Chopped, sautéed, roasted, or caramelized . . . onions liven up the flavor of your foods and boost your cancer-fighting defenses.

The bonus: Onions are a low-calorie veggie bursting with flavonoids, vitamin C, and chromium. Why not make an-onion-a-day a habit? If teary eyes stop you, chill the onion before cutting. Stinky fingers a problem? Swipe your digits with a slice of lemon or a splash of vinegar. Bad breath? Nibble on parsley or apple slices. Or cook the onion first, to release some of the sulfur compounds. Try this Roasted Onion Soup recipe . . .

To ancient Egyptians, the onion was a symbol of eternity, and that belief may not have been far from reality. Today, scientific evidence is showing that onions -- and garlic, another vegetable-like herb in the Allium family -- may promote longevity by keeping cancer from gaining a foothold.

Studies in China, France, and the U.S. have shown that onions protect against different cancers, and a large Italian and Swiss study has confirmed those results. By comparing the onion and garlic habits of cancer-free people to those hospitalized with a malignancy, researchers found that the more often a person ate the bulbs in any form, the lower the cancer risk. And the benefit was good for many types of tumors, including those of the mouth, throat, esophagus, colon, kidney, breast, and prostate.

Take your onions full strength, or roast them up and toss into soups (see the recipe below). Roasting releases some of the smelly but healthy sulfur compounds and makes the onions sweeter. Caramelized onions mix well with broccoli. For even more antioxidant protection, combine onions with garlic and tomatoes in a zesty salsa.

Recipe Corner
Get your onion fix with this Roasted Onion Soup recipe from EatingWell. It's bursting with rich onion flavor and has only 183 calories per serving. Find more onion-based recipes at EatingWell.com.