Blue onion: health benefits and harms

In nature, a bow that has a true blue color does not occur. Blue includes varieties that have a color from light purple to almost black with purple and bluish hues. The taste is slightly sweet. But varieties grown on moist soil with a lack of sunlight are sharper than yellow onions. Sweet varieties: "Yalta", "Albina". The latter is extremely rare due to low productivity.

What is the difference between blue bow and usual

The main differences are caused by the difference in chemical composition:

1. Blue varieties have less potassium, there is no rubidium, which slightly slows the rhythm of the heartbeat, while onion, in large quantities, can lead to bradycardia.
2. Blue varieties contain fluorine, which strengthens tooth enamel, but is contraindicated in case of excess of this chemical element in drinking water.
3. In blue grades, the effect of sulfur is softer, therefore less irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.
4. Purple onion has more lutein - minimizing the irritant effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa slightly thickens the blood compared with onions.
5. Purple varieties have more iron, which helps transport oxygen through the blood.
6. Dark grades have less vitamin B4, so the diuretic effect is weaker than light ones.

Other differences:

1. When cooking, it acquires an unpleasant bluish tint.
2. Taste gamut is richer than usual, so it is possible to use in spicy mild sauces, ideal for seafood, sandwiches.
3. Blue onion is more demanding on storage conditions, with a lack of heat it will be small, burning with bitterness.
4. Unlike usual, the characteristic bad breath lasts no more than 20 minutes.

What is more useful

The degree of usefulness depends on the purpose of the application:

1. Viral diseases - healthier onions. An exception is purulent tonsillitis with a significant lesion of the mucosa. In this case, apply only light purple, sweet - 1 to 1 with butter and honey.
2. Liver diseases of an infectious nature, steatosis - any sort of blue on 1 part onion and 3 parts honey. Take sweet varieties. Bitter ones accelerate the elimination of fluid from hepatocytes.
3. Prevention of viral diseases, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (putrefactive processes, decreased acidity of digestive secrets) - blue onions are preferable. It strengthens the immune system in a natural way, and does not replace its effect. The action of a bulb like an antibiotic is a local effect plus the acceleration of the removal of dead phagocytes from the body.
4. Arrhythmia, jumps in blood pressure, disorders of the central nervous system - only blue. It has a lower concentration of metals from the first column of the periodic table, there is no hard ionizing effect, as when using onion.
5. Helminthiasis, skin infections - onions. It is also more effective at high temperature or if it periodically rises for 3 days or longer, since the probability of fermentation in the digestive tract is lower. Stomatitis, gingivitis, herpes - 1 to 1 with honey plus 1/3 of the total alcohol.
6. Weakness, dizziness and other symptoms of diseases associated with impaired cardiovascular system and iron deficiency - blue onion. To increase efficiency, use with lean meat, pork or veal liver, fish.

Composition and calorie content

The calorie content of blue onion depends on the content of saccharides in the bulb. The average calorie content is 40 kcal / 100 g. In sweet and non-hot grades, calorie content can exceed the average value by 20-30%.In sweet burning phytoncides, they break down carbohydrates during assimilation, reducing calories by 30–40%.

The following chemical elements and biologically active substances are included in blue onion varieties.

Vitamins:

1. B4: acceleration of fluid separation in the small intestine, a slight decrease in acidity in the digestive tract (properties are manifested when eating a vegetable in its raw form).
2. B9: increased likelihood of conception, slowed down the synthesis of histamine, prostaglandins - the removal of inflammation (found in large quantities, the concentration increases during frying, drying).
3. C: strengthening immunity, increasing the efficiency of assimilation of iron, accelerating fluid metabolism.
4. E: strong antioxidant, slowing down the aging process of cells (high concentration).
5. H: acceleration of protein metabolism, a set of muscle mass, an increase in the density of muscle fibers of myofibrils (low concentration).
6. K: increased blood coagulation, stimulation of hematopoietic function of bone marrow (low concentration).
7. PP: acceleration of the passage of nerve impulses in the cerebral cortex, along with phosphorus and magnesium, strengthening of the walls of blood vessels (contained in small quantities).

