I have always thought that onions and garlic were health foods...
But apparently, they can be toxic and are known to cause anemia in animals:
The Allium Family Warning Label
Onions and other members of the Allium family may cause bad breath, indigestion and acid reflux (15), anemia, reduced blood clotting, or even death. Pregnant women should avoid the Alliuin family because its members have been known to cause accidental abortions in humans (13). Nursing women should not eat them because the chemical Allicin enters into their breast milk and disturbs a baby's ability to breast feed (13).
Those at risk for major bleeding, such as those soon to undergo surgery or enter into labor are urged not to eat members of the Allium family because they have been shown to prevent the clotting of open wounds (14).
Disclaimer: the site seems to promote some vegan raw food diet which I obviously don't support or recommend, but it's true that onions are dangerous for pets, just google about onion-caused anemia in dogs. And he lists his sources, too.
P.S. OFF TOPIC
I just checked my comments and found some in moderation including one by Nuke1776 and posted them. Any comment on a post older than 10 days automatically goes into moderation and unfortunately, I often forget to check them. Excuses!
Well that takes all the spice out of life.
ReplyDeleteBut I suppose if I was a raw foodie, I would give up raw onions in all but special circumstances. They are hard to take at times.
I didn't have time to read through all his references, but I wondered if any of them treated the preparations of onions in acid (lemon or vinegar in salsa, for instance) or certain kinds of cooking: I wonder if it changes "harmful" properties somewhat.
Oh for goodness sake! "Vegan Raw Food Diet", can it get any more ridiculous? I guess they don't eat beans or rice as those are pretty hard on teeth unless cooked. Where do they get their protein? I am so tired of all these nonsense diets!
ReplyDeleteWell, apparently there is a raw onion challenge going around with young men eating raw onions the whole day? I read something about it on Gab.
ReplyDeleteOther sources say that onions lose a lot of harmful properties once cooked. My husband never could eat them raw while I had no problem with it. He also hates garlic which is supposed to be another health food. Those who are into yoga and aurveda also dislike onions.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-onions/
ReplyDeleteHere is what American Kennel club says about onions:
Onions contain a toxic principle known as N-propyl disulfide. This compound causes a breakdown of red blood cells, leading to anemia in dogs.
The toxin causes oxidative damage to your dog's red blood cells by attaching to the oxygen molecules in your dog's red blood cells. This reduces the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen, and also tricks your dog's body into thinking that the blood cell is an invader. The red blood cell is destroyed in a process known as hemolysis, resulting in hemolytic anemia.
All parts of the onion plant are toxic to dogs, including the flesh, leaves, juice, and processed powders. Raw or cooked, fried or powdered, onions and the rest of the allium family (garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives) are harmful to dogs.
Onion powder is in a surprisingly wide range of foods, from soups to baby food. It only takes 100 grams of onion (about the size of a medium onion) per 20 kilograms of a dog's weight to cause toxic effects, which means that a 45-pound dog would only have to eat one medium-to-large-size onion to experience dangerous toxicity levels.
I actually got interested in the topic following a YouTube discussion when somebody said that onions cause anemia in the elderly.
I'd say one is better off eating onions on a regular basis than not. I would guess if you are taking certain medicines, one should consult a pharmacist. Grapefruit juice can interact with some medicine. I can't remember the organic chemistry of the issue.
ReplyDeleteI think a part of the problem is that we all use lots of commercial foods like ketchup, canned soups etc which all have onions added so that in the end there is more than we need? It's difficult to avoid this stuff though, unless you cook everything from scratch.
ReplyDeleteGarlic is quite strong though. I'm probably going to get rid of it as my husband hates it anyway and we always got words as I was inclined to put it everywhere, lol. It did cure some form of periodontal abscess I had once when the dentist was on vacation.
I have a difficult time believing all this.. onions have been used for centuries.The Old Testament says. the Israelites were missing their “leeks and garlic” when they left Egypt. Onion soup anyone?
ReplyDelete