In this Summer, include raw Onion in your diet

Suggested by Nutritionist

The summer diet must include foods that can keep you cool naturally. Excessive heat can take a toll on your overall health. Proper hydration and a healthy diet can help you beat the heat naturally. Some fruits and vegetables have properties that can help your body run smoothly. 

Onion is one of these. This vegetable is consumed both raw and cooked. It is added to almost every Indian recipe as well as commonly consumed raw as salad. It is a power packed source of iron, antioxidants, essential vitamins and more. It is also rich in Vitamin C and B including folate. 

While we contemplate about whether or not the onion is effective against Sun stroke. Let us first look at health benefits of eating onions in the summer. Onions are believed to have several health benefits when consumed raw during the summers. 

Onions are also loaded with wonderful nutrients that boost immunity and protect against seasonal infections. Especially a storehouse of plant - based antioxidants, Onions are known to boost bone health, heart health and protect against certain cancers and diabetes. Not surprisingly, they were used even as an ancient remedy for coughs, colds and catarrh. 

In summer season, including raw onion in your diet can help prevent infections and give your immunity a required boost. 

Asma Alam, Consulting Nutritionist and Dietician, told HT digital, opening up benefits of eating onion in hot weather. "Eating raw onion improves your immune system's ability to prevent illness transmission. This is vital property of onions because the summer is a high - risk period for diseases, especially those spread by insects. While simply carrying an onion around will not help you beat the heat this summer, making raw onion a regular component of your summer diet would. 

There are a variety of other benefits that one can reap of which could also work wonders for one's long term health.

"These nutrient - dense vegetables have string chemicals that may lower your cancer risk and might also support your digestive health. They are adaptable and can be used to add depth to any savory recipe. It's a simple method to improve your general health by including them your diet," says Asma. 

She added, "Onion have been known to have medicinal effects since ancient times when they were used to treat headaches, heart illnesses, and even mouth ulcers. A medium onion contains only 44 calories and is also abundant in Vitamin C, an essential nutrient involved in immunological function, collagen formation, tissue healing, and iron absorption." 

Asma says onions have a substance called quercetin which acts as a natural antihistamine. "Because histamine is what causes your skin to break out in rashes as a result of insect bites and the heat, the onion is already a great summer help."