Nutritional value of onions

Nutritional value of onions

Onion seems to have a very fashionable name, but in fact, many families in China have the habit of eating onions.

Onion Introduction

Onion is a herbaceous plant of the Liliaceae family, a biennial or perennial plant, and a very common and inexpensive home-cooked vegetable. It is native to western Asia and is cultivated in various parts of my country and is available all year round. The edible part of onion is the underground fleshy bulb (i.e. onion head). According to its skin color, it can be divided into three types: white skin, yellow skin and red skin:

1. White-skinned species: The bulb is small, white or slightly green in appearance, the flesh is tender, the juice is spicy and the leaves are light, the quality is good, and it is suitable for eating raw.

2. Yellow-skinned species: The bulb is medium-sized, the scales are thin, the outer skin is yellow, the flesh is white with yellow, the flesh is tender and soft, with less water, and the taste is sweet and slightly spicy, with excellent quality.

3. Red-skinned species: The bulb is large, the outer skin is purple-red or dark pink, the flesh is white with red, the tissue is dense, the texture is crisper, the flesh is not as tender as the yellow-skinned species, it has more water, a stronger spiciness, and poorer quality, but it is resistant to storage.

Chinese people are often afraid of its unique spicy aroma, but abroad it is known as the "Queen of Vegetables" and has high nutritional value.

The quality requirements for onions are: large onions, shiny skin, not rotten, free of mechanical damage and dirt, fresh onions without leaves; after storage, they should not be soft or sprouting, have tight scales, low water content, and have strong spicy and sweet taste.

Onion nutritional value

1. Onions have the effect of dispelling wind and cold because onion bulbs and leaves contain a kind of oily volatile substance called propylene sulfide, which has a spicy taste. This substance can resist cold and influenza virus and has a strong bactericidal effect;

2. Onions are rich in nutrients and have a pungent smell. They can stimulate the secretion of the stomach, intestines and digestive glands, increase appetite and promote digestion. Onions do not contain fat, and their essential oils contain a mixture of sulfur compounds that can lower cholesterol. They can be used to treat indigestion, loss of appetite, food stagnation and other symptoms.

3. Onions are the only food known to contain prostaglandin A. Prostaglandin A can dilate blood vessels and reduce blood viscosity, thus lowering blood pressure, reducing peripheral blood vessels and increasing blood flow in coronary arteries, and preventing thrombosis. It can counteract the effects of pressor substances such as catecholamines in the human body, and promote the excretion of sodium salt, thereby lowering blood pressure. Regular consumption has a health-care effect on patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

4. Onions have a certain refreshing effect. They can help cells better utilize glucose, lower blood sugar, and provide heat energy to brain cells. They are a good vegetable for patients with diabetes and mental depression.

5. Onions contain a substance called "quercetin"9, which is one of the most effective natural anti-cancer substances known so far. It can prevent the biochemical mechanism in the body from mutating and control the growth of cancer cells, thus having an anti-cancer effect;

6. The trace element selenium contained in onions is a strong antioxidant that can eliminate free radicals in the body, enhance cell vitality and metabolic capacity, and has the effect of preventing cancer and anti-aging;

7. Onions also contain a certain amount of calcium. In recent years, Swiss scientists have found that eating onions regularly can increase bone density and help prevent and treat osteoporosis.

8. Onions contain phytoncide such as allicin, which has strong bactericidal ability. Chewing raw onions can prevent colds.

Onion edible effects

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that onions are sweet, slightly spicy, warm in nature, and enter the liver, spleen, stomach, and lung meridians;

It can moisten the intestines, regulate qi and stomach, strengthen spleen and promote appetite, dispel wind and cold, warm the middle and promote yang, help digestion and digestion, refresh the mind and strengthen the body, and disperse blood stasis and detoxify;

It is mainly used to treat exogenous wind-cold with no juice, nasal congestion, food stagnation, poor appetite, indigestion, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, dysentery and other symptoms.

Onion is suitable for people

It is edible for most people.

1. It is especially suitable for patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, acute and chronic enteritis, dysentery and indigestion.

2. Don’t eat too much onion at one time, as it can easily cause blurred vision and fever. Also, people with itchy skin diseases, eye diseases, stomach diseases, lung and stomach inflammation should eat less onion. Onion is pungent and warm, so patients with fever should be careful when eating it.

3. The spicy taste of onions can irritate the eyes. If you suffer from eye diseases or eye congestion, you should not cut onions.

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