If the onion is not puffed while cooking the tadka and does not have its place in the salad, then the taste of the food is not there. Of course, there is definitely water in the eyes when cutting it, but there are no match to the countless benefits of eating it. Especially, in summer it is said that eating onions does not cause heatstroke. You will be surprised to know that onion is not only full of heat, but is also able to protect against diseases like diabetes and cancer.
What is onion?
Originally, onion has been considered a vegetable. It is not only eaten in India, but is eaten globally. Its scientific name is Allium cepa. It is called by different names in different languages. In Hindi it is also known as Kanda and Dungri along with Onion, while Ullipayalu / Yera Gaddalu / Nirulli in Telugu, Vaigayam in Tamil, Savannah in Malayalam, Ulligadde / Erulli / Neeruli in Kannada, Pinyaz in Bengali, Dungari in Gujarati / Kanda and is called Kanda in Marathi. Onion plant has blue and green leaves.
Onion is used in cooking. At the same time, it can be eaten raw and its sauce and pickle is also made. Its taste is pungent and sharp. It can be grown easily in any kind of weather. If we talk about its plant, scientists consider it as a stem, which lives inside the ground. This helps the plant to grow properly.
Do you know what kinds of onions are there, if not then here we are telling.
Types of onions:-
Many onion species are found worldwide. However, it is not possible to tell them all here, so some specific types are mentioned.
Yellow Onion: Its pulp is white in color, while its outer layer is brown. Its aroma is like sulfur.
Sweet Onion: Its outer layer is lighter and less opaque and it is slightly thicker.
White Onion: It is white in appearance from outside. It also has a slightly sweet taste compared to other onions.
Red Onion: It is mildly sweet to eat and can be eaten raw. Its outer layer is of magenta color.
Shallots: It is small in size. Its outer layer is brown and the inner pulp is purple.
Green Onion: This onion is not fully grown.
Leak: Its lower round part is short, while the stem is long. It is used in making sauces or soups.
Are onions good for your health?
Onion is beneficial for health in every sense. Whether you eat it raw or by adding it to the vegetable. It is considered a good source of folate, iron, potassium and vitamin C and B6. It also contains manganese, which protects you from colds and colds.
It contains essential phytochemicals such as allium and allele disulfide, which are converted to allicin. Numerous scientific studies have found that an element called allicin is capable of combating cancer and diabetes (1). Onion can control intravenous inflammation and blood pressure.
Onion also contains an element called quercetin, which acts as an antioxidant (2). Due to this property, onion can reduce inflammation in the body. Even the oil extracted from onion is beneficial. This oil also has antioxidant, antiseptic and antibacterial properties (3). Of course, onion is beneficial and helps in staying healthy, but it cannot cure any serious disease. It can only help in reducing symptoms and recovering from the disease.
What better way to eat onion - raw or cooked?
It depends on your choice whether you eat raw onion or cook it. If we talk about raw onion, then there is a lot of organic sulfur in it, which has many benefits. According to a scientific study, the outer layer of onion pulp contains more flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties. Therefore, while cutting the onion, you should remove this layer sparingly. It is beneficial for you in many cases (4).
At the same time, the amount of fiber and copper is found in cooked onions. While fiber helps improve the digestive system, copper is good for brain development. Even onion pickle is considered beneficial for health. It is important to mention here that some companies add chemical to onion pickle, which is harmful for health. In this sense, onion can be eaten both raw and cooked.
The benefits of onion are being talked further in the article.
Benefits of onion
1. diabetes
Through scientific studies done on mice, it has been confirmed that onion juice can control blood sugar. According to the study, onion contains chromium, due to which it is beneficial for diabetic patients. It also has sulfur, quercetin, and antidiabetic properties, which can have a positive effect on blood sugar (5). Therefore, a limited amount of onions can be consumed daily to avoid problems like diabetes. At the same time, if someone is suffering from diabetes, he should take onion on the advice of the doctor along with diabetes medicine.
