Health Benefits of Spicy Foods

Would you believe that spicy food, especially chili peppers, have monumental physical and mental health benefits? It’s true. If used regularly as part of your diet you may experience better moods, be more alert, get sick less often and even increase your life expectancy.

Chili Peppers contain significant quantities of vitamin C; 91mg. per ¼ cup of fresh peppers. The red peppers (not the green) also have high concentrations of beta-carotene. The heat from any type of hot pepper triggers the pain receptors in your mouth, which turns on the feel-good endorphins in the brain. This decreases feeling of stress or depression, and is a great way to end or begin a day on the job. Splash some hot pepper sauce on your eggs.

People in countries that regularly eat hot and spicy foods have a much lower incidences of everything from cancer to thrombosis (blood clots).

The chemical in chili peppers that give them their heat is called Capsaicin. It is shown to:

• Lower ‘bad’ cholesterol
• Stop cancer cell growth in the laboratory
• Increase endorphins in the brain (endorphins are mood enhancers)
• Increase metabolic rate – thereby increasing weight loss
• Act as a blood thinner and breaks down clots
• Lower Triglycerides
• Aid in digestion
• Reduce nerve pain (arthritis, psoriasis, shingles)
• Some even saw improvement in their bad acne.

Capsaicin is measured in parts/million. This is translated into Scoville units. For perspective on how this works; A Sweet Green Pepper has 0 Scoville units, the hottest known chili pepper, the habanero, averages 250,000 Scoville units.

The health benefits are can be enjoyed in fresh, dried, ground or pickled chili peppers, as well as in the powdered version or in a hot pepper sauce.

Turmeric, a relative of Capsaicin, is found in Curry Powder. Curry’s name comes from the chemical Curcuma which is found in the Turmeric and gives the bright yellow color. Curcuma has shown importance in several areas:

• Removes plaque deposits in the brain which may help with Alzheimer’s disease
• Reduce inflammation
• Aids in muscle repair

According to the University of South Carolina researchers, athletes should eat foods containing curry for a few days before a game.

Adding spice to food makes whatever dish you are preparing more satisfying for a longer period of time, which makes it a great all natural and healthy diet aid.

As people age they lose some of their ability to taste, just like hearing or eyesight loss. That’s why many times they use more and more salt which, of course, carries its own health risks. Using strong spices and peppers in their food preparation may help increase their enjoyment of food and lead to less salt use.

If you are unfamiliar with the different types of peppers and their heat indexes, try some Anaheim Peppers from California first. These are the most popular pepper sold in the U.S. Their Scoville units range from 100 to 10,000 units. Ones grown in California tend to be milder than the ones found in New Mexico.

There are many ways to eat them and lots of recipes can be found on the internet to give you new ideas for spicing up your healthy meals.