Onions…, Red , Purple ,Yellow, or White … offer far more protection in terms for disease prevention

Have you ever sat in a restaurant and smelled the tantalizing sizzle of sautéed onions moving past to another table? You may wonder why you didn't order the same thing, and resolve to get out some onions and other veggies for your next evening's meal.

But did you know there's a difference between all the onion varieties in the way they impact your health?

Besides the fact that both red and white onions are a low-glycemic food, a new study has determined that red onions are superior in many ways, one of the most important being the dramatic influence they had on study participants' cancer risk.

It also turns out that, among five onion varieties, red onions kill between three and four times more cancer cells than the yellow and white ones.

Alzheimer's, diabetes, etc. and the associated benefits of broccoli/red onions and artichokes and their beautiful quantities of phytonutrient sulfur compounds, antioxidants and polyphenols....A good guy w a gun can stop a bad guy w a gun..similarly it takes a range of electron rich antioxidants to stop electron annihilating oxidative stress (inflammation).

Sulfur compounds supply the precursors for glutathione production (major in-house antioxidant) and DNA/mitochondrial protection...and a multitude of polyphenols trigger various receptors and halt hydroxyl radical catalysis by metals like Fe and Hg....and work best under an electron rich/alkaline terrain...ostensibly via mega C, dosing proportionate to (quantitative) levels of oxidative stress...

You can google Dr. Jaffe/gltathione, father of holistic medicine...or read through these essays for more details;

 www.forbiddenhealingforum.com/forum-comments .

What other nutritional benefits do red onions have compared to white onions? Besides being milder, one advantage is antioxidant activity, which is one reason they have a greater ability to protect against cancer. Health Extremist lists stomach, colorectal, oral, laryngeal, esophageal and ovarian cancers as being types the properties in red onions help reduce. In fact, stomach cancer risk was cut in half. While both red and white onions help to thin your blood, red onions are better at it due to their rich flavonoid presence.

One more bit of wisdom: The outside skins of onions contain the highest nutrients.

If you should remove the two outermost layers, you'd also be removing 75 percent of the anthocyanin content, which you do not want to do.

Scientists suggest eating at least one red onion per week to get the most nutritional benefit. There are numerous delicious ways to do this:

Cut them up in cold salads, slice them for a colorful, zippy layer on a cheeseburger and toss them into your sautéed veggies.

Quercitin, Anthocyanins and Other Disease-Fighting Compounds

A plethora of studies have already determined that quercetin helps lower heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure risks. It also helps reduce the rate at which cancer cells grow, particularly ovarian, prostate, endometrial, breast, colon and lung tumors.

 If you're an onion lover, you'll be happy to know that red onions provide 25 percent of the flavonols you need per day, according to a chart produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Onions contain about 25 different anthocyanins, Health Extremist5 reports. This is the plant pigment that supports the onion's free radical scavenging activities.

Free radicals are partial molecules responsible for inflammation leading to other health damaging conditions, as they steal electrons from many of your body's proteins, damage your DNA and cause numerous aspects of other serious disease.

Anthocyanins are the compounds responsible for the dark red, purple and blue colors in fruits and vegetables. In fact, they are so powerful that many scientists recommend eating dark-hued vegetables —

red cabbage, purple grapes, blackberries, kale, strawberries, blueberries and beets, for example — for this very reason; they contain more of this compound. As Health.com explains:

"The researchers recently found that onions are effective at killing breast cancer cells, as well. They say that onions appear to disrupt communication between cancer cells and promote an unfavorable environment for their growth, encouraging them to die. The next step, they add, will be testing these theories in human trials."

Allicin is another compound found in members of the allium family, which includes onions, leeks, shallots, scallions and the herbs garlic and chives. When they're cut or crushed, the allicin produced has also been found to be heart-protective, to lower blood pressure and both prevent and treat cancer.

Organically-Grown Onions: They More Nutritious

activity was higher in Red Baron and Hyskin organic onion varieties, and the flavonols were as much as 20 percent higher in the organic veggies.

Naturally, it's good to know what other nutritional benefits come from red onions. Heal With Food says that just half of a red onion has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent several disorders and diseases, many of them related, such as:

·        Prevention and control of intestinal polyp formation

·        Inhibiting the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold

·        Treating psoriasis

·        Slowing the replication of such viruses as the herpes simplex virus that leads to cold sores

·        Reducing the risk of stomach cancer by 50 percent

In Case You're Looking for More

Chromium, a trace mineral, is yet another compound contained in onions that is able to control glucose levels, Heal With Food says.

"This is great news for those who suffer from insulin resistance as chromium is an essential for insulin activity in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. A lack of chromium-rich foods, such as onions, in diet may lead to insulin resistance and impaired blood sugar control and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, there is some evidence suggesting that severe chromium deficiency may make weight loss more difficult or even cause weight gain."

Fiber is a very important component to your diet, and onions don't disappoint. While you need both soluble and insoluble fibre, and most foods provide both, red (or purple) onions contain more soluble than insoluble fiber. Healthy Eating has a good explanation for why it's so important:

"Soluble fiber attracts fluid in your gut, creating a slow-moving gel. This slows digestion, which allows vitamins and minerals to absorb through intestinal walls. Insoluble fiber from the skins of onions sweeps out your gut like a broom and helps you have regular bowel movements.

According to the Colorado State University Extension, you need 14 grams of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, you need 28 grams of daily fiber. Purple onions offer about 1.5 grams per 1/2-cup raw serving."

Minimal heating keeps most of the healthy compounds in onions, but the more they're heated, the more of the nutrition they lose.

The George Mateljan Foundation, dedicated to the healthiest ways to cook and eat, says that sautéing or steaming onions, the most recommended methods, follow three basic guidelines from the annals of food science research in terms of retaining the most nutrients possible, and they're very simple and straightforward:

·        Minimal heat exposure

·        Minimal cooking duration

·        Minimal contact with cooking liquid

One more thing: Vitamin C, another abundant nutrient in raw red onions, does several important jobs throughout your body. It helps wounds heal and allows for greater elasticity, helps to build collagen and has antioxidant capabilities that expand the free radical-fighting job done by flavonoids.

Women need 75 milligrams (mg) per day, but men require 90 mg a day.

Luckily, it's not a difficult task, no matter how you prepare your onions, as you get about 12 mg in a single half-cup serving.

References

·         Self Nutrition Data Raw Onions 2014

·         Food Res Int. 2017 June;96:12-18

·         Health Extremist April 7, 2013

·         USDA Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods

·         Health.com June 9, 2017

·         Science Daily June 14, 2017

·          Heal With Food 2010-2017

·          Healthy Eating

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Thank you for reading …..An onion can make you cry but there’s never been a vegetable that can make you laugh.