| While onion's health promoting abilities have long | | | | While chopping onions may make you cry, their |
| been recognized, it's only recently that their | | | | considerable cardiovascular benefits should bring a |
| considerable curative abilities have been | | | | smile beneath your tears. Like garlic, onion |
| conclusively demonstrated and thus their elevation | | | | consumption has been shown to lower high |
| to Superfood status. | | | | cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Onions, |
| Onions are a major source of two phytonutrients | | | | along with tea, apples and broccoli --the richest |
| that play a significant role in health promotion: | | | | dietary sources of flavonoids- have been shown |
| flavonoids and the mixture of over fifty | | | | to reduce the risk of heart disease by 20% in a |
| sulfur-containing compounds. The two flavonoid | | | | recent meta-analysis that reviewed the dietary |
| subgroups found in onions are the anthocyanins | | | | patterns and health of over 100,000 individuals. |
| that impart a red/purple colour to some varieties, | | | | From a health promotion standpoint, the most |
| and the flavanols such as quercetin and its | | | | pungent onions pack the biggest wallop. In one |
| derivatives that are responsible for the yellow | | | | test of the flavonoid content of onions, shallots |
| flesh and brown skins of many varieties of onions. | | | | had six times the amount found in Vidalia onions, |
| The flavonols are concentrated in the skin of | | | | the onion with the lowest phenolic content. |
| most onions where they contribute to the colour | | | | Shallots also had the most antioxidant activity. |
| of the vegetable. | | | | Western Yellow onions had the most flavonoids - |
| We now know that the health promoting | | | | 11 times the amount found in Western White, the |
| compounds in onion, like those in garlic, are | | | | type with the lowest flavonoids content. All types |
| separated by cell walls. Slicing an onion ruptures | | | | of onions are good additions to your diet but try |
| these walls and releases the compounds which | | | | to choose the stronger tasting ones when |
| then combine to form a powerful new compound: | | | | appropriate to your recipe. |
| thiopropanal sulfoxide. In addition to mitigating | | | | Regular consumption of onions has also been |
| various diseases, this substance also gives cut | | | | associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. It's |
| onions their pungent aroma and their ability to | | | | believed that the flavonoid quercetin in onions is |
| make us cry. | | | | the protective factor as it's been shown to stop |
| To get the most health benefits from onions, let | | | | the growth of tumours in animals, and to protect |
| them sit for five to ten minutes after cutting and | | | | colon cells from the negative effects of some |
| before cooking. Heat will deactivate the | | | | cancer-promoting substances. There's also |
| thiopropanal sulfoxide and you want to give it | | | | evidence that onions may lower the risk of |
| time to fully develop and concentrate before | | | | cancer of the brain, oesophagus, lung and |
| heating. | | | | stomach. |