Minerals:

1. Potassium: slowing of the rhythm of the heartbeat, acceleration of metabolic processes, uniform distribution of substances throughout the blood (high concentration).
2. Calcium: acceleration of the rhythm of the heartbeat and oxidative processes, strengthening of bone tissue (contained in small quantities).
3. Iron: It is part of the molecules that transport oxygen through the blood (transferrin, hemoglobin), destroys bone tissue in large quantities (low concentration).
4. Magnesium: strengthening the walls of blood vessels, accelerating fluid metabolism, normalizing redox processes (contained in small quantities).
5. Sulfur: stimulation of the absorption of amino acids, softening or stabilization of allergic processes (in small quantities).
6. Fluorine: strengthening tooth enamel, neutralizing the ionizing effect of potassium, rubidium (low concentration).
7. Chromium: a decrease in local temperature in areas of inflammation, a slight stabilization of blood sugar, forms toxic dichromates with potassium and rubidium (low concentration).
8. Zinc: in small amounts, normalization of phospholipid metabolism, improvement of blood circulation in the capillaries (low concentration).

Blue onions are rich in lutein, which provides a bactericidal and tonic effect.

What is blue bow useful for

General benefit

Blue onion has the following beneficial properties:

1. Immunomodulatory effect, which eliminates the occurrence of an autoimmune disease.
2. Gentle cleaning of mucous membranes - pus accumulates in non-tight lumps that are excreted through the feces, the mucous membrane does not liquefy.
3. Increasing the elasticity of the skin, blood vessels.
4. Face care. When applied externally, it does not dry the skin - it can be used to clean the face, masks do not tighten the skin, wrinkles are excluded.
5. Protection against parasites. When helminthiosis is started, ensuring uniform output of adult individuals and their larvae, minimizing the likelihood of asphyxiation.
6. Increased appetite.
7. Acceleration of the absorption of animal fats.
8. Elimination of congestion of digestive secrets that are not caused by duct obstruction.
9. Improving well-being.
10. Normalization of perspiration.
11. Stimulation of a uniform distribution of oxygen in the blood and tissues.
12. Light sedative effect, amplified many times in combination with honey.
13. Increasing the strength and elasticity of tooth enamel, reducing its vulnerability to organic acids.
14. Reducing the harmful effects of lactic acid on muscle fibers after their overstrain.
15. Normalization of body weight.
16. Destruction of small cholesterol plaques with their subsequent excretion in urine.
17. Acceleration of liver cell regeneration.

For women

Blue onion enhances libido and reproductive function through a combination of folic acid, sulfur, and chromium.

Other beneficial properties for the female body:

1. Normalization of body weight during cyclic hormonal changes.
2. Mitigating the symptoms of menopause through systematic use.
3. Increasing skin elasticity, elasticity of the skin, normalization of its acid-base balance with both external and internal use.
4. Slowing down the formation of cellulite deposits.
5. Acceleration of hair and nail growth.
6. Reducing the intensity of pain during menstruation.
7. Supporting vocal cord elasticity (lutein).

For men

The main benefit of blue onion for men is to strengthen bone tissue. With daily use and dosed physical activity, a set of muscle mass will follow. Systematic use reduces the likelihood of prostate diseases. In the absence of contraindications, consuming 1-2 bulbs per day, you can get rid of urethritis at the initial stage.

Blue varieties indirectly improve potency, relieve inflammation, strengthen blood vessels, and improve blood flow to the cavernous bodies. To improve erectile function, you need to use at least 2 medium raw bulbs per day.

During pregnancy

The main function of blue onions during pregnancy is to normalize the balance of estradiol and progesterone. The combination of potassium, calcium and vitamin B9 keeps the uterus in optimal tone for an appropriate trimester.

Other properties:

• strengthening the skeleton of the fetus;
• minimization of swelling of the limbs, face of the mother;
• maintaining fluid balance;
• elimination of dyspeptic phenomena characteristic of a given period;
• prevention of the appearance of postpartum stretch marks.

When breastfeeding

The components penetrate into breast milk. Therefore, the baby's immunity is strengthened. Natural appetite allows you to quickly switch to feeding and ensure the physical and mental development of the child without delay.

Blue varieties of onions ensure the timely receipt of all necessary nutrients through breast milk, which is good by minimizing the risk of diathesis, timely growth of milk teeth with a minimum of pain.

