This week – since the National Onion Association declared June 27th as National Onion Day – we’ll salute Onions and other sulphur containing allium vegetables such as Garlic, Leeks, Chives and Spring Onions.
According to the internet, sulphur compounds in onions, garlic, leeks and shallots provide the following health benefits…
- Antioxidant Properties: Sulphur compounds in onions act as antioxidants, helping to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.
- Anti-inflammatory Effects: These compounds can reduce inflammation and support the immune system, potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases.
- Heart Health: Sulphur compounds may help reduce cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation, contributing to a healthier heart.
- Detoxification: Sulphur aids in the detoxification process, helping to remove toxins from the body and support liver health.
- Anti-cancer Potential: Some studies suggest that sulphur compounds might help to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and reduce the risk of various cancers.
Incorporating onions and other alliums into our daily diet can be a flavorful way to enhance our health and well-being.
A long time ago I remember hearing that chopping onions with a piece of bread in my mouth would diminish their tear inducing effect.1
Our human condition is so common regarding onions that writers, poets and artists have given us their onion allium sulphur guidelines for living…
“It doesn’t matter how precisely the onion is cut as long as the person chewing it is happy.” by Padma Lakshmi.
“Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.” by Carl Sandburg.
“Am I no longer young, and still half-perfect?
Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
by Mary Oliver in the poem, Messenger, written while considering plants and nature.
Oliver’s poem inspired drawing of onions by Jean Mackay, shown below.
This week we celebrate the bitter, the pungent, the tear producing – the sulphur compounds which some how, some way – save our lives. WF!
- As that [sulfeninc] acid and the onion enzymes interact, they create syn-propanethial-S-oxide gas. That gas is the molecule that wafts up to your eyes, reacts with the water naturally covering your eyes, and generates sulphuric acid and other irritating substances that can induce tears. Definition from Google search.
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