One surefire way to achieve delicious dishes is by cooking them with love. But another staple in the kitchen that all chefs and chefs at heart cannot live without is onions. While adding amazing flavor to foods, they also are excellent for boosting your health. Read on for the following 8 impressive health benefits of onions.
Consider these health benefits of onions to add to your daily meals
Onions may have a pungent, strong smell that releases the syn-propanethial-S-oxide chemicals and make you tear up. But onions do carry myriad benefits. Onions only contain 60 calories per 150 grams. It has 0.1 grams of fat, 2.6 grams of dietary fiber, and 1.7 grams of protein. So if you’re making soup and salad, don’t be shy in giving it a generous amount of onions.
1. Boost heart health
The first of the Top 8 Impressive health benefits of onions is they contain a lot of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are essential in boosting heart health. For one, it has a lot of the flavonoid antioxidant called Quercetin, which is a very strong anti-inflammatory component as well. In turn, this will reduce high blood pressure and prevent blood clots.
This study involved obese women who were served raw onions. The result showed it reduced their bad cholesterol compared to a placebo group.
Moreover, onions are said to have all these benefits as well:
- Reduce triglycerides
- Lessen blood vessel inflammation
- Increase HDL cholesterol
- Excellent blood thinners
2. May prevent cancer
Onions may have the ability to prevent cancer cells from growing. The components in onion such as sulfur and Quercetin are known to hinder cancer cell growth. By helping the pathways that eliminate the abnormal cells such as cancer cells, the human body can ensure that it is free of cancer cells. This will also make sure that these abnormal cells will not be able to communicate and metastasize. See our health research page here.
3. Improve digestive health
Did you know that onions are also packed with prebiotics? Prebiotics are an essential element in boosting your digestive system. Here are its other benefits:
- Improve digestion
- Boost immunity
- Lessen gut inflammation
By creating fatty acids through the breakdown of good bacteria in your gut, it may help in improving your overall digestive system.
4. Fight free radicals
Onions contain a lot of antioxidants. As a matter of fact, it has over 25 flavanoid varieties that are extremely useful for your health. Moreover, ingesting antioxidants can also prevent free radicals from wreaking havoc on our bodies.
Aside from that, antioxidants such as anthocyanin may reduce the onset of severe heart conditions and diabetes.
5. Enhance bone density
Bone density is crucial as we age. Our bones take one of the most severe impacts that can hinder our daily routine as we age. This is the reason why people take more Vitamin C minerals and calcium to protect their bones. And due to the prebiotics in onions, it can expedite the absorption of minerals like calcium. In turn, this may help to prevent osteoporosis and bone loss, keeping your bones healthy.
6. Keep blood sugar levels healthy
Onions may have the ability to control blood sugar and this is, once again, due to the sulfur and Quercetin compounds that are very potent anti-diabetic properties. For instance, these compounds help in controlling blood sugar by intercepting with the skeletal muscles, pancreas, fat tissues, and small intestines. Overall, this will help lower the entire body’s blood sugar levels.
This study showed that participants with type 2 diabetes ate raw red onions and the result was astounding. It lowered their blood sugar levels by 40mg/dl in four hours.
7. Boost immune system
One way to boost our immune system is to prevent free radicals such as gases, chemicals, dust, pollution, UV rays, and whatnot. As mentioned, onions have the ability to fight these free radicals through the polyphenol components present in these vegetables. In effect, this can boost your overall immune health.
8. Convenient dietary supplement
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, people have to pair exercise with a healthy diet. While some superfood might be hard to get your hands into, onions are the opposite. Since they are very abundant, onions are very convenient dietary supplements that can bring all these health benefits.
That being said, whether you’re cooking vegetable soup, caramelized chicken, or homemade salsa, give it a generous heaping helping of onions. Moreover, onions are better eaten raw so make sure you slice up extra onions for your daily needs to get the health benefits of onions. Try our many onion recipes to keep your meals healthy.
AUTHOR BIO:
Leanne Brooks is an avid blogger and an informative content writer who loves to write about travel, health, food, culture, and more. She is currently working with Jakers, the leading steakhouse in Idaho.