For kids

Children can add onions of blue varieties to food in raw form, starting from 3 years, in boiled form - from a year. The main effect is resistance to the disease or their rapid course in a mild form. Phytoncides adapt the mucous membranes to the effects of external stimuli, enhance protective functions.

The systematic use of blue onions in small quantities minimizes the likelihood of childhood constipation. The intestinal microflora is stabilized from an early age, providing a high efficiency of assimilation of nutrients from food, and a low probability of food poisoning.

Children from early childhood eating onions in raw form are not susceptible to helminthiasis, sinusitis. An exception is extraintestinal helminths: dirofilaria, Siberian fluke, hookworm, toxocara. With these helminthiases, the use of onions is indicated only after complex treatment.

Grated onion with raw yolk eliminates the manifestation of weakness with vitamin deficiency. If you listen to the wishes of the child, the vitamin balance is restored within a week, and the consequences of vitamin deficiency are eliminated in 7-10 days.

When losing weight

Blue onion accelerates the flow of metabolic processes in the body, resulting in increased appetite. The effect of weight loss is observed due to fat burning.In order not to bring the body to exhaustion, you need to eat a balanced diet. The menu should include fish, chicken, beets, carrots, pineapple, buckwheat, low-fat dairy products. Rye bread, onions should not be combined with dairy products, as there will be heartburn. Be sure to resort to dosed physical activity and not strive for rapid weight loss. This carries with it the destruction of the gastrointestinal mucosa, stretch marks on the skin, disproportionate muscle development.

Anti-cellulite massage can be done on problem areas. 1 medium onion grate on a fine grater. Add 1 tsp. honey, warming up in a water bath. Beat 1 yolk onto the foam. Gradually introduce into the mass, stirring it quickly. In addition to the fact that the anti-cellulite massage cream evenly destroys deposits, it also enriches the skin with vitamins, removes “orange, goose skin”. Massage in a circular motion for no longer than 2 minutes. Rinse with warm boiled water. For dry skin, add a full tablespoon of Vaseline to the mixture. Store the cream in the refrigerator. On hips with a volume of 90 cm, it is enough for 4 sessions. When massaging the skin should completely absorb the mixture. Dark deposits may remain on the hands - this is a dead epithelium. Before applying, rub the area well with your palms. The skin itself will “tell” how much cream to apply. After massaging with index fingers, rub with palms again.

Dishes should be tasty, not heavy for the stomach. For 1 liter of cold water, take a glass of buckwheat, 200 g of chicken, 300 g of crab sticks, 2 large onions. Buckwheat and meat, sliced ​​in any pieces, bring to a boil, set to minimum temperature, bring to half-cooked, add chopped onions. Cook until tender. To salt. Add crab sticks and let it boil. Add 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley, 1 tsp dill. Switch off.

Application in traditional medicine

Blue onions are used in folk medicine to remove corns and ulcers, get rid of cough, and mitigate the course of a cold.

1. Bring a glass of honey to a boil in a water bath. Grind 1 kg of peeled onion into pulp, pour boiling honey. Allow to cool. The mixture is consumed for 2 days with angina and or dry cough. It also effectively removes boils. Apply to a cotton swab, fix with a plaster.
2. 1 to 1 mix onion gruel and softened butter. Apply to the feet for 5-7 minutes. The mixture is effective for hardened skin on the feet, corns. Do not use more than once a day. Wash off with warm water without soap. There should not be a greasy film after application.
3. 3 tbsp mix onion gruel with 1 tbsp. aloe gruel. Insist 6-8 hours, stirring every hour. After add 1 tsp. ground lemon peel and candied honey. Insist 2 days, stirring every 6 hours. The mixture is applied in a very thin layer. Do not use with internal ulcers, blood poisoning. Use with caution on the face, as burns may occur.

Inhalation
Take 3 kg of unpeeled onion in 3 liters of cold water. Insist 10-12 hours. Boil. Add 4-6 bay leaves, 5 tbsp. plantain. Use for cough of an infectious nature. Breathe no more than 30 seconds. The mixture can be used for foot baths as a powerful antifungal agent.

