For The Love Of Onions
Posted by terrepruitt on August 29, 2013
Since I recently posted a recipe with Green Beans, Walnuts, and Onions, I have been posting about the three main ingredients separately, for Green Beans click here and for Walnuts click here. I like onions. I like sweet onions, red onions, white onions, yellow onions, and green onions. I have actually grown to like them more as I get older. When I was younger I liked the flavor, but not the onion itself. I would pick them out of anything and off of anything. And I used to never eat them raw. I still don’t like to eat a lot of cooked onions and will often leave them on my plate if they are cut large enough and it is easy to move them out of the food I am eating, but I do actually eat them now. Also I will include raw onions in my salad. It all depends. When I eat them raw they have to be so teeny tiny you would probably laugh. Onions, however, are more than just for flavoring.
Onions contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are what give the plant its pigment and have been linked to terms such as “cancer-fighting” and a lot of “anti-s” – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-biotic, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, and anti-diarrheal activities. Onions store the flavonoids primarily in their skin. So the less you peel off the better. There is the red in a red onion (to me it is actually purple, but whatever) and the yellow in a yellow onion. The white has flavonoids too, but not as many as the red.
According to PubMed, study was done that concluded the consumption of onions had a “beneficial effect on bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older.” Wow. So it could be that eating onions helps with bone density . . . who would have thought.
Onions should not be refrigerated, except for the green ones (scallions). We keep our onions in the fridge. I should change that.
To me, onions are good in pretty much any type of savory dish. I don’t think onions go to well with sweet things, but sometimes it works, but usually the onion needs to be a sweet onion or a red onion. My husband does not mind onions with his sweet.
The following nutritional information is from the National Onion Association’s website:
Onion Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (160g) The Percent (%) is for the Daily Values*
*Percent (%) Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Calories 64 3%
Total Carbs 14.9 g 5%
Total Fat 0 0%
Cholesterol 0 0%
Dietary Fiber 2.7 g 11%
Sugars 6.8 g
Protein 4.9 g
Vitamin A 3.2 IU 0%
Vitamin C 11.8 mg 20%
Vitamin B6 0.2 mg 10%
Folate 30.4 mcg 8%
Calcium 36.8 mg 4%
Iron .3 mg 2%
Magnesium 16 mg 4%
Phosphorus 46.4 mg 5%
Potassium 234 mg 7%
Sodium 6.4 0%
Many people have strong feelings about onions. They either LOVE them or HATE them. Where do you stand? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Do you like them cooked? Do you like them raw? Did you know they had such great health benefits?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
saminaiqbal27 said
Very informative post. I love onions ever since I found out their health benefits. I use them raw in salad and cook them in every way possible. Grilled onions are my favorite with grilled tomatoes and a touch of lime, ground black pepper and salt.
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terrepruitt said
Oh, grilled onions is a bit too much onion for me! I have liked the flavor of onions for a long time, but I didn’t like to eat them . . . I eat them a bit more now. With all the great things you cook you could write a food blog!
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saminaiqbal27 said
I and my hubby are fond of food of variety so I try my best to pick up a good recipe and try it. I would leave the blog for food to an expert like you. I just like ready made recipes to try which I find from blogs like yours. Thanks for the suggestion though. Take care and have a lovely long weekend.
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terrepruitt said
Ha, ha, ha, ha. I am not a food expert. I just cook what I like. It is GOOD to eat variety! My hubby and I get stuck. A year or so ago, I started having an organic produce box delivered to our home so that we would be “forced” into eating at least SOME variety.
You have a great weekend too!
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saminaiqbal27 said
Well whatever, I am the beneficiary of your trying healthy recipes and then sharing on the blog. Good luck to you and keep trying and writing them. I simply love them. Take care.
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terrepruitt said
Thank you. You are very kind. This morning I made my husband the avocado eggs and me, smashed banana eggs! Yum!
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saminaiqbal27 said
Enjoy! Both very delicious.
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