19 Benefits of Raw Onion Most People Don't Know

Raw onion isn't just something you push to the side of your plate. Most people only think flavor, or bad breath — and stop there. In this video, I dug through real, published research to find 19 distinct things raw onion actually does inside your body — starting with a few nutrients you'd never think to credit it for, working up through gut health, blood sugar, cardiovascular protection, and even a surprising connection to bone density. A lot of it turns out to matter specifically because the onion is raw, not cooked — several of these compounds are measurably weaker (or gone entirely) the moment heat hits them. Number one on the list is the reason I said this would change how you look at onion for good. It's backed by one of the largest pooled studies on the subject, and it's not the kind of finding you'd expect from something this cheap and ordinary. Stick around for the five things I'd actually change about how you eat it — plus one caution worth knowing if you're on certain medications. And if this one surprised you, there's another everyday ingredient in your kitchen doing something just as unexpected — that one's coming next.