"Qi" moves fat away! Eat onions to supplement nitric oxide

Can nitric oxide (NO) also help with weight loss? Most people understand that breathing more oxygen can increase the basal metabolic rate and thus help lose weight. However, they do not know that obesity is also a reaction to inflammation and aging. If you can consume onions or garlic in moderation and supplement nitric oxide, you can reduce the production of free radicals, promote metabolism, and make weight loss easier.

Hong Ruopu, a nutritionist at the Department of Nutrition at the Zhongxiao branch of Taipei Municipal United Hospital, said that although nitric oxide is a gas, it has strong antioxidant properties, can slow down the aging of body functions, and plays a vital role in nerve conduction or regulation of cell function.

Not enough nitric oxide NO! Obesity and high risk of cardiovascular disease

For the nervous system, when the body's production of nitric oxide decreases, it can lead to memory problems, depression and other related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. For the circulatory system, insufficient production of NO may lead to cardiovascular, hypertension and other diseases. For people with poor immunity and metabolism, nitric oxide is an important weapon for macrophages to fight foreign pathogens and eliminate free radicals and abnormal cells in the body, such as cancer cells.

Nutritionist Hong Ruopu recommends that if the body's NO content is insufficient, in addition to developing the habit of aerobic exercise three times a week, you can also consume mushroom foods such as enoki mushrooms to activate the immune system and increase the NO production of macrophages. In addition, the sulfur substances and ascorbic acid contained in onions and garlic can also increase the activity of nitric oxide, inhibit the ability of vascular endothelial cells to produce free radicals, and reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

【Qi-boosting dish: French onion soup】 (4 servings)

• Ingredients: 1 kg of purple onion, 50 g of olive oil, 1500 to 2000 cc of chicken stock, 100 cc of red wine, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, and salt and black pepper to taste.

• practice:

  1. Peel off the outer layer of the onion, wash it, cut it into shreds and set aside.

  2. Take a soup pot, add olive oil and heat over medium-low heat, then add onion shreds and stir-fry.

  3. Continue to stir-fry over low heat until the onions are browned, being careful not to burn them.

  4. Pour the broth into a soup pot and add red wine, red wine vinegar, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Too much is as bad as too little! Excessive nitric oxide (NO) can harm your body

It is worth noting that nitric oxide is a double-edged sword for the human immune system. People with long-term inflammatory diseases may suffer from excessive local NO production in the body, which may cause damage to normal cell tissues and require the reduction of nitric oxide production. At this time, colorful phytonutrients such as noni fruit, bitter melon, guava, green tea, blackberry, blueberry and purple fruits and vegetables are good choices, which can reduce the production of NO in macrophages and maintain the balance of nitric oxide in the human body.