Cry me a river but am worth it.

Did you know that the ancient Egyptians used onions as currency to pay people who built the pyramids? The Greeks used onions to get their athletes ready for the Olympics and one of the foods that the children of Israel missed most was onions? ("We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic." Numbers 11:5)

Ancient civilizations used onions for both culinary and medicinal properties and maybe we can learn something from them.

Good for bones and connective tissues

Research shows that frequent consumption of onions prevent bone loss. This is very beneficial especially for women of menopausal age as it could reduce the incidences of bone and hip fractures.

Many of the components of the connective tissues require sulfur for their formation and onions are very good sources of sulfur.

Good for Asthma and allergies

The sulfurs and the quercetin (an antioxidant) in onions prevent immune cells from releasing chemicals that cause allergic reactions known as histamines. This makes onions good antihistamines (help reduce symptoms of allergies). The next time you have a bad cold, runny nose, watery eyes etc, try some onion soup.

Cancer prevention

Onions have shown to protect against some cancers including; colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer. For one to get those benefits, half of an onion should be consumed 5-6 times a week. However, you cannot just eat onions to protect yourself from cancer and other diseases. At the end of the day, a well balanced diet goes a long way in protecting your body from disease.

Immune system

Any food that has antioxidants helps your body fight infections better and strengthens your immune system.

Digestion

The fiber in onions plays a part in ensuring smooth digestion. Onions also have a special type of fiber called oligofructose which promotes good intestinal bacteria growth.

Most people consume considerable amounts of onions a day but most of the times we fry the onions till they become golden brown then add the other food ingredients. For medicinal benefits, raw onions are recommended. Because it is hard to just chew and swallow raw onions, I tell my clients to cook them in soup or bake them.

Soups are an ideal way to consume onions because you get to add other vegetables to the soup making it even healthier. To get the best out of onions, don’t over peel them. The flavonoids (plant pigments with protective properties) in onion tend to be more concentrated in the outer layers of the flesh. For example, a red onion can lose about 20% of its quercetin and almost 75% of its anthocyanins (an antioxidant) if it is over peeled.

Also, avoid frying onions. Add the onions to the soup after you have added water. That way, if the nutrients leave the onions they seep into the soup and are not lost.