Onions are often overlooked in the realm of nutritious foods. However, these flavorful root vegetables have a lot to offer. A wide variety of onions exist, and all of them contain multiple nutrients. Onions are an excellent vegetable to add to salads, sandwiches, casseroles, or one-pot dishes for a flavorful, nutritious kick.
Red Onions
Red onions are a staple salad or burger topper. This breed of onion is low in calories and high in nutrients. One half cup contains 23 calories, 0.67 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 5.33 grams of carbohydrate, and 0.7 grams of fiber. Additionally, a half cup of red onion offers 14 milligrams of calcium and 4 milligrams of vitamin C.
Yellow Onions
A strongly flavored onion, yellow onions are typically cooked before being eaten. This variety of onion offers many nutrients. One medium onion contains 44 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fiber. Micronutrients found in a yellow onion include 40 milligrams of calcium, 0.4 milligrams of iron, and 7 milligrams of vitamin C.
Green Onions
Green onions are traditionally used as tasty flavoring in Asian or Hispanic dishes. A half cup on green onions contains 20 calories, 0 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrate, and 2 grams of fiber. Additionally, one half cup of these onions is dense in micronutrient content providing 40 milligrams of calcium, 2.45 grams of iron, 54 milligrams of magnesium, 140 milligrams of potassium, 32.6 milligrams of vitamin C, 109 micrograms of folate, 680 international units of vitamin A, and 326 micrograms of vitamin K.
White Onions
A final, and very commonly used onion is the white onion. One-half cup of diced white onion contains 23 calories, 0.67 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 5.33 grams of carbohydrate, and 0.7 grams of fiber. The micronutrients prominent in a half cup of white onion include 14 milligrams of calcium and 4 milligrams of vitamin C.
Nutritious Onions
It is safe to say all varieties of onions are nutritious. Onions are a low calorie vegetable containing some fiber and typically at least a few vitamins and minerals. Onions can easily be added to almost any cooked dish for a quick boost in flavor and nutrition.
