There’s no need to cry over spilled milk, but what about chopped onions?
Today, onions are a staple in the cuisine of cultures worldwide.
Onions are cooked as a vegetable side dish, prepared as part of soups, stews, and sauces, eaten raw or used to make relishes, pickles, and chutneys.
The onion comes from the large lily family and the extensive Allium genus.
How can you identify one?
If you crush it and you cry, it’s an allium. Sulfur compounds concentrated in the tissue of the onion are responsible for this reaction.
Of the several hundred alliums in the world, most are wild species that have from time to time been gathered and eaten.
The cultivated alliums — the ones sold in our markets — need no further introduction.
Commonly used as a flavoring or side dish, onions are a staple food in many cuisines. They can be baked, boiled, grilled, fried, roasted, sautéed, powdered, or eaten raw.
You can thank a chemical combination of enzymes and sulfur for the tears that well up while you make dinner.
The acids and enzymes are separated and stored in different regions of the onion’s cells, which are called vacuoles. While the onion remains whole, the amino acids and enzymes in the onion’s cells remain separated.
Once you cut into the onion, however, everything mixes together. When the two substances are combined, they form a chemical known as syn-Propanetriol-S-oxide, or lachrymatory factor (LF).
LF is an irritant that’s easily vaporized when it reacts with the air.
LF isn’t strong enough to affect tougher parts of your body such as your skin, but it can irritate more sensitive regions.
As the vapors waft up toward your face, your eyes will begin to sting. Your body — sensing the irritant — will release a torrent of tears in an attempt to wash the chemicals from your eyes. Luckily, LF can’t do any serious damage, even in high quantities.
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Thank you ….Producing LF is the onion’s way of defending against anything that may want to eat it. As soon as an animal bites into the root, its eyes start to burn and it’s reminded to stay away from onions. Unfortunately for onions, humans are persistent.
In an old English Rhyme, the thickness of an onion skin was thought to help predict the severity of the upcoming winter. Thin skins mean a mild winter is coming while thick skins indicate a rough winter ahead.
Eating parsley will help get rid of that pesky onion breath! Note to self.
Turns out that onions are nothing to cry over — these flavorful bulbs are packed with nutrients.
Onions are super-healthy. They are excellent sources of vitamin C, sulphuric compounds, flavonoids and phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals, or phytonutrients, are naturally occurring compounds in fruits and vegetables that are able to react with the human body to trigger healthy reactions.
Flavonoids are responsible for pigments in many fruits and vegetables.
Do you want to add a word or two?….
Sulfides in onions contain necessary amino acids. Sulfur is one of the most common minerals in our body that assists with protein synthesis and building of cell structures.
I like to recommend eating onions because they add flavor without salt and sugar. Onions are low in calories 45 per serving, very low in sodium, and contain no fat or cholesterol.
Onions contain fiber and folic acid, a B vitamin that helps the body make healthy new cells.
Onions are healthy whether they’re raw or cooked, though raw onions have higher levels of organic sulfur compounds that provide many benefits.
There is a high concentration of flavonoids in the outer layers of onion flesh, so you’ll want to be careful to remove as little of the edible part of the onion as possible when peeling it.
Onions contain flavonoids, unique compounds found in plants that also have health benefits.
They contain mainly the bioactive compound quercetin, which has been implemented as an antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory compound.
Besides flavor, onions do not contribute much to the diet.
Onions are not very nutrient dense. One cup of chopped onion contains 234 mg of potassium, compared to about 537 mg in a banana. One cup is a lot of onions!.
The quercetin in onions may also help prevent plaque buildup in the arteries, caused by mounting cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Digestion
The fiber in onions promotes good digestion and helps keep you regular. Additionally, onions contain a special type of soluble fiber called oligo fructose, which promotes good bacteria growth in your intestines.
To my knowledge oligo fructose may help prevent and treat types of diarrhea. The phytochemicals in onions that scavenge free radicals may also reduce your risk of developing gastric ulcers.
The chromium in onions assists in regulating blood sugar. The sulfur in onions helps lower blood sugar by triggering increased insulin production.
Your Comments….
Perhaps you’ve already cultivated onions in your garden but have been somewhat disappointed by a less than thrilling harvest of small bulbs.
It may not be your soil or growing technique that’s at fault. You may have started with the wrong onion.
Bulbs vary in size, shape, color, and pungency dependent on soil conditions and growing temperatures. Warmer growing areas tend to produce a milder and sweeter flavored onion.
Each different type of onion presents flavor and texture attributes or growing condition requirements that make it the best type of onion for your particular growing conditions.
Onions are the last thing you should be putting in Rover’s bowl. That’s because onions can weaken a dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia that, in severe cases, could result in death.
Symptoms of anemia in your dog include weakness, vomiting, loss of appetite, dullness and breathlessness, so watch out for these if your pet somehow manages to eat a bag of onions when you’re not looking.
Commonly used as a flavoring or side dish, onions are a staple food in many cuisines. They can be baked, boiled, grilled, fried, roasted, sautéed, or powdered.
Onions vary in size, shape, and color, but the most common types are white, yellow, and red. The taste ranges from mild and sweet to sharp and spicy, depending on the variety and season.
Onions can also be consumed when immature before the bulb reaches full size. They are then called scallions, spring onions, or summer onions.
I consider ONIONS as Heroes.
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