Onions
Apart from being a vegetable with the usual benefits of vitamin C etc. Onions have a couple of additional nutrients that would fill out our day and help our bodies in many ways. One of these is a trace element called chromium.
Chromium has an interesting effect on our insulin levels. Deficiency occurs through over consumption of refined sugars – white flour products and lack of exercise. Chromium deficiency is thought to be the reason that diabetes particularly in children and late onset for elderly people is on the increase – dramatically so in the US. Studies show that chromium can decrease fasting blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance, lower insulin levels and decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At the same time it increases HDL (healthy cholesterol). In some cases diabetics are able to reduce their insulin requirement by taking chromium supplements but this must absolutely only be done in conjunction with your doctor. Do not undertake this yourself, as dosage levels need to be calculated.
Onions also contain flavanoids – we talked about these before with Red Wine and these are certainly key in the prevention of cancers such as colon cancer.
Onions also contain sulphur compounds and with the chromium and vitamin B6 help lower homocysteine levels, which we mentioned before as causing clumping of platelets a major cause of cardiovascular disease. This affects blood pressure and cholesterol levels positively. They also contain some anti-inflammatories, which are very good for asthma and arthritis
Finally there is a bioflavonoid in onions – also in green tea – apples and red wine that is very helpful to any of us that would like to turn back the clock. Quercitin is not often talked about in nutrition but is actually a very useful property.
Bioflavonoids are essential in the production of collagen – collagen is responsible for the firmness of our skin – wrinkles and sagging is the direct result of a breakdown of collagen.
Quercitin improves the health of the tiny capillaries and the connective tissues that hold our bodies together – the benefits of including Quercitin in your diet are that you alleviate bruising – oedema or swelling around joints and other parts of your body – varicose veins.
Quercitin also inhibits the release of histamine so can help relieve hay-fever, eczema and asthma some research is showing that it may also help in preventing prostate cancer but that research is not completed at the moment.
So apart from onions and garlic of course – there is another good reason to drink a glass of red wine at night and to drink your green tea throughout the day.
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