A perennial vegetable, onion is a real charmer.

With temperatures dipping, you are likely to pay all the attention to your winter wardrobe. But that trendy jacket, or the voguish coat will only keep you warm. Your overall health depends on a variety of factors — most of it having to do with nutrition. It is, therefore, imperative to do everything in your power to stay healthy this season.

A perennial vegetable, onion is a real charmer. It goes with all kinds of foods. So, it does not matter how you eat it, as long as you continue to acknowledge its nutritional value. Here’s how it can help you.

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Warmth

It is believed that the Chinese thought of onions as a powerhouse of energy. Its juice has been used in ancient Chinese healing practices as well. When consumed, onions provide heat inside the body, giving you a feeling of warmth. So, have a lot of it, and don’t worry about the pungent breath.

Fighting seasonal infections

Onions are considered to be packed with anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties. Naturally, they are great for winters, as they fight common cold, cough, earaches, fever and some skin problems.

Dental health

We tend to eat desserts after our meal. But, what can we eat after desserts to keep our teeth healthy? Onions. Winters are all about merriment and craving and caving in — resulting in tooth pain and decay. All of this can be taken care of by maintaining oral hygiene and eating onions. By chewing raw onions, we balance the taste inside the mouth and reduce the risk of oral diseases, including gum infections.

Reduced risk of breast cancer

Raw onion consumption is believed to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. According to a study carried out between 2008 and 2014, on more than 600 women in Puerto Rico, those who ate more than one serving of onion and garlic ‘sofrito’ — a sauce popular in Latin American regions — a day, were at a 67 per cent lesser risk of developing breast cancer.

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Digestive health and weight loss

Onions are a great source of fiber and pre-biotics (non-digestible types of fiber broken down by good gut bacteria), which are essential for gut health. Experts say that a diet which is rich in pre-biotics, may also help the body improve the absorption of calcium, which is great for bones.

Also, onions are low in calories, so if you feel too lazy to work out in the cold weather, you can simply stay home and eat some.

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