Can you eat onions when you have cholesterol?

Raw or cooked, the onion is a food that leaves no one indifferent because of its strong taste. If you are one of those who slip it into all their dishes, it will bring you many benefits, particularly digestive or antioxidant. But can it be beneficial if your blood cholesterol level is too high?

L‘onion is a low fat vegetable. Per 100 g, it contains only 0.62 g including 0.2 g of saturated fatty acids, and no dietary cholesterol. A food low in fat which therefore naturally finds its place in a anti-cholesterol diet.

If it “does not act directly on the cholesterol level in the body”, as dietician Clara Ledoux, Morvan points out, it does have a “protective action for cardiovascular health”.

This action is explained firstly by the “ sulfur compounds that it contains.” These help preventatherosclerosisthe formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the walls of the arteries, which begin with a deposit of cholesterol.

The onion, because it is rich in quercetinalso has “ an antioxidant action which contributes to the reduction of oxidative stress and limits the oxidation of “bad” cholesterol, LDL cholesterol,” specifies the nutritionist

Raw or cooked? Gentle cooking or strong cooking? The way we cook the onion can impact its nutritional qualities or even the way our body reacts to the vegetable.

What must be avoided, however, is “cooking too long or too hard because it degrades certain compounds” warns the nutritionist. The ideal is therefore to “let it rest just a few minutes in the pan in order to preserve its active compounds,” says Clara Ledoux Morvan.

In order to fully benefit from the benefits of onion, people with high cholesterol should “include it regularly in their diet”. For Clara Ledoux Morvan, this means consume up to ½ onion per day « . However, it may be difficult to implement this recommendation as is. And this for two reasons.

“The onion is a vegetable rich in FODMAPsfructans that are often poorly tolerated and can cause bloatingpain and gas,” explains the nutritionist.

People with a lower tolerance to onions are often those who suffer from “digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome ».

For these people, Clara Ledoux Morvan recommends “testing the onion in small quantities and if consumed, to favor well-cooked onionsbecause they will be less rich in FODMAPs. Also, each step in cooking, such as peeling, cutting and cooking, are fewer steps that the digestive system will have to carry out.

A second limitation is added, which this time concerns everyone. The onion, like everything that is cultivated, is prone to pesticides. Please note: the market offers different labels with different dosages of pesticides, a detail that is important!

« Organic is a plus », Recognizes the dietician, even if “washing the onion properly and peeling it is generally enough to remove most of the pesticide residues”, she nevertheless explains.

Do not forget either “to vary your diet as much as possible ».