Hey peeps…I’m back, took some time off to go begin the
compulsory service of my great nation Nigeria. Well I had a swirl time in camp,
met new people, ate new foods e.g. danwake..lol, was in a new environment all
out of my comfort zone. However, there was a surprising alien dietary
characteristic I observed of my new friends and a lot of people while in
camp….
”They had onion-phobia”! I would be very frank with you, I’m not sure if
there is an actually word as onion-phobia but that’s what I’m going to coin
this personally alien dietary characteristic I noticed as all through this post.
In my own words onion-phobia is simply the fear of onions
a.k.a. Alalubosa (Yoruba), Alobass
(Igbo), Pyaz or Dungri (Hindi). I was
shell shocked the first time I heard of this situation because two questions
kept ringing through my mind which are:
- How does someone escape eating onions?
And
- Who actually fears the harmless onion bulb?
This observed dietary characteristic was not an allergy I
must note, it was just a perception, a mindset which could have been born out
of maybe the fact that onions had pungent smell, could irate the eyes most times
especially when cut or were not as eye catching as maybe tomatoes and its
peers.
Well I put together this post on 30 astonishing health
benefits of onions in your diet, after a lot of deep thought and research so
those with this so called onion-phobia would realize just how amazing and
nutritiously enriched for a very healthy life this harmless vegetable onion
really is.
The Onion Basics
As mentioned above onions or bulb onions are vegetables and
are called a lot of names depending on the language you speak actually (few
mentioned above). They belong to the;
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amarylidaceae
Subfamily: Alloideae
Genus: Allium
Species: A. cepa
Not everyone however knows just how important these
beautiful veggies are for health (both old and young). They can be cooked in
almost all recipes, also consumed directly and although their pungent odour
might put you away, I assure you it’s really worth it in the end. In fact daily
inclusions of onions in diets or if eaten raw helps curb to a large extent your
susceptibility as a person to many diseases and infections. If you are sick and
you are looking for a quick and thoroughly effective home remedy, then the
onion bulb is really your best bet.
Onions are your best bet in that they are blessed with a lot
of chemicals which would keep you away from illness while also containing great
detoxification properties which help you glow almost at all times.
Types of onions
Well here are the types of onions you should know:
 |
| Red Onions |
 |
| Yellow onions |
 |
| White Onions |
 |
| Spring Onions |
 |
| Pearl Onions |
 |
| Scallions |
 |
| Vidalias |
 |
| Ramps |
 |
| Shallots |
 |
| Cippolini Onions |
 |
| Leeks |
The only ones you probably know about at this stage would be
the white, red and yellow onions. If you know more you’re kind of like an onion
expert of sorts but they are actually the most famous of the bunch when it
comes to this species and it is said that the white onions actually work better
than the red onions. Yellow onions however would be very acceptable alternative
but white onions with latin name Allium Cepa seems to work best.
30 astonishing health benefits of onions in your diet
#30 - "Almighty onions" contains proteins, fats, iron, calcium,
mineral, starch, water, vitamin c, vitamin B complex and fibres. So its
consumption should be optimum at about 100-150grams in any form possible
depending on your likes or dislikes
#29 - Onion contains chromium which helps in regulating your
blood sugar.
#28 - Onions remove or inactivate free radicals, thereby
reducing your risks of developing gastric ulcers.
#27 - Raw onions whether consumed directly on from a meal
stimulates the production of good cholesterol (HDL) in your body, thus giving
you a healthy heart.
#26 - Due to it being the richest dietary source of
quicertenin a powerful flavanoid, onion helps in fighting asthma.
#25 - Onions have antiseptic, carminative, antibiotic and
antimicrobial properties which help you stay away from various infections.
#24 - Having issues sleeping a.k.a. sleeping disorders or
resting clutters? An Onion a day at
least will surely help give you a decent night’s sleep.
#23 – One of the most famous health benefits of onions is
its ability to be a fast cure for your cough, cold, sore throats and allergies.
For best results a mixture of onion juice and honey would cure these problems
easily.
#22 - Daily consumption of onions keeps you safe from
Osteoporosis a disease where decreased bone strength increases the risk of a
broken bone and Atherosclerosis a disease in which plaque builds up inside your
arteries.
#21 - Onion juice can perfectly remove a few types of moles
which are growths on your skin appearing black or brown and are caused when
cells in the skin grow in a cluster like fashion instead of spreading
throughout the skin.
#20 - As stated above they contain loads of chemicals
including vitamin C, vitamin B, Sulphur, Potassium, Fibres, e.t.c. while also
being low in sodium, cholesterol and fat. Take a close look at the detailed
onion nutrition chart below:
#19 - Onion juice can cure skin burns as well as bites from
bees and insects generally. When applied
it may burn more but it’ll however heal it very effectively.
#18 - Having dark patches or pigments on your face? Look no
further as one of the well known tricks to remove dark patches or pigments
involves applying turmeric juice and onions to the affected area.
#17 - Onions can heal inflammations from arthritis in the
joints.
#16 - Onion juice can also heal ear and eye issues. This Juice is utilized for newborn children
as eye drops for clear vision.
#15 - The juice from onion is likewise utilized in cases of
tooth decay and toothaches.
#14 - Onions would enhance your digestive system. In a
situation where you have a digestive problem, onions help cure it by causing a
rise in the free flow of digestion juices.
#13 - Consumption of raw onions few days before the start of
your menstrual cycle helps cure menstrual disorders.
#12 - A small piece of onion can conflict with symptoms of
fever on the off chance that it is kept on the forehead for some time.
