Most people consume onions in some form on a regular basis, either as a supplement or in their food.
Onions are most commonly known for making your eyes water or causing you to cry while cutting them, but they also have health benefits that most people are not aware of.
Onions are members of the lily family and you can purchase them for mere pennies at the grocery store, which makes them a great and cheap option for adding to your favorite dishes.
A research study done by Cornell University states that while most onions are healthy and good for you, there are two varieties that stand out from the rest.
Shallots and Western yellow onions were shown to be the healthiest out of the eleven varieties that were tested.
The study concluded that they were healthier than the others because of their phenolic and flavonoid content.
If you are making a dish that includes onions, but doesn’t say what type of onions, try using a yellow onion or a shallot.
Health Benefits From Onions
Not only will it give your dish a lot of flavor, it will also add more health benefits to your dish. There are at least eight health benefits for eating onions in your regular diet. Let’s take a look at them.
Vitamin C
Most people are unaware that onions can contain Vitamin C. The Vitamin C in onions can help boost your immunity the same way that Vitamin C in oranges and orange juice can.
So if you are not so keen on eating oranges, you can consume onions and get the same health benefits.
For example, if you have been sick, or you are trying to keep from getting sick, try eating French Onion Soup instead of chicken noodle soup.
Blood Sugar
Onions contain a nutrient called chromium, which when ingested can help you to regulate your blood sugar.
While this is a great addition to your diet, it is not a substitute for blood sugar medications and should not be treated as such.
Infections/Inflammation
In the time before true medical intervention and inventions such as ointments and Band-Aids, people would use onions to help heal infections and reduce inflammation.
But instead of eating them, doctors of the time would take the oil from the onions and place it on a wound to help it heal.
It was believed that placing cooked onions on sights of inflammation would reduce it. Early medicine got a lot of things wrong, but this is one thing they got right from the start.
Cholesterol
Are you someone who suffers from bad cholesterol? Then you need to look into adding more onions to your diet.
When eaten in its raw form, onions have shown to reduce bad cholesterol by reducing its production. While it is not something to rely on instead of taking medications, onions can help to keep it under control in addition to your medications.
Quercetin
All onions are known to contain quercetin, which is a nutrient that is known to help prevent cancer.
While it is shown to help prevent cancer, there is not enough research being done to tell if it can help to stop cancer after it has already formed.
In order to know that answer, more research studies will have to be conducted using patients who already have cancer.
Until then, if you eat onions on a regular basis, you are still cutting down your risk of developing cancer, which is all the more reason to add onions to your diet.
Stings and Burns
Did you know that if you are suffering from a wasp or bee sting that you can apply onion juice to it? By applying onion juice to the sight of the sting, you will be able to relieve the pain and burning associated with the sting.
You can also use onion juice on a burn, as it will also help to alleviate any pain or stinging from a burn injury. This is all the more reason to cook with onions.
If you burn your hand in the kitchen, you can use the onion from your meal to help with the pain. Onions are great to have around when the weather is warmer and everyone is outside, so you are never too far away from wasp and bee sting relief.
Gastric Ulcers
If you are one of the many people who suffer from any type of gastrointestinal issues, then you know how painful it can be and how difficult they can be to get rid of.
But what you may not know is that adding onions to your diet can help you reduce your risk of getting gastric ulcers.
Onions scavenge free radicals in your system, helping to break them apart and keep them from causing ulcers.
Vitamin A
Green onions are more popular as a garnish on a dish than an actual ingredient, but green onions contain Vitamin A, which is a nutrient your body needs.
The next time you go to sprinkle some green onions on your dish, try putting them inside your dish as well. Not only will it give your dish some added flavor, it will also give you more of the Vitamin A that your body needs.
While you don’t need to eat onions at every meal, adding them to your dinner a couple of times a week can do wonders for your health.
If you are in a dinner rut and make the same meals over and over again, try searching for recipes that have onions as the star. You might be surprised at how many are out there and the variety of onions that are being used.
Even one onion dish a week can help you boost Vitamins C and A in your body, and making sure you add them to your diet during cold and flu season is even better.
Consult with your medical doctor to see what an appropriate amount of onion intake is for you.
You do not want to consume too much onion on a daily basis, but you want to be able to find that happy medium. You should also consult with your doctor to make sure that you do not have an onion allergy.
Most people can eat onions any way they come, but some people have a sensitivity to onions unless they are fully cooked. Make sure you know what your body can handle before you begin adding onions to your diet.
