Though all the vegetables are important for our health, certain kinds offer unique health benefits. Onions belong to the Allium genus of flowering plants that also includes shallots, garlic, leeks and chives. These vegetables contain various vitamins, minerals and potent plant compounds that are shown to promote health in some ways.

Onions vary in size, shape, color, and flavor. The most common varieties are red, white and yellow onions. The taste of those vegetables can range from sweet and juicy to sharp, spicy, and pungent, often looking on the season in which people grow and consume them.

Eat a raw onion a day if you would like to beat the summer blues. We’ve all heard of this. After all, over the years our parents have ensured onions find an area in our wholesome plate of salad. And let’s not deny the very fact that even the foremost delicious of foods don’t taste all that good if they aren’t complemented with sliced onion and green chutney.

It is general knowledge that chopping onions cause watery eyes. However, onions can also provide potential health benefits. These may include reducing the chance of several sorts of cancer, improving mood, and maintaining skin and hair health.

Different Types of Onions:

Yellow onions – they have ivory white flesh that's surrounded by heavy brown skin. They have a powerful and sulfur-like aroma.

Sweet onions – they have a lighter, less-opaque skin that surrounds a bigger and slightly fatter body of the vegetable.

Red onions – they're mild and sweet enough to be eaten raw. The outside skin and flesh are a deep magenta.

White onions – they have a papery white skin, and that they are milder and sweeter than their yellow counterparts.

Shallots – they're smaller and brown-skinned and have purple flesh.

Green onions – they're the immature onions that haven’t yet formed a bulb.

Leeks – they're shaped like overgrown scallions (the long-necked onion with a tiny low bulb) and are usually utilized in sauces and soups.

But aside from making our taste buds tingle, onion plays a serious role keep our health in restraint. Let's check it out:

Rich in Antioxidants:

Onions are a superb source of antioxidants. They contain over 25 different types of flavonoid antioxidants. These antioxidants inhibit oxidation, a process that results in cellular damage and contributes to diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart condition.

Heart Health:

Onions contain antioxidants and compounds that fight inflammation, decrease triglycerides and reduce cholesterol levels — all of which can lower heart condition risk. Their potent anti-inflammatory properties can also help reduce the high-pressure level and protect against blood clots.

Quercetin may be a flavonoid antioxidant that’s highly concentrated in onions. Since it’s a potent anti-inflammatory, it's going to help decrease heart condition risk factors, like high blood pressure.

Contain Cancer-Fighting Compounds:

Eating vegetables of the Allium genus like onions and garlic has been linked to reducing the risk of certain cancers, including stomach and colorectal.

May Control Blood Sugar:

Due to the various beneficial compounds found in onions, eating onions may help control blood sugar, which is particularly significant for people with diabetes or prediabetes. Additionally, multiple animal studies have shown that onion consumption may benefit blood glucose control.

Boost Digestive Health:

Onions are an upscale source of fiber and prebiotics, which are necessary for optimal gut health. Onions are rich within the prebiotics inulin and fructooligosaccharides. These help increase the friendly bacteria amount in your gut and improve immune function. Furthermore, a diet rich in prebiotics may help improve the absorption of important minerals like calcium, which can improve bone health.

Have Antibacterial Properties:

Furthermore, onion extract has been shown to inhibit the expansion of Vibrio cholerae, bacteria that are a major public health concern within the developing world. Quercetin extracted from onions seems to be a very powerful way to fight bacteria.

Contribute to Healthy Bones:

One onion contains approx 25.3 mg of calcium. Calcium helps in maintaining strong bones, so adding onion to your salad may result in better bone health. It’s believed that onions help reduce oxidative stress, boost antioxidant levels and reduce bone loss, which can prevent osteoporosis and boost bone density.

Give Better Skin and Hair:

Vitamin A, C, and K in onion helps to urge eliminate pigmentation and protect you from harmful UV rays also. As an honest source of vitamin C, onions may support the building and maintenance of collagen, which provides structure to skin and hair.

Prevent Inflammation And Other Allergies:

We have already seen quercetin and other flavonoids in onions can help prevent inflammation. Onions also treat allergies by preventing the cells from releasing histamine. Cooking with onions may be helpful to open and drain your sinuses. And therefore the antihistamine properties of quercetin also can aid in reducing nasal congestion. Even eating a raw onion at night can help relieve congestion – the sulfur-compounds in the onion can break down the mucous.

Improve system

Onions contain selenium that stimulates immune function. The mineral also prevents excessive immune reaction, which may have adverse effects. Immune cells deficient in selenium develop and reproduce inefficiently, and here’s where onions inherit the image. Such cells even have difficulty in producing important proteins and transporting calcium.