#11 - Daily consumption of onions also helps prevent
depression as it contains folate which prevents an excess of homocysteine from
forming in the body.
#10 - As well as depression, daily consumption of onions
would help regulate your apetite.
#9 - No matter how gross it may sound, using onion juice on
your hair or scalp helps to effectively dispose of lice and hair fall. This is
a standout advantage amongst the advantages of onions for hair.
#8 - Taking a slice of freshly sliced onions and placing it
directly under your nose presents a very effective way of stopping or slowing
down your nose bleeds. The natural fumes from the onions help clot the blood
effectively. Another way to go about this is by getting some cotton wool,
soaking it with onion juice and placing it in the nostrils for about 3-5 minutes.
#7 - Onions work to prevent or inhibit various cancers
including neck, colon and head cancers.
#6 - There is a small onion trick, this one would help you
get relief from your incessant body pains and
involves frying onions in castor or sesame oil, this can actually be
used in healing any aches.
#5 - Onions have been shown to be the richest dietary source
of Quicertenin a powerful flavanoid with the ability of lowering your cholesterol,
thinning your blood and chronic bronchitis
#4 - For decent memory and a solid nervous system consuming
onions is your most solid option.
#3 - Onions have revival properties on the body tissues.
#2 - This unassumingly, beautiful veggie can give you a
sound and shining skin because of its rich vein of antioxidants or cancer
prevention agents Vitamins A, C and E. Both the oral consumption and the
topical use of onions can give various advantages to your skin.
#1 - Onions possess a lot of anti-ageing health
benefits. It is one of the wealthiest
wellsprings of quercetin, the most effective cell reinforcement that can keep
your skin without winkles. The abundance of antioxidants like vitamins A, C, E
also play huge role by battling against the harm brought about by the harmful
ultraviolet beams and additionally anticipate free radical harm that is in
charge of creating untimely maturing of your skin. Vitamins and sulphur which
are very important constituents of onions then again, secure your skin and keep
it delicate and supple. However the anti ageing characteristics of onions can
be credited to the availability of sulphur-rich phytochemicals. Meanwhile
Carefully massaging your skin with onion juice would expand the blood flow
while enhancing the general appearance of your skin by conferring a more young,
radiant and brilliant appearance.
Shocking onion bonus tip
These shocking onion bonus tips might not really concern
the health benefits of the “almighty onion” in your diet but mainly on how
onion probably lying bare in your kitchen could save you top dollar especially
with some domestic chores and all…you like the sound of that right?...let’s
delve right in…
Onion to help remove Odours…
You must be having a laugh right now, I don’t blame you
really because as ironic as it seems onions with all its pungent odour can actually
do a job or two in helping remove odours from say your bathroom and I’ve
experienced this first hand and would narrate my ordeal and the result.
So on a certain day I was busy scouring the Internet for
juicy topics and new home remedies I can adopt to add to my ever impressive
growing list of home remedies, and that was when I got to a page that read “Onions
to remove Odours”….my first inkling on reading the header for the article was
WTF another scam home remedy because there actually are! I was wondering how on
this earth onions with all their horrible smell could ever be able to actually
remove odours .… very rhetoric right
Anyways I had been complaining about my toilet having a very
bad sceptic smell, in fact there were already plans set in motion to change something’s
in there because the smell didn’t just want to leave after countless flushing’s
and cleaning and by the way I’m extremely sensitive to smell..lol. I was having my alone time and a funny thought
crossed my mind why can’t I think or find a completely natural way of removing
the smell…as I wanted to begin my researched I remembered all I read on the
almighty onions. So I decided to put it to the test once and for all!
That night, I sliced 1 white onion in half, placed both half
of the onion in a bowl and left overnight. The onion smell at first was very
strong as usual and I was having second thoughts as I said I’m extremely smell
sensitive, but it wasn’t that bad ( think I dreamt of onions all night…lol).
The next morning was like a judgement day of sorts, nothing would stop me from
tearing down my toilet because I guess I had tried everything humanly possible
and truth be told I gave this onion challenge about 90% to fail but to my
complete amazement, there was no more onion smell, and guess what, the dreaded
sceptic smell was mystically gone!!! It was a total huge sigh of relief… and I
had the almighty onion to thank for that.
Ever tried the sock onion?
Well the sock onion is a modern day version of Ayurveda
poultice which was performed in the 1990’s when certain individuals in Europe
used onions to successfully fight off the plague. It involves cutting the white
onion in half and placing one half on the bottom of each foot so that the cut
onion is against the skin. Place a sock on top of the onion so it stays secure
in place and then leave the “Onion sock” on overnight.
This is especially good
and effective for flu’s and fevers.
There would surely be other shocking benefits of onions as these we’ve
observed in our various homes, this was my experience. If you’ve experienced any
other shocking benefit of the “almighty onions” whether knowingly or
unknowingly please you could just share by using the post a comment link below
this post.
Conclusion
The importance and benefits be it health wise or
domestically of onions or the “almighty onion” as I’ll love to call it cannot
be overstated. Having the so called onion-phobia shouldn’t at this point be a
brain barrier you want to really have considering the benefits you’re missing
from this relatively cheap, very easy to acquire vegetable.
So even if you’re afraid of the harmless onions, you should
just try to get over your fears or better still incorporate it into your meals
gradually or in smaller bits and I’d implore my new friends especially to get
over my lovely onion…lol
Your Turn
Do you have any questions or contributions? Share your
thoughts by leaving a comment; just click on the post a comment link right
below this article and I’ll be happy to reply you as soon as possible. And
don’t forget folks to share this with both your onion-phobic friends and others
alike on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and what have you.
