All About Green Onions

“This time of the year is the best for eating green onions. I swear a green onion straight from the garden makes anything taste better." - Tipper Pressley

Green onions are a great low-calorie, nutritious, tasty addition to many meals, from salads to hot dishes. Add some to your plate today! 

Five Fun Facts

• Green onions are in a plant family called allium, and that is the same family as garlic, leeks, shallots, and chives.
• If you order scallions on your baked potato, then you know another common name for green onions.
• Green onions contain just 4.8 calories a piece!
• First believed to be grown in Asia, specifically China, now green onions are popular around the world.
• Green onions may be served cooked or raw, but contain the most nutrients when consumed uncooked.

Nutrition Info 

A medium green onion has:

• 0 g of fat
• 1.1 g carbs
• .4 g fiber
• .3 g protein

Additionally, green onions provide about a tenth of the fiber you need for a day.

Benefits

Green onions contain a good amount of Vitamin K, which contributes positively to blood being able to clot, and bone health.

Green onions have antioxidants and bioactive compounds which can help prevent issues such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Also, green onions reduce the risk for quite a few different cancers including myeloma (a cancer of the plasma cells), gastric, colorectal, endometrial, lung, and prostate cancer, and even protect against osteoporosis.

Cautions

You’ll want to avoid everything except the green parts of green onions if you follow a low FODMAP diet, that is, a diet low in fermentable carbs, which is used to manage irritable bowel syndrome. Consult your doctor if you are on a blood thinner and need a very monitored level of vitamin k, as you may need to account for eating green onions and similar vitamin k rich foods in your treatment.

Wash thoroughly to prevent potential spread of diseases.

Suggested Recipes

Scallion Pancakes - appetizer - Vegan

Chinese Green Onion Pancake Beef Rolls

Scallion Egg Noodles - Vegetarian, Gluten-free

Grilled Green Onions - Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low Carb

Chicken Scallion Rice Bowl

For the Kids and Kids-at-Heart

Download this activity sheet to have some fun with smelly things like green onions!