Friday, May 23, 2008

The Onion Trick!

Yesterday, all day I had been wheezing and sneezing to get rid of much mucus lodged in my respiratory system. Blowing nose didn't produce much effect though I did it for long: So much so that I even feared my nose being blown away.

Today, I just had a simple breakfast of a glass of Oats and a glass of milk. The Oats were cooked thick, so glass of milk helped wash down it. I felt sleepy, but didn't sleep with the help of an interesting read in a newspaper; that spouses who fought most had more chances of being together in life longer... A couple of American couples' stories were used to illustrate the point.

The article made me remember an Uncle and Aunt of mine who stay in Mavelikkara. We've stayed with them a lot many days, but we can't remember not one day they didn't quarrel. But their quarrel lasted for a few minutes only and the next moment they can be seen together like Sharkara and Eecha (Jaggery and Fly!).

As it's nearing lunch time, this Uncle and Aunt dropped by, and we invited them for lunch and my other half made mostly Onion-based curries and varieties of salads! White and Red Onions made their presence felt by way of a pungent odour in our dining room. I started with Onions and ended my lunch with... Onions! I am a voracious salad-eater and this time as the salads were loaded with much more Onions than usual I ate them a lot. No sooner I finished my lunch I started coughing, and with those coughs came throatfuls of phlegm. My nose got runny and streams of mucal fluid slided down. To accelerate their flow, I blew my nose with much energy taking deep breaths in between.

To my surprise, I had been discovering a new way of clearing my respiratory system, albeit in a simple, less cumbersome way.

I think the Onion did the trick!

As I write this, I am googling whether there are any similar Onion paens of praise in the web. Presto, I've found... this: Onions contain Nutrients like Vitamin C, Manganese, Molybdenum, Potassium, Phosphorous, Pyridoxine etc. They are some source of dietary fiber, and are rich in powerful, health-promoting sulfur-containing compounds.

Other proven benefits include:

  • Effective in blood-sugar control
  • Cardiovascular benefits
  • Gastro-intestinal health benefits
  • Protective against many cancers, notably Ovarian cancer
  • Anti-inflammatory and Anti-bacterial properties
  • Good for Bone health

And for Indophiles: Glad to let you know, Onions were in medicinal use as early as 6th Century!

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