Australian expert reveals raw onions maximise health benefits
Medical professionals continue to extol the virtues of what has been dubbed the “queen of vegetables,” an affordable and accessible staple in every Thai kitchen. However, the question remains: how can one maximize the health benefits derived from this nutritious produce?
It is common knowledge that vegetables are beneficial to health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that adults consume at least 400 grammes of vegetables and fruits daily for optimal health benefits. Increasing vegetable intake can significantly enhance overall well-being.
Recently, a medical professional from Australia, Poonam Desai, took to the TikTok social media platform to share her insights on the best ways to consume vegetables to prevent diseases such as cancer. Desai advocates for the regular consumption of onions. However, the critical point she emphasises is how onions are consumed.
Onions contain a compound called quercetin, which possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Interestingly, red onions are found to have higher concentrations of this beneficial compound than their larger counterparts.
According to a resource from iStockphoto / carlosgaw, the most effective way to consume onions and retain the maximum amount of quercetin is by eating them raw. Cooking onions leads to a decrease in quercetin levels. Therefore, Desai prefers to eat onions raw to ensure she receives the maximum health benefits they offer.
While it may seem like a simple suggestion, Desai stresses that the most nutritious part of the onion lies just beneath its outermost layer. This mucous-like layer is said to contain the highest concentration of quercetin, reported Sanook.
Incorporating raw onions into one’s diet could be a simple yet powerful way to enhance health and guard against illness. The wisdom shared by experts like Desai underscores the importance of not only the type of vegetables we eat but also how we choose to consume them for our health’s sake.
