How to Stop Onions From Making You Cry

There are simple ways that you can stop from tearing up when you are around onions. The tearing up mechanism happens because when you cut into an onion, its cells rupture and releases enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial sulfoxide. When the gas reaches your eyes, it reacts with tears to produce a mild sulfuric acid. The brain signals the eyes' tear glands to produce more liquid to flush it out. The more that onions are chopped, the more your eyes tear up.

It is a good idea to chill an onion in the freezer before cutting it because cold temperatures can slow down the release of enzymes. You can also pour a tablespoon of vinegar onto the cutting board. The acid in the vinegar stops the chemical reaction of the sulfur in the onion and causes a reduction in tears. It is another good idea to put an onion under water before chopping it. The water would absorb the onion's gas.

Increase Metabolism with Capsaicin

Capsaicin is a bioactive compound in chile peppers that can increase metabolism and reduce hunger. One tablespoon of chopped red or green chile pepper, which is 30 mg of capsaicin, can cause a temporary 23 percent increase in metabolism.

The Benefits of Kale

Kale is a healthy leafy vegetable that is good for the winter. It is a form of cabbage that gets sweeter as the weather gets colder and is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. It also is a a good source of calcium. It is high in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains sulforaphane, which is a chemical that supposedly has anti-cancer properties.

Bigger Fruits Aren’t Better Fruits

Bigger fruits aren’t always better and more nutritious. It is known that as fruits and vegetables grow bigger, their amounts of nutrients and antioxidants decrease. When shopping, it is a good idea to choose the smallest and brightest fruits and vegetables. Bright vegetables are good because the brightness is a sign that the produce is rich in phytochemicals, which is a healthy substance that is often considered an antioxidant.

Cut Cancer Risks With Leafy Vegetables

It is found that leafy green vegetables are rich in vitamins A and C and rich in flavonoids, which all can help to protect the body against cancer. A study was done by researchers that found that adults who ate one serving of leafy vegetables each day were half as likely to develop lung cancer when compared to people who ate them less than five times each week.

Broccoli Used as a Sun Protectant

The vegetable broccoli can be used as a sun-protectant. Putting a small amount of an extract found in broccoli sprouts on skin can reduce inflammation and redness by almost 40 percent. The extract has a large amount of the antioxidant sulforaphane and activates the skin’s ability to fight cancer by increasing the production of productive enzymes. The properties of the extract keep working for days after the extract is washed off.

Grapefruit Increases Cancer Risk

A recent study found that women who ate half of a grapefruit every other day had a 30 percent increase of breast cancer risk when compared to women who didn’t eat the fruit. Grapefruit contains the chemical compound furanocoumarins that inhibits the way that estrogen is metabolized. This leads to a higher concentration of estrogen, which increases the risk of breast cancer.

It is recommended that post menopausal women that consume grapefruit regularly and women that have had estrogen-receptor-positive cancer should not eat this fruit. The American Cancer Society recommends eating five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day to limit the exposure to possibly harmful substances from a single food.