How does Onion help in weight loss?

Onions, a common flavoring agent in Indian cuisines and also in several other cuisines across the globe come with several health benefits for the human body. The age old adage, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ applies to onions too. Onions are steeped in antioxidants and other vital nutrients that boost your overall health. Among the many health benefits of Onion, weight loss is one. Onion makes an effective remedy for metabolic disorders like obesity.

Onion is a bulbous veggie that belongs to Allium family of which shallots, garlic, chives and leeks are other members. Egyptians considered Onions as holy and worshipped Onions as an emblem of Eternity. Today Onions stand out as one of the most flavorful ingredients used in several healthy, low calorie dishes.

The multi-layered Onion offers you with a crisp texture, intense flavor & pungent taste. If you wish to know in details about the weight loss power of Onion, read on…

How does Onion help in weight loss?

Onions can help in weight loss in the following ways:

● Low in calories

Onions are pretty low in Calories. An onion that’s medium sized contains approximately 44 Calories as per the facts presented by U.S Department of Agriculture. A single onion slice contains approximately 6 Calories and a cup of finely chopped Onions comes with 64 Calories. Instead of oil, fat, ghee or butter, you could use onions to add flavor to dishes without causing the calories to soar high up.  Thus, replacing high calorie flavoring agents with onion can help in efficient weight management by creating the much needed calorie deficit.

● Calorie & Fat burning

Onions are a rich source of Quercetin, an antioxidant. Quercetin fosters increased rate of calorie combustion and energy expenditure while at the same time addressing the issue of inflammation. Increased rate of calorie combustion and the compound’s aptitude for reducing inflammation helps in abating the symptoms of obesity. The sulfur compounds present in Onion are also anti-inflammatory in nature.

● Appetite suppressant

Onions are loaded with fiber. A medium sized onion contains 1.9 g fiber as per US Department of Agriculture.  Consuming Fiber rich food keeps you full for long as fiber is digested very slowly. Thus, Onions serve as a great appetite suppressant. The sulfur compounds present in Onion also give you a feeling of fullness thereby curbing your appetite.

● Amazing Detox

Onions can effectively detoxify your system. Detoxification helps to boost your body’s metabolic rate and leads to increased rate of fat burning thus allowing you to slim down.

●  Healthy Carb Metabolism

Onions have a high content of biotin. Biotin helps in efficient carbohydrate metabolism and that leads to efficient weight management.

● Improves Insulin sensitivity

Onions can boost Insulin sensitivity. Taking Onions on regular basis can reverse Insulin resistance and check sudden sugar spikes. This prevents sugar from converting to fat and thus helps you maintain a healthy body weight.

How to use Onion for weight loss?

Onions for weight loss may be used in the following ways:

●   As raw onions

Eating onions raw is the best way when you are trying to shed your pounds. The reason is when onions are in raw state, the phytonutrients present in onions do not suffer any sort of heat induced break down and that brings about effective weight shedding. You can add raw onions to salads and consume regularly at lunch or dinner. Adding a pinch of black salt and the juice of half a lemon to the salad enhances its taste like anything.

●  As onion juice

Onion juice is one of the effective ways to use onions for weight loss. Juicing keeps the nutrients in onions intact while frying may destroy part of the nutrients present in Onions. To prepare onion juice you need to first remove the onion skin, chop it and boil it in water for about 10 minutes. Once done, turn off the flame and put the boiled onion along with the water into blender jar. If needed add some more warm water into the jar. Blend it well and empty the juice into a glass tumbler while making it pass through a strainer. Once the juice is ready you can add some lemon juice and honey to it for taste. Drink the onion juice lukewarm everyday.

●   As onion soup

Onion soup tastes really yummy and supports weight loss in the healthiest way. You can have it at lunch, in the evening or at dinner depending upon your preference. To prepare onion soup, first you need to add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a skillet. Next add minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté for about 2 minutes. Then add chopped onions, shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes and cook for about ½ a minute. Next add veggie stock, salt to taste and a pinch of black pepper powder. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off flame and transfer soup to a bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and enjoy fuming hot.

●    As onion tea

The phrase ‘Onion tea’ may sound somewhat bizarre. But yes, onion can indeed be used as tea. To make Onion Tea, you need to first chop the onions and put the chopped onions into a saucepan of boiling water. Let it simmer until the water acquires the color of onions. Next, dip a green tea bag into the saucepan. Once the tea is done, strain it, sweeten with honey and sip from it while it’s still fuming hot. Take onion tea everyday in the morning for best results.

●   Onion in curries and sabzis

If you don’t wish to consume onions for weight loss in any of the above forms, you can always add it to your various curry and sabzi recipes as a key flavoring agent but that way you’ll have to compromise on the nutrients content to some extent as frying onions in oil destroys a part of its nutrients.