Don’t let him to make you cry

Can you imagine a recipe without the onions in it? If you’ve been eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away, you would be wise to add an onion a day to that regimen. This wonderful bulb-vegetable, one of the oldest edible food sources known to humankind, is found in a bewildering array of recipes and preparations, be it your favorite salad, or mouth-watering gravy or curries. It has also been in used in traditional medicines since ancient times for its health promoting and curative properties.

Sharp, pungent smell of onions is due to its sulfur compound- allyl sulphide (gas).The gas when mixed with moisture (water), converts into sulfuric acid. Allyl sulphide is concentrated more at the ends, especially at its root end. Its effect can be minimized by immersing the trimmed bulb in cold water for few minutes before you chop or slice it. Spanish red onions are generally less strongly flavored than white or brown varieties, which makes them ideal for use in raw salads.

Raw onions are readily available during all the seasons. Depending on the variety, they can be sharp, spicy, tangy and pungent or mild and sweet. In the store, they are available in fresh, frozen, canned, pickled, powdered, and dehydrated forms.

As one of the oldest cultivated plants, onions do not disappoint in terms of nutrition. They’re a very good source of vitamins C, phosphorus and potassium. They are also good in mineral manganese. Manganese is required as a co-factor for anti-oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. In addition, isothiocyanate anti-oxidants in them help provide relief from cold and flu by exerting anti-inflammatory actions.

Onions are also good in B-complex group of vitamins like pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folates and thiamin. Pyridoxine or vitamin B-6 helps keep up GABA levels in the brain, which works against neurotic conditions.

At home, store them in cool dark place away from moisture and humid conditions, where they keep fresh for several days. They can also keep well in the refrigerator. However, you should use them immediately once you remove from the refrigerator since they tend to spoil if kept at room temperature for a longer periods.

Choose which one satisfies your needs:

110g	Onion, raw	Young green, tops	Boiled, without salt	Onion flavored rings
kcal	44	29,7	48	553
Protein, g	1,2	1,1	1,5	6,3
Carbohydrates, g	10,3	6,3	11,2	70
Fat, g	0,1	0,5	0,2	27
B6, mg (% RDA)	0,1 (10%)	0,1 (10%)	0,1 (10%)	0,2 (12%)
Vitamin C, mg        (% RDA)	8,1 (11%)	15 (20%)	5,7 (8%)	0
Manganese, mg       (% RDA)	0,1 (8%)	0,2 (9%)	0,2 (9%)	0,2 (9%)
Folate, mcg           (% RDA)	21 (5%)	33 (8%)	16,5 (4%)	184 (46%)
Phosphorus, mg      (% RDA)	32 (5%)	28 (4%)	38,5 (6%)	88 (12%)
Potassium, mg        (% RDA)	161 (3%)	175 (4%)	183 (4%)	126 (3%)
Vitamin K, mcg      (% RDA)	0,4 (0%)	172 (191%)	0,6 (1%)	24 (26%)
Vitamin A, IU                 (% RDA)	2,2 (0%)	4400 (189%)	2,2 (0%)	189 (8%)