to outnumber the “bad” bacteria.

Onions remain a very rich source of fructo-oligosaccharides. These naturaloligomers stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria (anaerobic bacteria)within the colon. This main health benefit of onions helps reduce the risk of colon based tumors.

The high content of sulfides found in the onion help reduce the bloods lipids as well as reducing the 21^st century angst of high-blood pressure. Another wondrous health benefit is the addition of the amount of helpful Flavonoids found in the onion’s chemistry. These chemical water soluble polyphenolic molecules have been shown to reduce the onset of cardiovascular heart disease.

Sulphides within the onions have the advantage health benefit of preventing blood-clotting therefore reducing the chances of excessive blood clotting as well as strokes. The health benefits of onions therefore serve as both a bacterial barrier against tumour as well as reducing strokes, cardiovascular disease and colon tumour.

Due to the naturally occurring sulphides present in the onion and their known prevention of tumours in the colon the health benefits look total. However one common health benefit of onions includes their ability to prevent many common forms of cancer. The consumption of onion either cooked or raw helps protect against stomach cancer. Many cultures in the world including India and China have greatly reduced cases of stomach cancer. This is due to the intake of onions as well as other family members of the Alliums family including shallots, garlic, and leeks.

The stronger the pungent flavor or aroma from an onion indicates the greater presence of sulfides. When choosing an onion for its beneficial health benefits it’s worth choosing the most pungent kind possible. It’s the pungency that indicates the higher presence of sulfides therefore offering the greatest protection against cancer.

With any different food source its worth bearing in mind that some people may exhibit an allergy to onions as a health benefit. This may exacerbate stomach pain as well as increase gastrointestinal irritation leading to the unpleasant side effects of nausea and diarrhea.

The common onion is host to a multitude of vitamins that aid the body in longevity as well as fighting off common illnesses. A healthy diet remains the best way of staying healthy. The health benefits in terms of vitamins when consuming onions consists of:

Vitamin C

Vitamin B6

Biotin

Chromium

Calcium

Folic Acid

Vitamin B1

Vitamin K

Quercetin is a powerful anti-oxidant helping reduce the chances of stomach cancer as well as thinning the blood. Another amazing health benefit of the onion in relation to Quercetin is that it actively helps lower cholesterol, fights infections, chronic bronchial problems, fight off asthma, and aid the recovery of hay fever.

The aforementioned sulfides found in the everyday onion are commonly known as amino acids. In particular their individual names are methionine and cystine. These acids have been proven to link up with heavy metals found in the body such as mercury, cadmium and lead and help remove these toxic heavy metals from the blood and therefore the body.

These specific amino acids are called methionine and cystine and, amongst other things, they are very good at detoxifying your body from heavy metals.

In fact, they are able to latch on to mercury, cadmium and lead and escort them out of the body.

Simple easy to prepare dishes that’ll make you and your family happy and healthier.

• Try French onion soup

• Use onion grated in coleslaw with cabbage and onion

• Try cooking an Indian dish with onions and spices such as garam masala or curry powder

• Fried onions make an excellent compliment to Hot Dogs!

• Roasted onions drizzled in a little olive oil with a dash of pepper (leave the skins on for additional health benefits).

Adding onions to our diet remains so easy and simple it’s a surprise it’s not taken as gospel that this wonderfully pungent yet beneficial vegetable can help ward off many health problems encountered in the modern world. Unleash the health benefits of the onion today, go and grow onions on any land you have or alternatively take a visit to your local shop and learn new exciting dishes to help protect you and your family.