Onion is a vegetable which belongs to the same family as chives, leeks, garlic, shallots and scallions. The onions have originated in central Asia, most probably around the Iran-Pakistan region. Now, they are the most extensively cultivated vegetables in the Allium family, because there are numerous health benefits of onions.
The onions have been utilized for hundreds of years as an element in various great dishes by multiple cultures around the globe. The vegetable can be consumed raw, fried, cooked, roasted and dried. They are normally used as a seasoning and flavoring agent in most dishes.
Along with adding excellent taste to the dishes, onions also give many health benefits to the consumers. Onions have been used in treating angina, bacterial infections, coughs and respiratory problems. Onions have been used for the treating poor appetite and preventing atherosclerosis. A few of the health benefits of onions are given below.
10 Super Health Benefits of Onions that Probably You Haven’t Heard Of Yet
1. Maintain Bone Health
Onions possess the capability of building connective tissues and bone health because of a new substance in it known as growth plate chondrocytes or GPC. Therefore, onions can be really beneficial for women that are at a risk of osteoporosis. Regular consumption of onions can lower down the risk of hip fractures in menopausal ladies. Therefore, if you are a member of the female population, you get some extra benefits from these vegetables.
2. Fight Cancer
Onion extract has rich amounts of a variety of sulfides that give fortification against tumor growth. Normal consumption of onions helps lessen the risk of quite a few cancers like colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer, oral cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer and esophageal cancer. We suggest you to consume 1 onion serving every day, which is approximately half a cup.
3. Prevents Blood Clot
One other health benefits of onions is that they are considered as the natural anti-clotting agents. Onions contain a lot of sulfur that can hold back the clumping and clogging of platelets. This helps in preventing clotting of blood in turn.
4. Cardiovascular Benefits
The habitual consumption of onion lowers high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. This is because of the sulfur compounds, vitamin B6 and chromium in onions. They also help prevent heart diseases by lowering homocysteine levels, one more potential risk factor for stroke and heart attack.
5. Promotes Gastrointestinal Health
The onions are loaded with massive amounts of flavonoids. These flavonoids help reduce risks of colon cancer. It appears that flavonoids slow down tumor growths in animals and protects colon cells from damaging effects of specific cancer-causing material.
6. Good for Skin
The onions aid in stimulating blood circulation in the mucous membrane. This could be applied as poultice to wounds, bruises, boils, etc. Onion juice with honey can also be the best home remedy for bad acne.
7. Reduce Blood Sugar Levels
One of the health benefits of onions is that it lowers the blood sugar level. Onions have allyl propyl disulfide which helps to lessen the glucose level by increasing the insulin amount.
8. Stimulate Hair Growth
Onion has huge amounts of sulfur, one of the essential nutrients that promote hair growth. Applying onion juice to the scalp twice every week for two months will stimulate hair growth.
9. Remedy for Cold and Flu
Onion is a great remedy for flu and cold as well. The Native Americans used onions to ward away the flu and common cold. The World Health Organization, also known as WHO, has recognized onion for the ability to relieve different flu symptoms such as coughs, bronchitis, congestion and respiratory infections.
10. Relieve Tooth Disorders
Onions are capable of killing bacteria which cause tooth decay and many other dental troubles. Chewing on raw onion for at least two to three minutes every day could kill all the germs in the mouth. Placing a small piece of onion on the affected tooth or bad tooth can also help in relieving toothache.
When you buy onions, ensure that you choose the fresh, clean, well shaped, without any opening in the neck. Pass up those which show sprouts or have black mold. These indicate that items are not fresh enough. In addition to that, poor quality onion bulbs often have many soft spots, moisture on their neck along with dark patches, which might all be signs of decay.