For compresses for colds
Bake unpeeled onions in the oven. Pour into a container hot. Mash and add 2 tbsp. mustard per 1 kg. Transfer to a plastic bag, wrap in 2-3 linen towels and put on your back. Do not use for children under 12 years of age - asphyxia is possible. The cooled mixture can be used to treat infectious skin diseases. With suppuration add 6 tbsp. honey, 4 tbsp vaseline oil and knead.

Harm and contraindications

Blue varieties, unlike yellow ones, do not burn out the mucous membrane so much. This effect can be achieved only with daily use of a vegetable of 2 or more onions, without including fatty and meat products in the diet. Violet varieties also increase blood acidity and gastrointestinal tract. If you abuse salads with onions, cabbage, the likelihood of fermentation of difficult to break down fiber increases, which is fraught with dysbiosis 2, 4 degrees. Dark varieties cause flatulence, so you should not combine them with legumes.

You can not eat blue onions in the following conditions of the body and diseases:

• ulcers, gastritis, spastic colitis;
• partial or complete bowel obstruction;
• gallstones, kidneys;
• noncommunicable kidney disease;
• acute stage of liver disease, pancreas;
• extraintestinal helminths;
• heart and kidney failure;
• high sensitivity of the mucosa;
• allergy.

Important! Dried onions are contraindicated in case of slow heartbeat, low blood pressure, brittle bones. To reduce the concentration of potassium in the blood, you need to add citric acid to dishes, eat more sea fish, sea kale. The latter goes well with blue varieties.

How to choose and store

If a bad smell comes from a batch of onions, you should not even consider it as an option. The box should have dry onions. The peel should freely lag, produce a uniform rustle. Under it, moisture should not protrude.

It is better to take medium-density bulbs. Too dense and dry indicate that this is last year’s crop, and large and humid ones that gradually watered. Ponytails must be completely dry. Between the tail and the bulb should not spring. The tail should move smoothly into the bulb. If there is significant compaction near the root and tail, then the onions were planted on seeds. This means that there will be a stiff middle.

Small onions, ideally dried, with a slightly harsh smell, will be stored for a long time, but there is bitterness in it. Small, perfectly dried, with a spicy smell, has a high concentration of fructose. Sweet is ideal for preservation, for children, for sandwiches with fish. It must be stored in limbo. Contrary to all assurances, in a dry place at a temperature of 18–25 ° C it will be stored until spring. Medium-sized sweet onions are best stored either in a wreath or in a cardboard box near the convector. If it begins to dry out, put 200 ml of water on the convector overnight, changing every day. Stack only perfectly dried onions, otherwise the middle and lower layers will sprout.

Do not store raw materials near sources of wet heat. Sweet onions love offline storage. You can not store it with garlic, as it sprouts quickly. Sweet onions begin to rot in the middle, the upper layers become stiff. In the refrigerator, the vegetable loses its sweetness, becomes stiff. Onions performed well in frozen sauces with plums and tomatoes. He takes the bitterness in the composition of vegetable mixtures, which include bell pepper.

What can be prepared from blue onions: recipes

Blue onion is included in the first dishes, sauces, salads, stews, if it needs to be softened.

fishplate

If the herring is not the first freshness, its specific taste can be veiled as follows. Pass boiled or canned corn through a meat grinder. Grind the onion into gruel. Loose herring fillet, onions, corn, boiled eggs, sliced ​​in thin rings, grated cheese, loosening all layers with mayonnaise in a container. And so in order, until the herring runs out. You can grate 1 kg of boiled beets on a coarse grater. Cut 0.5 kg of herring fillet into strips, 200-300 g of onion - into large strips. Do not salt, the herring will give salt. Add mayonnaise.

Sandwich paste

For 200 g of cottage cheese, take the pulp from 1 medium onion, 1 tbsp. finely chopped dill, 2 tbspmayonnaise, salt to taste. Spread pasta on slices of loaf. Put tomato rings and slices of sweet pepper. You can bake a loaf with this paste. Baton cut like a hot dog. Bottom - pasta, then hunting sausages or smoked sausages, pasta, bell pepper, pasta, crab sticks. Pour paste on top and bake abundantly. For baking, it is better to grate hard cheese. With cottage cheese, the mass is poorly melted. If the cheese is low-fat, add (for 200 g of grated cheese 4 tbsp. Mayonnaise and pulp from 2 onions). If with grated cheese, then bake the loaf in the oven, wrapping in 1 layer of foil. Grease the top of the loaf with a thin layer of butter.

