Onions, Garlic, Breath Mints and Wine

The famous chef Julia Child once remarked “I cannot imagine a world without onions.” The use of onions for food goes back at least 3,500 years, and the vegetable is one of the oldest of cultivated plants.

But the onion is more than a kitchen staple. It is a world-class superfood that has received very little fanfare, most likely because of its common position in cookery. And yet, compared with high-profile foods like pomegranates, red wine, and green tea, the onion offers superior benefits for both the prevention and treatment of many common diseases, including various kinds of cancer, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cataracts and more. In addition, onions can act as a powerful antibiotic and are helpful in reducing food-borne illnesses caused by microbial contamination.

Onions contain extraordinarily powerful compounds that possess many health benefits. Hundreds of scientific studies published on these naturally-occurring compounds show that they are highly protective to nerves and the cardiovascular system, and that they enhance immune function, fight the growth of many types of tumors, help to promote healthy hormone function, and many more.

Red wine may be the highly touted superstar of heart protection, but an appraisal of onion suggests that it exceeds the heart-protective properties of red wine by a generous margin. Could onion in fact be the real answer to the French Paradox – the fact that a comparatively low number of French people suffer from coronary heart disease despite diets that are rich in saturated fats? It makes sense. After all, almost no French recipe fails to include onion. Onion lowers cholesterol, inhibits hardening of the arteries, enhances elasticity of blood vessels, and helps to maintain healthy blood pressure. You could easily claim that the onion is the unsung cardiovascular-enhancing hero that has been right under our noses all along. We smell it, but don’t give it proper respect.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/07/to-stay-healthy-eat-onion-day/#ixzz1lnymFKY7