Green onions, leeks, and scallions, part of the Allium genus, are often used as aromatic flavor definers of many cultural dishes. They are also common garnishes that enhance food presentation. Some common examples of dishes utilizing these flavored greens are leek potato soup from Wales, green onion pancakes from China, grilled green onion as a topping with asada from Mexico, and many more. However, the health benefits aren’t quite as well-known compared to others in the same genus such as onions, shallots, and garlic.
Green onions can make your dishes colorful, delicious, and nutritious!
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1. Boosts Your Immune System with Its Heavy Vitamin Presence
Green onions, leeks, and scallions all contain a significant amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B6. Vitamin A is an important component in strengthening immune response and reducing inflammation. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties against free radicals, which are hypothesized to be components of many degenerative and inflammatory disorders such as Alzheimer’s, certain cancers, and ocular degeneration. Vitamin B6 can aid your immune system and nervous system. More specifically, it can help reduce risk for degenerative disorders as well as regulate both mood and hemoglobin production in your blood. Vitamin C and folate are also found in these vegetables and can help fight fatigue! All of these supplemental building blocks from these greens help to make your body feel good and function smoothly.
2. Good for Your Gut Health
These greens also have many benefits for your dietary needs and your digestion! They are low-calorie and high-fiber vegetables. They cook down easily, making it easy to load up on them for extra flavor and fiber, which helps promote healthy bowel movements. As natural diuretics, they stimulate your kidneys to get rid of sodium in the urine.
3. Contains Anti-Cancer Compounds
Many Allium vegetables contain phenolic and sulfuric compounds, which have been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Some of the anti-cancer properties include induction of cell death, disrupting formation and growth of cancerous cells. A. porrum, also known as the leek, is said to contain a phenolic compounds called saponins that have cytotoxicity against certain cancer cell lines. According to one research study, phenols within chive flowers showed they inhibited cell proliferation in cancerous HaCaT cells, a type of human epidermis skin cell. Eating these veggies show promise in fighting cancer growth; they also appear to cause less platelet activity and lower blood cholesterol, both of which can lead to a reduction in cardiovascular disease.
These mighty greens from the Allium genus have a variety of benefits that are still being explored. It just goes to show that while these vegetables are often used for the flavor and aesthetic they bring to food, they also has a plethora of health benefits that make it worthy of its popularity.
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