2. Cancer
According to scientists, onions have the ability to prevent the cells that cause breast and stomach cancer from growing. Onions are high in quercetin and anthocyanin. Quercetin acts as an antioxidant. Antioxidants prevent the formation of free radicals in the body, which reduces the risk of getting cancer. Therefore, consuming onions does not give the cancerous bacteria a chance to flourish in the body. Mouth cancer can also be avoided by consuming onions (6). It has also been found that people who consume more onions, their chances of getting cancer decreases manifold. Thus, prevention of cancer is among the benefits of eating onions. Here we make it clear that cancer is a fatal disease. If someone is suffering from cancer, they should be treated by a doctor.
3. Digestive system
The medicinal properties of onions also improve the digestive system. Ripe onions are high in fiber, which can eliminate problems like constipation and gas. If there is no problem of constipation, then the digestive system will work properly. This fiber found in onions is called oligofructose (7). It helps the good bacteria to grow in the intestines, so that the intestine can function properly. Not only this, oligofructose can also prove beneficial in a problem like diarrhea.
Phytochemicals found in onions can significantly reduce the effects of gastric ulcers. Onions also contain some natural probiotics, which can help relieve constipation (8). Apart from this, it can also relieve problems like stomach ache and stomach worms, but more research is needed on this.
4. Better Heart Health
The quercetin property found in onions is also good for the heart. It has antioxidant as well as anti inflammatory properties, which can make the heart function better. Onion can also balance cholesterol levels, which are essential for heart health. According to a Cambridge University Press report, onions contain flavonoids, which can reduce LDL ie bad cholesterol levels in obese people (9).
Onions can prevent platelets from sticking to each other in the blood, so as not to clot blood and reduce the risk of heart attack. Apart from this, onion also controls high blood pressure, which is not good for the heart.
5. Strong bones
According to research, onions can reduce the risk of osteoporosis (weakening of bones) with aging. At the same time, according to another study, women who eat onions daily have their bones five percent stronger than women who do not eat onions (10) . Also, eating onions of women above 50 years of age has a positive effect on bones.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, quercetin found in onions is so effective that it may reduce the effects of leukotriene, prostaglandins and histamine. All these cause inflammation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (11). Apart from this, eating onions can also relieve joint pain. Bone strength is also on the list of onion's medicinal properties.
6. Relief of inflammation and allergy
As you have already known, onions contain an element called quercetin, which can help reduce inflammation. In addition, quercetin also has a property called antihistamine, which can help you fight allergies. It is believed that if onions are used in food, sinus problems can be overcome (12). If you eat raw onion at night, the compound called sulfur in it can help to flush out the mucus.
Onions also have antibacterial properties. Consuming its juice may reduce the effects of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus bacteria that cause tooth decay and allergies (13). Therefore, one of the advantages of eating onion is to reduce inflammation.
7.Better immune system
Vitamin-C is needed for a healthy immune system and the phytochemicals present in onions work to increase vitamin C in the body. Onions also contain selenium, which can improve the immune system. Taking onion increases the amount of vitamin C in the body. Vitamin-C eliminates free radicals present in the immune system and clears toxins (14).
8. Mouth Health
It is known that after eating raw onion, it starts to smell bad, but you would not know that raw onion is very important for the health of the mouth. It contains two sulfur compounds called thiosulfrates and thiosulfonates, which can eliminate bacteria that rot on the teeth. Onion contains vitamin-C, which is necessary for the health of teeth. Not only this, onions can also help prevent oral cancer from growing (15).
9. Ear Pain Relief
It is believed that ear pain can be cured with onion. For this, the juice of the onion is heated and poured into the affected ear. There are many other domestic ways in which earache can be cured by using onions.
Note: There has been little scientific research in this regard and it is difficult to say clearly whether onion is right for ear pain (16). You must ask a good ear doctor before using it.
10. For the eyes
The relation of onions and eyes is also strange. Water is released from the eyes after cutting it, then the eyesight gets sharper when eaten. Consumption of onion produces glutathione in the body, which is a type of protein. It acts as an antioxidant. Excess of glutathione in the body i.e. black and white cataract and other eye related diseases (17). Onion also contains selenium, due to which the body gets enough vitamin-E and vitamin-E is necessary for the eyes. Therefore, it can be said that the benefits of eating onions are also to increase eyesight.
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