Leeks, chives, ramps, scallions, red onions, yellow onions, white onions, shallots, and any other type of allium you enjoy are nature’s antibiotics. Unfortunately, people don’t often eat a high volume of onions—maybe just a wedge in soup once a month, or a slice once a week on top of salad. To truly benefit from onions’ antibacterial qualities, we have to make them more central to our lives. Some people complain of digestive distress when they eat onions. Contrary to popular belief, though, onions are not irritants. Rather, they’re highly medicinal. An upset stomach from onions is an indication that someone has an elevated level of unproductive bacteria in the digestive tract. The onions are working to eliminate that bacteria, and the resulting die-off can translate to temporary discomfort. One particular condition that many people deal with these days is SIBO, which is largely a mystery to the medical field. What’s usually responsible for this small intestinal bacterial overgrowth are Streptococcus A and B, various strains of E. coli, C. difficile, H. pylori, Staphylococcus, and/or different varieties of fungus (excluding Candida, the natural fungus that we need to survive). Onions are one of the most accomplished foods on the planet for keeping down bacterial overgrowth in the body, making them a star for anyone who deals with SIBO. This quality also enhances the body’s production of B12. If you avoid onions because of a sensitive digestive tract, try adding them back into your diet in very small amounts at first. Over time, their cleansing effect will enable you to tolerate larger servings of them. We’d all do well to make friends with onions. The sulfur they contain (including the phytochemical allicin, other organosulfides, and sulfur compounds that haven’t yet been uncovered in research) is part of what makes onions nature’s antibiotic. It’s also responsible for ridding the body of radiation exposure, casting out viruses, and drawing out DDT and other pesticides, herbicides, and toxic heavy metals. The sulfur in onions makes them wonderful for alleviating joint pain, degeneration, discomfort, and for repairing tendons and connective tissue. If you have an iron deficiency, onions are also very helpful, because their sulfur content slows iron loss. High in the trace minerals zinc, manganese, iodine, and selenium, onions help rejuvenate the skin and protect the lungs. If you’d like your skin to look younger, it’s a great idea to eat onions daily. Same goes if you used to be a smoker, and you’d like to repair some of that damage to your lungs. Onions are very helpful for addressing colds and flus that cause bronchitis, and for bacteria-caused pneumonia. They’re also the ultimate anti-inflammatories for the bowels, helping to heal ulcers, eliminate mucus from the stool, and soothe the intestinal tract. In old folklore, garlic was used to keep ghosts and ghouls away. Onions should share a similar reputation—for keeping pathogenic ghouls away. Making them part of your diet will give you a powerful immune boost and safeguard against the pathogenic world. The next time you go out to buy cough syrup or decongestant, pick up a few different types of onions at the same time—though they may not be in the same aisle, onions truly are medicine.
Tips
Avoid the tip you’ll hear out there to rinse or soak onions to make them less pungent. This technique lowers onions’ potency, because it dilutes the medicinal properties that kill off bacteria and boost your immune system to keep you healthy.
Whenever you eat a food that you know isn’t a healthy choice, incorporate some onions to counteract the detrimental effects. (This doesn’t mean you should order a plate of onion rings. Dipped in bad batter and fried in bad oil, onion rings are not advisable. Rather, if you’re eating a hot dog, pile some chopped raw onion on top.)
When you’re eating out at restaurants and are concerned about picking up flu viruses, norovirus, or food poisoning, order something with onions. For example, if you order a salad, get it with onion to kill off any contaminants.
When picking out onions at the market, make sure each onion is firm and doesn’t cave in when you squeeze it. Try to avoid onions that are sprouting new green tips. (This is different from buying a fresh-picked onion with its greens still attached—those onion greens are very beneficial.)
Experiment with different varieties of onions in different dishes. Try chives in guacamole, scallions in hummus, red onions in salads and stir-fries, leeks in soups, or try steamed yellow or white onions.
If you’re dealing with sinus congestion, cold, or flu, try placing chopped onion in a bowl of warm to hot water, draping a towel over your head and the bowl, and inhaling. This is a great technique for breaking up mucus and loosening congestion.
If you get chilly easily, have difficulty warming up, always have to wear a sweater, and/or struggle with cold hands and feet, try to incorporate onions into your daily routine to increase circulation.
In short, another fantastic food that we will eat much more often! Take advantage of it and let me know what you got!
Regards Aschwin
Orthomolecular therapist
Lyme recovery therapist
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