You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat,” and it’s true! What we put into our bodies becomes the fuel that allows our essential systems to function. And when we’re sick, the food we eat becomes critical medicine that enables us to fight off illnesses.
At Gills Onions, we are proud to continue to work hard to supply America with a safe product that works to promote healthy living and tastes great, too.
Boost Your Respiratory Health with Onions
Remember that the food you eat can help your immune system prepare to fight germs and disease in a post-COVID world. Instead of gravitating toward processed foods, reach for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Onions, especially, give your body the power to battle toxins that lead to illness because they contain high amounts of essential nutrients including:
- Vitamin C
- Dietary fiber
- Folic acid
- Calcium
- Iron
- Zinc
The National Onion Association also reports that the organosulfur compounds responsible for the taste and smell of onions can reduce symptoms from diabetes and prevent inflammation from asthma.
For centuries, onions have been used as a home remedy to treat coughs and colds. Drinking onion juice or making your own onion syrup can soothe irritated throats. Those same sulfuric compounds that prevent inflammation also help fight mucus and act as a natural expectorant.
Quercetin: Key for Good Health
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but the same could be said of onions. Like apples, onions contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that helps delay oxidative damage to cells and tissue. It also has antiviral properties and histamine regulating effects.
Studies have shown that quercetin eliminates free radicals in the body, protects and regenerates vitamin E, and deactivates the harmful effects of chelate metal ions. It strengthens capillary walls to reduce inflammation and can also protect the lining of the lungs and bronchial tubes from damage caused by pollution and other contaminants in the air.
Recent studies at Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands, demonstrate that the body absorbs three times more quercetin from onions than from apples. So, when in doubt, add some onion into your diet.
Uniting Together to Fight for Good Health
At Gills Onions and throughout the onion industry, we truly believe that onions are the perfect vegetable. For centuries, they have been a staple in diets around the world, and modern science continues to show us what eating onions can do for our collective health. Every fruit or vegetable that you eat fuels your body and boosts your immune system.
We hope that you will stand together with your communities and work to keep each other safe and healthy. Our team will continue to work hard to provide you with fresh vegetables that elevate your health and provide a consistent source of nutrition for our society year-round.
Ready to try onions grown “The Gill Way”? Contact our sales department to learn more.