Amazing Onion Facts

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Amazing Onion Facts
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1. Onions are yellow, red or white, with yellow being the most common color. When allowed to mature and dry, they develop firm flesh and dry, crackly outer skins.

2. The name onion comes from the Latin, "unio."  Unio is a mix of French "oignon" and the English "unyun." Allium Cepa is the scientific name for onion because an onion grows as a single bulb.

3. Humans have grown onions for at least 7000 years.

4. Egyptians believed onions had strength-producing powers.  Onions were fed to those who built the pyramids.

5. The onion is one of the top 5 fresh vegetables in the US.

6. An average American consumes around 21pounds of fresh and processed onion every year.

7. There are more than 500 varieties of onions. Onions can be put into two groups: dried and fresh.

8. When onions are cut, sulfur-containing gas (called the lachrymatory factor)is released. The gas spreads in the air and comes into contact with your eyes. The lachrymatory factor activates the nerves in the eyes. The nerves send signals to your brain. Your brain puts your gland that releases tears, causing you to cry.

9. Vidalia Onions have developed an international reputation as the "world's sweetest onion."

10. In 1990, a resolution was passed by the Georgia's legislature declaring the Vidalia Onion as Georgia's Official State Vegetable.

11. Vidalia Onions contain the highest sugar content and the lowest pungency levels of any sweet onion grown anywhere in the world.

12.Everybody who has ever had to cut up a lot of strong onions knows what happens. It is literally a job that makes all of us cry. That is because onions contain sulfur, and when you cut the onion sulfur is released into the air. This airborne sulfur reacts with the moisture in your eyes and creates a mild form of sulfuric acid! Your eyes tear up to flush this substance from your eyes.

13.Native Americans ate wild onions and the Pilgrims brought onions with them on the Mayflower. Onions were eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner.

14.After slicing onions, wash your hands in cold water, then rub them with salt or vinegar. The salt or vinegar will remove onion smells from your hands.

15.If you need only half of an onion, use the top half. The root will stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.

16 In ancient Egypt, the onion was a symbol of eternity because it is a circle-within a circle. The Pharaoh Cheops paid workers who built the Great Pyramid in onions, garlic, and parsley and onions were painted on the walls of the pyramids. Mummies were even buried with onions.

17.Onions are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber. They are low in fat and calories. The antioxidants found in onions help prevent high blood pressure and some forms of cancer.
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18. The white onion bulb and the green stalk are both edible.

19. Humans have been cultivating onions since 3500 B.C.

20. Green onions are also known as scallions.

21. Yellow and Red Onions contain an antioxidant that is associated with beneficial effects on human diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

22. Onions were an important part of life in Ancient Egypt. Leaders took an oath of office with their right hand on an onion.

23. It is believed that onions originated in Asia, though it is also possible that onions may have been growing wild worldwide. Ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing that the spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternity.

Health Benefits of Passion Fruit

Edit Posted by Helth
Health Benefits of Passion Fruit
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Common Names: Passion Fruit, Granadilla, Purple Granadilla, Yellow Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is a plant that is commercially cultivated for its fruits. The fruit is oval and yellow or dark purple at maturity with a soft juicy interior.

Passiflora is from the Latin passus (suffering) and flos (flower), literally the Flower of Passion so called by the early Catholic Spanish priests in South America who regarded the plants features as symbols of the Crucifixion.

1. Passionfruit is believed to contain somniferous properties, which are calming and sleep-inducing. Many indigenous tribes of South America traditionally used passionfruit in calming tonics and as a sedative. 

2. Passionfruit contains high levels of fibre, which is essential for your toddler's digestive system, metabolism and eliminating toxins from his body.

3. Full of Vitamin A and flavonoid antioxidants, this fruit is great for your little one’s developing vision, mucous membranes and skin.

4. Vitamin C helps build up resistance against flu-like viruses and passionfruit is packed with it. So if your toddler gets the sniffles, the Vitamin C will lessen his symptoms and can help him make a faster recovery. 

5. Did you know one passionfruit contains the same amount of potassium as a banana? Potassium aids the function of the body’s cells, tissues and organs, which is vital for growing bodies.

6. Just because a passionfruit has wrinkly skin does not mean it’s ripe. Passionfruit is best judged by weight, rather than skin. If it feels heavy and ‘full’ it’s probably ripe but if it’s wrinkled it may have started to dry up.

7. Passionfruit crops are mainly pollinated by honeybees. If you’re ever near a passionfruit farm you will notice hives strategically placed throughout the crop to encourage pollination.

8. The passionfruit is technically a berry. This is because, by botanical definition, it is a fleshy fruit grown from a single ovary.

9. The passionfruit takes its name from the fruit’s exotic-looking flower and is said to symbolise the Passion of Christ. The three stigmas are said to reflect the three nails in Jesus’ hands and feet, the 10 petals represent the Apostles (not including Peter or Judas), and the vines represent the whips used on Jesus.

10. Another type of supplement extracted from passion fruit peel was found to improve physical function and decrease the pain and the stiffness among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The reported beneficial effects were thought to be due to the antioxidant properties and antiinflammatory chemicals of the passion fruit peel.