Onions

Onions are low in calories yet add abundant flavor to a wide variety of foods.

With only 30 calories per serving (1/2 cup), onions are:

Higher intakes of fruits and vegetables have been associated with a variety of health benefits.

onions Research shows that onions may help guard against many chronic diseases. That is probably because onions contain generous amounts of a flavonoid called quercetin. Other sources are tea and apples, but research shows that absorption of quercetin from onions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples.

Studies have shown that quercetin protects against cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

In addition, onions contain a variety of other naturally occurring chemicals known as organosulfur compounds that have been linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onions Aid Detox

Onions thin and cleanse the blood and lower LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol. Onions also help detoxify the respiratory tract and help fight asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, and diabetes. Onions help cleanse the body of viruses and the intestines of harmful bacteria.

Onions are interesting and date way back in time for more than just a food - the onion has been used medicinally since antiquity for:

  • The inside of an onion skin placed on cuts and scratches acted as a wound ointment.
  • An onion placed on a wasp or bee sting soon took the pain away.
  • A mixture of onions and sugar in water was a cure for whooping cough. Rubbed on the head it was believed a cure for baldness.

Onions were also thought to repel evil spirits, and bunches of onions were often hung outside the door or over the manger in the barn to keep witches and bad fairies away.

Onions were also used to predict the weather:
Onion skin, very thin, Mild winter's coming in.
Onion skin, thick and tough, Coming winter cold and rough.

Historical Tidbit:
"I will not move my armies without onions". --General Ulysses S. Grant, in a dispatch to the U.S. War Department

Onion - Poetry? Yup!

"For it is every Cook's Opinion,
No savory Dish without an Onion,
And, lest your Kissing should be spoil'd
Your Onions must be thoroughly boiled:
Or else you may spare
Your Mistress a Share,
The Secret will never be known;
She cannot discover
The Breath of a Lover,
But think it as sweet as her own." --Jonathan Swift's translation of Martial's "Xenia 18"

See also:  Onion Food Facts, Onion Fact Sheet.

Printable Recipe

Cucumber and Onion Salad (New window)

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