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Onion nutrition facts

Can you imagine a recipe without the Onions?

This wonderful vegetable, one of the oldest edible source known to mankind, is found in a bewildering array of recipes and preparations, be it your favorite salad, gravy or curries. It has also been in used in traditional medicines since ancient times for its health promoting and curative properties.

Like garlic, onions also belong to the Allium family and botanically known as Allium cepa. The plant grows about 2 feet tall and bears an underground globular stem which consists of modified leaves arranged in whorls. There are many cultivars onions grown around the world. The average crop takes about 3 to 4 months time. Top greens and flower heads are also eaten all around the world.

Spanish or red onion	White variety	Oriental type

The sharp, pungent smell of onions is due to its   sulfur-containing compound allyl propyl disulphide.  Spanish onions are generally less strongly flavored than white or brown, which makes them ideal to use in raw salads.

Health benefits of Onions

• Onions are very low in calories (just 40 cal per 100g) and fats; but rich in soluble dietary fiber.

• The phyto-chemical compounds allium and Allyl disulphide in onion have anti-mutagenic (protects from cancers) and anti-diabetic properties (helps lower blood sugar levels in diabetics).

• They are rich source of chromium, the trace mineral that helps tissue cells respond appropriately to insulin levels in the blood; thus helps facilitate insulin action and control sugar levels in diabetes.

• They are also good source of antioxidant flavonoid quercetin, which is found to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetogenic functions. 

• They are also good in anti-oxidant vitamin, vitamin C and mineral manganese which is required as co-factor for ani-oxidant enzyme superoxida dismutase. In addition, isothiocyanate anti-oxidants in them help relieve from cold and flu by exerting anti-inflammatory actions.

• Onions are also good in B-complex group of vitamins like pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folates and thiamin. Pyridoxine or vit.B-6 helps keep up GABA levels in the brain which wors against neurotic conditions.

Selection and storage

Raw onions are readily available during all the seasons. In the store, they are available in fresh, frozen, canned, pickled, powdered, and dehydrated forms. Depending on the variety, they can be sharp, spicy, tangy and pungent or mild and sweet.

While buying, look for fresh ones that are clean, well shaped, have no opening at the neck and feature crispy, dry outer skins. Avoid those that show sprouting or have signs of black mold (a type of fungal attack) as they indicate that the stock is old. In addition, poor quality bulbs often have soft spots, moisture at their neck, and dark patches, which may all be indications of decay.

At home, store them in cool dark place away from moisture and humid conditions where they keep fresh for several days. They can also keep well in the refrigerator; however, you should use them immediately once you remove from the refrigerator since they tend to spoil if they kept at room temperature for a while.

Preparation and serving methods

Trim the ends using sharp knife. Then peel the outer 2-3 layers of skin until you find fresh thick pinkish-white whorls. You can slice or cut them into fine cubes depending upon the recipe type. Top greens and flower buds are also edible. Spring onions are favored in fast food preparations.

Here are some serving tips:

• They are being used, usually chopped or sliced, in almost every type of food, including fresh salads, or as a spicy garnish.


• They are one of the common ingredients in Chinese "chowmein" (a kind of recipe with chopped onions, cabbage, bell peppers, chili and tomato sauce mixture.

Safety profile

Raw onions can cause irritation to skin, mucus membranes and eyes. This is due to release of allyl sulphide gas while chopping or slicing them. Allyl sulphide is concentrated more at the ends, especially at the root end. Its effect can be minimized by immersing the trimmed bulb in cold water for few minutes before you chop or slice it.

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1. Refer Stanford School of Medicine Cancer information Page- Nutrition to Reduce Cancer Risk (Opens New Window).

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