If you’ve been watching me on YouTube for a while now, you’ve probably noticed there are few recipes I don’t put onions in. I promise this is not on purpose, it’s just that the benefits of onions, raw, cooked, or powdered are nothing short of amazing. Plus, there’s so many types of onions, it’s hard not to find one that will fit the dish you are working on.
I used too firmly dislike onions, but that was before I had them prepared the right way. Before they became my second go to herb, I thought all onions were strong and smelly. Quite the contrary. Onions range from sweet and mild to harsh and astringent; each type having it’s own benefit to the dish you are preparing.So while I say used to dislike onions, it wasn’t long before my mom figured out a way for me to love them. This was no doubt a benefit to her, as I couldn’t see her giving up her love for onions, even if it was for me.
After realizing I didn’t care for white onions at a young age, my mom, started serving me sautéed Vidalia onions on my then favorite meal, steak. I liked it, so much so that I was heavily disappointed when we didn’t have them together. It was then that I learned a.) Vidalia onions are seasonal b.) Vidalia onions are expensive compared to other types of onions, and c.) depending on how you cook them, any onion can be sweet. My mom started trading in yellow onions for Vidalias; making sure to cook them slowly, so all the sweetness could come out. Over time, I began to appreciate raw onions, and even white onions, though admittedly they are still my lease favorite. As I got older, I started to notice the benefits of onions beyond the kitchen.
I’m good at getting sick. By that I mean I have a condition known as cyclic neutropenia, or in laymen’s terms: cycling white blood cells. What this means is that every 21 to 30 days, my white blood cell count drops to a level similar to someone with leukemia. At that time, I’m prone to any illness I come in contact with (e.g. I keep a cold). As I started eating onions and garlic more and more, I noticed my susceptibility decreased a little. While I still catch whatever’s going around, the incidents became less severe. Sometimes I even miss illnesses all together. Needless to say, onions and I are now great friends. How are you all enjoying the benefits of onions in and outside of the kitchen? Do you have a favorite variety? Please feel free to comment below.
Onions can be used to treat:
Diabetes, Inflammation, Infections, and High cholesterol (raw onions)
Onions can be used to prevent:
Cancer, the Common cold, Flu, Viruses, Infections, and Gastric ulcers
I’m glad to hear that even powdered onions have health benefits! So often I “cheat” by buying minced onion to add to soups and dishes to avoid chopping them. I’m very interested in prevention of illness through foods. I think I will start adding more onions to my dishes. Hopefully, my kids won’t mind!
Hi Katie,
I’ve found kids do well with smaller or baby vegetables (think actually baby carrots, pearl onions, baby spinach), as the taste is much sweeter and they can handle it better. Also, a little onion powder likely won’t be tasted in soups and sauces, as long as you don’t go overboard with it. I’m interested in what you come up with, so please come back and share how it goes! Food can do so much to heal us!
I love onions raw, sauteed green , white, purple Vidalia, (there are sweet Peruvian that are pretty much the same thing) even Shallots! My wide and I include onions and garlic in almost every food we prepare, as yu said they really are go to spices
Hi Robert,
I am so glad there’s someone else out there like me! Onions and garlic are so much more useful than they’re advertised to be. I will be checking out these Peruvian onions you mentioned. Never heard of them. Where can they be found?
Hi Jaemio! Thanks for posting this article! Onions are pretty amazing vegetables (herbs). I do enjoy onions, but particular ones tend to upset my stomach to the point of severe pain. So, I figured out I could eat purple onions with getting tummy aches. I still use other onions, mainly yellow, to carmelize for my burgers when I decide to go bun-less. So glad you’ve found something to help with your illness! Thanks again for this great piece of work.
Hi Paula,
You are very welcome. I’m always happy when my food knowledge can help empower someone else. Sorry to hear about your tummy troubles. I am most definitely not a doctor, however, I have found often times when folks (myself and my fiance included) have digestive troubles from foods they were once able to enjoy, it is due to an imbalance of good bacteria in the gut. Integrating things like yogurt and sauerkraut into the diet can help. To jump-start the regrowth of good bacteria though, it’s best to try out a probiotic. I was skeptical at first, but they really work. My personal favorite is the Schiff brand (here’s the link to the one’s that have worked best for my fiance and I: http://amzn.to/2qpeheh). We took these for about a month regularly and then just dropped down to yogurt and sauerkraut a couple times a week for maintenance (plus we both love Greek yogurt and sauerkraut, so an excuse to eat it was wonderful). I will likely write a full article on this later. In the meantime, I hope this works for you and that you are able to enjoy all onions soon. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks again,
JaemiO