Why you shed tears when slicing Onions

Hello friends!!

Come close lets discuss something very important. Like me, have you ever wondered why tears comes out from your eyes when you slice onions?

The Big lie

Well for so many years as a kid I kept wondering why I literally cry uncontrollably when slicing onions and when I tried to ask guess what I was told? I was told that my eyes were dirty and needed cleansing. I was told that the onions cleanses our eyes.

So what i was told made me bear it the tears each time am slicing onions. If I didn't tear very well I felt my eyes was clean or the onions wasn't strong enough to cleanse my eyes.

So many people have their own belief concerning this process of tearing when slicing onion. What were you told? I would really want to know your own story. I grew up believing what I was told until recently I decided to do a research about it and I found out the real reason.

Why you shed tears while slicing onions

Onions contains a particular compound called sulfur. Therefore whenever you are slicing your onions this compound is let free from your onions into the space in your kitchen or wherever you are slicing the onion( in the air).

That particular compound mixes in the air to form another kind of gas which affects a particular part of your eyes we call the nerve, causing that part of the eyes that produces tears to start producing tears uncontrollably.

The tears from your eyes is the defense mechanism of your eyes to protect the gas getting into your eyes to harm you as if to say it is taking out the substance. So when you tear while slicing the onion, know that your eyes are trying to fight back.

But have you also observed that there are people who don't shed tears when they slice onions? What could be the reason? Maybe I will do a research on that too very soon.

That is the real reason why we shed tears. Shedding tears while slicing onions is a very fast process that takes place. You don't see it but it happens. Guess what? You can reduce the shedding of tears while slicing or you can stop it too. I will tell you how.

What to do to Reduce or Stop the Shedding of tears while slicing your Onions

I just have some few ways to prevent you from shedding tears while slicing onion.

• The First way is to protect your eyes by wearing eye glasses: This sounds funny but it works. When you put on eye glass while slicing the onion, the gas can not come in contact with your eyes so no tears.

• You can decide to put a fan in your kitchen and switch it on whenever you want to slice your onions: The air from the fan blows the gas has been formed in the air away, making it loose concentration around where you are.

• Another thing you can do is to put your onions into the freezer for a while let's say 30-45 minutes depending on how effective your freezer works before slicing it. This process reduces the rate at which the sulfur reacts with the air to produce the gas that causes the eye irritation.

• Another technique you can use to reduce the way tears comes out of your eyes is to strategically cut your onions into bigger shapes and not smaller. The smaller you slice the more the compound released.

Benefits of eating Onions

There are several benefits of eating onion. Have heard people say oh I don't like onions in my food, I hope that after reading this article today you will have a change of heart.

• Do you know that eating of Onions contributes to the boosting of your immune system? I guess you didn't know. Onions contains fiber and even antioxidants which makes this very possible.

• Eating onions supplies your body with necessary vitamins like vitamin C

• Eating Onions helps our heart work better and also reduces the level of blood sugar in the body, isn't this amazing?

• As you get older, I would advice to increase the intake of onions because it helps with your bone function, preventing weakness of the bones

• Onions helps reduce inflammation and constipation in your body. Try eating onions today, I mean add it to your meal.