Many people enjoy eating onions, while others dislike them due to their strong odor.
Onions contain a lot of water and are very low in vegetable fat. According to the health website Healthline (USA), 100g of onions contains approximately 40 calories, 1.1g of protein, 146mg of potassium, 4mg of sodium, and many other important nutrients .
The nutrients in onions have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory effects and help control blood sugar.
Health experts advise people with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, to avoid eating onions. Crohn's disease can cause inflammation anywhere in the intestines, but it most commonly affects the small and large intestines. This prolonged inflammation causes a range of unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, fever, diarrhea, weight loss, and other symptoms.
In more severe cases, people with Crohn's disease may experience kidney stones, anemia, or inflammation in other parts of the body such as the liver, eyes, or skin. While the exact cause of Crohn's disease is unclear, certain foods can worsen symptoms when inflammatory bowel disease is flaring up, including onions.
This is because onions are among the foods high in FODMAPs, which can worsen Crohn's disease symptoms. FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates made up of several types of sugars linked together. However, these sugars cannot be digested by the intestines, leading to unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, abdominal distension, or stomach pain.
Additionally, when Crohn's disease flares up, sufferers need to reduce their fiber intake. This means they should avoid fresh vegetables, including onions.
100g of onions contain approximately 1.7g of fiber. While this amount of fiber isn't exceptionally high, patients should still limit their fiber intake until their digestive symptoms subside. They should also adhere to a low-FODMAP diet.
Specifically, when symptoms are flaring up, people with Crohn's disease need to temporarily restrict or reduce their intake of FODMAP foods such as onions, garlic, wheat, lentils, and foods high in lactose and fructose. Adhering to this diet can effectively reduce bloating and intestinal discomfort, according to Healthline .
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