Scallions

This article is part of a larger article titled "100+ Healthiest Foods On Planet Earth."  Read it here.

Scallions (also known as spring onions), are a member of the allium family, along with garlic and onion. Essentially an onion harvested before it begins to develop the bulb, scallions are a distinctive vegetable in their own right, with a slightly spicy flavour.

Scallions are often found in stir fries, soups and garnishes, but are far more than a side dish when it comes to their nutritional benefits. With pronounced cardiovascular effects, cancer-fighting properties and high levels of essential minerals, scallions are a flavoursome way to help with longevity and health.

Nutritionally, scallions are a great source of a number of essential minerals. 100g of raw scallions contains 8% of your daily value (DV) of iron, 7% DV of potassium, and 7% DV of calcium. These are all minerals it is easy to be deficient in, especially if your diet lacks dark leafy greens. In addition, 100g contains 31% DV of vitamin C, 19% DV of vitamin A, and 10% DV of dietary fibre.

Scallions have even more nutritional clout than this, however. The high levels of the flavonoid quercetin present in them give it a distinct benefit when it comes to your cardiovascular health: besides possible athletic performance benefits, quercetin has been shown to lower blood pressure, in addition to reducing platelet aggregation, a major contributing factor to atherosclerosis.

The cardiovascular benefits don’t stop there though: potassium has been linked with a decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, as has vitamin C.

Scallions have further assorted health benefits. As an allium, they have been linked with a lower cancer risk, specifically, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, and oesophageal cancer. These cancers are associated with health of the digestive system, another thing scallions assist with, due to their fairly high levels of dietary fibre.

Finally, deficiencies in vitamin A and iron can lead to some serious health risks, particularly the long-term health of the eye and the problems of tiredness and focus associated with anaemia.