ONION

Onions can certainly bring a tear out of your eye, and leave an unpleasant odor in your mouth,
but it will definitely supply your body with valuable nutrients. Onion, or Latin Allium cepa, is
a round-shaped vegetable, white inside covered with dry, paper-thin, red, brown, or white
skin. It has been a favorite ingredient of cuisines around the world since ancient times.

ONION AND HEALTH

Most of the active components of onions are sulfur components, such as allyl propyl disulfide
(APSD), a component to which we can "thank" the characteristic smell and taste of onions,
and flavonoids, especially quercetin. Furthermore, onions are a good source of chromium and
vitamin C. Onions are most often mentioned in the context of maintaining cardiovascular
health. It is believed to help reduce elevated blood cholesterol and homocysteine levels and to
reduce high blood pressure. Onions have long been known and recognized as a natural
antibiotic and antipyretic. These properties are the result of the synergistic action of vitamin
C, quercetin and isothiocyanates present in onions, which is why onions are a particularly
desirable food in the period of colds and flu. The results of experimental and clinical trials
suggest that onion is a desirable food on the diabetic menu as well. The component present in
onions, allyl propyl disulfide, is thought to cause a decrease in blood glucose levels by
increasing the amount of free insulin available.

Nutritional value of fresh chopped onion: 1 cup, 61 kcal

Nutrient Amount
Chromium 24,80 µg
Vitamin C 10,24 mg
Food fiber 2,88 g
Manganese 0,22 mg
Molybdenum 8,00 µg
Vitamin B6 0,19 mg
Tryptophan 0,03 g
Folic acid 30,40 µg
Potassium 251,20 mg
Phosphorus 52,80 mg
Copper 0,10 mg