Slice a piece of beef 3 by 4 cm, a thickness of 1.5 cm. After beating, the parameters should increase by 2 times. 1 kg of fatty minced fish mixed with 1 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. semolina. Smear the beaten beef. 0.5 kg of peeled onions, cut into large strips, sprinkle with minced meat. Roll into a tight roll and secure with toothpicks. Wrap in 3-4 layers of foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 140. A juicy roll should come out. Unfold after complete cooling. If the minced meat is very fat, then grate 400 g of non-hard cheese per 1 kg. Such a roll can be deployed warm.

Potato patty gravy

Cut 1 kg of peeled onion into rings. Fry in a large amount of butter (approximately 400 g). Add 300 g chopped bell pepper and 0.5 kg of mushrooms to the semi-prepared onion. Stew until tender and salt. Pre-hold the blanched mushrooms in a colander, otherwise the remaining water will soften the vegetables.

How to Pickle Blue Onions

For pickling, it is better to take a small onion, making sure that the middle is not stiff. There should not be significant space between the plates.

1. Peel, wash, and put the bulbs in a clean jar. The best option is a capacity of 1 liter. For 1 liter of onion, take 100 ml of vinegar, 4 tbsp. sugar, 1 tablespoon salt (incomplete). Pour boiling water over boiling water. Sterilize 5 minutes after boiling the syrup in a jar. After 12-16 hours, remove to a cool, dark place. In the refrigerator, pickled onions lose their sophistication. Shelf life 2 years. Use after 2–2.5 months.
2. The washed peeled onions cut into large rings. At the bottom of the jar - currant and cherry leaf (5-7 pcs.). Put in a jar a layer of onions, pitted cherries, onions and currant berries. The top layer is cherry berries. For 1 liter, take 5 tbsp. sugar, 50 ml of vinegar. If calculated for beet salads, do not add salt. For sandwiches, 1 tablespoon is enough. salt (incomplete). Sterilize 10 minutes after boiling the syrup. Shelf life is 1 year. Ready to eat after 1.5 months.

Is it possible to fry blue onions

In fried form, it comes out tastier than onion and somehow resembles mushrooms. You need to fry the onions over low heat in a small amount of fat. Dry the pan. Pour in sunflower or olive oil, wait until it boils. Spread finely chopped onions. Animal fats are not suitable for blue onions. Deliciously goes in butter.

If the shelf life of the bulbs is coming to an end, they can be re-dried in a large amount of butter or spread. Cool, pour into a container and freeze. For freezing, it is better to take stainless containers and spread. Butter over time gives a specific aftertaste. If stewed or fried onions are frozen in vegetable fats, you can add a lot of chopped greens to it. So freshness of aroma and taste is perfectly preserved. For frying on vegetable fats, it is better to cut onions in large pieces, so it does not burn, a crust forms, juiciness remains, on cream - very small.

Interesting facts about onions

1. The maximum of nutrients is in the upper layer. Even if it’s harsh, don’t throw it away! Rigidity is removed by blanching.
2. Sweetness and hotness depend not so much on the variety as on the soil on which it was grown, the amount of precipitation during the season, and the average daily amplitude of temperature fluctuations.
3. Dark varieties are the result of crosses between Spanish and Portuguese onions. To maximize the manifestation of all the taste and healing properties, it must be grown on stony soil with a fertile layer of not more than 30 cm. At night, the stones give off heat, which ensures round-the-clock uniform vegetation.
4. It is necessary to fertilize the soil with bird droppings, straw, cattle droppings, taking all the components in equal parts. This fertilizer slowly rots out, which eliminates rotting of the bulbs and holds heat well in the soil.
5. Bitter varieties should not be taken for conservation. After soaking, the aroma of onions intensifies, a bouquet of specific flavors disappears. If this happened, for the marinade take 0.5 liters of cherry and plum juice, a glass of sugar, 150 ml of vinegar, 1 tbsp. salt. The marinade is enough for 3-4 liter cans, depending on how the onion picks it up. Bring the marinade to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not stack too full cans. Onion can strongly absorb marinade, increase in volume. Sterilize for 10-12 minutes, consume after a month. Shelf life is one year.

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