Health Benefits of Onions – Cry if you want to

Whenever I am cutting onions I am always reminded of the onion chopping scene in a hilarious French indie film Diva, where Jules, the main character, is wearing a scuba mask and snorkel to prevent crying. Crying is good. It means that the onions you are chopping have a lot of organosulfur compounds. These are the same compounds that give garlic its wonderful pungent aroma and are found in the Allium family of vegetables which also include leeks, chives and shallots. The organosulfur compounds found in onions and other Allium vegetables have been linked with anti-cancer benefits.

In terms of antioxidants and anti-cancer properties the more pungent, the more they make you cry, the better. Pungent varieties, such as Shallots, Western Yellow, New York Bold, Northern Red, have more flavonoid and anti-oxidant content and were more effective in limiting liver and colon cancer growth, than less pungent varieties, such as Mexico, Peruvian Sweet, Western white, and Vidalia.  Onions are one the richest sources of flavonoids in our diet. Potent antioxidant compounds found in vegetables, fruit and beverages such as tea and wine, flavonoids are linked with a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

You don’t have to don a scuba mask the next time your recipe calls for chopped onions. Simple refrigeration of onions prior to chopping will keep the tears to a minimum.

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