Onion
Onion is an exceptionally strong antioxidant food. It is one of civilization’s oldest medicines. It contains several anticancer compounds. This vegetable is the richest dietary source of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant. This substance is found only in shallots, yellow and red onions and not in white. Some onions are so full of quercetin that the compound accounts for up to 10 per cent of their dry weight, according to tests by Terrance Leighton, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California at Berkeley.
Onions have been specifically linked to inhibit human stomach cancer. It thins the blood, lowers cholesterol, raises good-type HDL cholesterol, wards off blood clots, and fights asthma, chronic bronchitis, hay fever, diabetes, atherosclerosis and infections. It is considered to possess diverse anticancer powers. Excessive use of onions should, however, be avoided as it may promote gas formation and aggravate heartburn. Recent experiments have also found that abundant use of onions have a tendency to reduce the number of red cells and to lower the haemoglobin.
Orange
The orange is the most popular and widespread of the citrus fruit. It is a very delicious and nourishing fruit. It is a rich source of protective food ingredients like vitamins A, B, C as well as calcium, and its health-promoting properties emanate from these nutrients. Being a predigested food, it produces heat and energy in the body immediately after its use.
Orange is a powerful antioxidant food, being rich in antioxidant vitamin C and beta-carotene. It contains all classes of known natural cancer inhibitor, namely carotenoids, terpenes and flavonoids. It protects against several types of cancers, especially pancreatic cancer. By virtue of its richness in Vitamin C, it may ward off asthma attacks, bronchitis, atherosclerosis and gum disease. It may also boost fertility and healthy sperms in some men.
Peanut
The peanut, also known as groundnut, belongs to the pea and bean family and is a legume. But it is considered as a nut because of its high nutritional value. That is how it is used in family meals and snacks.
Peanuts are an extremely rich source of antioxidant compound ubiquinol-10. This little-known food constituent is one of the best antioxidants to help detoxify bad LDL cholesterol. It is found in high concentrations in LDL particles, and appears to be the most efficient of the antioxidants, even more so than vitamin E, in keeping LDL cholesterol safe from dangerous oxidation, says Harvard’s research scientist, Balz Frei. Ubiquinol-10 also helps regenerate vitamin E, so they work together.
Eating fresh roasted peanuts with jaggery and goat’s milk is a very nutritious food for growing children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. It builds a resistance against all infections, particularly tuberculosis and hepatitis. Other major sources of Ubiquinol-10, besides peanuts, are pistachio nuts, soyabeans, walnuts and sesame seeds.
Pumpkin
The pumpkin, a common vegetable, belongs to the gourd family. It is a wholesome vegetable and contains a good amount of useful mineral salts and vitamin, together with a minimum content of carbohydrates. It is an alkaline food. It is easily digested. This vegetable is non-gas forming and excellent for the nervous system.
As an extremely rich source of beta-carotene, pumpkin is a powerful antioxidant food. It helps prevent many health problems such as heart attacks, cancer and cataracts. It also helps build red blood, wards off infection, takes good care of the eyes and keeps the system clean. The best way of cooking it is to bake, boil or steam it in its own juice.