The Best Type Of Onion To Eat For Loads Of Flavonoids

As people get older, they often look for ways to improve their health and longevity through diet, exercise, and the occasional supplement. There are many natural ways to go about this; you can improve your diet by eating healthy foods, like these 12 foods that could give your immune system a boost. While fiber, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals are all essential to maintaining a properly functioning body, there are other chemicals and nutrients in foods that could play a role in contributing to your overall health. 

The humble red onion, for example, is a great source of flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid group. Flavonoids are natural chemicals from plants that are found in many areas of nature, from grains, vegetables, and fruits to tea, wine, roots, and flowers. While most types of onions contain flavonoids, red onions are the only type of onion that also has four types of anthocyanins, which have antimicrobial properties, and also give red onions their purple hue and other vegetables and flowers their blue and red pigments. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, flavonoids have many health benefits, as they help combat inflammation, carcinogens, mutations, and oxidants in the body, and have also been linked to aiding in the fight against cancer and Alzheimer's disease. But unlike fiber or protein, flavonoids aren't as easily digested in the body, and we rely on the flora and bacteria in our stomach to help break them down.

The great news when it comes to getting flavonoids via red onions is that they don't need to be eaten raw to reap the benefits — roasting and frying red onions doesn't lead to flavonoid loss. However, you will lose them if you boil onions for a long period, as the chemicals tend to leach into the water after about 30 minutes. But if you're braising meat or making a soup with red onions, don't fret — the beneficial chemicals will still be found in the cooking liquid.

There are plenty of delicious options when it comes to ways of getting more red onions in your diet. You could slice them thinly and add them to salads and sandwiches, of course, but you could also pickle them and try any one of our 18 creative uses for pickled red onions. Additionally, you could caramelize red onions just as you would white or yellow onions and use them in the same applications. They also serve well in French onion soup or onion jam (or even a red onion bacon jam). And if you're looking for even more ways to consume flavonoids that don't involve the allium family, drinking orange juice with pulp is an easy way to do it.