¿What does onion bring to the kitchen? ¿What advantages does it have as a basic food in our daily diet? Onion is one of the basic ingredients of the daily diet.
It is widely used in cooking in virtually all culinary preparations to improve the flavor of other foods:
- Raw, in any type of salad, pickled
- Cooked: boiled, roasted, fried, in stews, sauces, stir-fries, pickles, etc.
Another great advantage is that the different varieties of onion (red, white…) are available all year round.
On many occasions it is said that onion has a high healing power.
¿What benefits does it bring to health?
Traditionally, garlic and onion have been widely used for many of the properties they have and which are due to the nutritional components they contain.
Antioxidant function of Onion
The compounds in onion have an important antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial function.
Its possible preventive role in cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes is currently being studied. Also some types of cancer (mainly gastrointestinal) and diseases of the respiratory system, among others.
Role of diet in health and disease prevention
Finally, let us not forget that the role of diet in health and in the prevention of disease is a consequence of all the foods we eat and not just one.
It is the diet as a whole and the possible synergistic effects between food components that can contribute to a better state of health.
That is why the diet has to be varied and include foods from all groups and especially foods of plant origin.
Consumption recommendation
A minimum consumption of 300 g per day (2 servings) is recommended, although it would be desirable to consume around 400 g/day of vegetables, prioritizing seasonal varieties (SENC, 2004).
