Spring onion or green onion

Spring onions are very young onion bulbs, scientific name Allium cepa, harvested when they are still immature. Just like garlic, onion and leeks also the spring onions belong to the family of the Alliaceae and, like these vegetables, have a powerful antitumor action. In fact, spring onions, like the other members of the Alliaceae, contain sulfur compounds (Nicastro et al, Cancer Prev Res, Mar 2016) able to induce apoptosis, which is the programmed death, of cancer cells. Moreover, as reported in the book Anti cancer written by Dr. David Servan Schreiber, these sulfur compounds present in the spring onions are able to reduce the carcinogenic action of substances such as nitrosamines and N-nitroso compounds that are formed in the blackened parts of the overcooked meat or during the burning of tobacco. Thanks to these characteristics, spring onions are particularly suitable to inhibit certain types of tumors such as cancer of the colon, lung, prostate, kidney, breast and blood (Servan Schreiber, Anti cancer). Finally, spring onions are also particularly beneficial for the health of the body since they help keep at bay the levels of blood sugar, they are a valuable source of vitamins, such as C, K, B, mineral salts such as zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium as well as fibers and folates, substances able to protect heart, brain and DNA (USDA Food Composition Database - Rampersaud et al, J Am Coll Nutr, Feb 2003). Spring onions are diuretic and purifying, therefore useful in case of water retention and cellulite. And for what concerns how to serve them, you can eat green onions added to soups, omelettes or, even better, in order to preserve their healthy properties, raw in salads. Wash the spring onions well, remove the last part with the roots, cut them lengthways and remove the external peel. At this point you can slice both the white part and the green part and here you go, spring onion is ready to be added to your dishes to give more flavor but also more health!