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For thousands of years, people have picked up chile peppers to provide their diets with pizazz.
There's no doubt chile peppers are packed with flavor. They also provide a little fiber without salt, sugar, saturated fat or many calories, said professor Linda Van Horn, chief of the nutrition division at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Indeed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one raw, red chile pepper—45 grams, or about 1.6 ounces—has a mere 18 calories.
But chile peppers as a vegetable are relatively low in nutritional value, Van Horn said. "They offer a little beta carotene, but nothing comparable to carrots."
It's true that ounce for ounce, a pepper has more vitamin C than an orange. But, Van Horn said, vitamin C is typically not a nutrient of concern in the United States. And even in cultures where chiles play a larger role, other vegetables—tomatoes, onions, cabbage, kale, spinach—can be easy sources.
If you prefer your peppers as flakes or powders, be aware that raw foods tend to be more potent, nutritionally speaking, than dried versions, Van Horn said.
It's also a case where spelling matters. (More on that in a moment.) Red chile powder, or flakes, is made of dried chiles. The flakes have virtually no nutritional value.
Chili (with an "i") powder is actually a mix of red chile, other spices and salt. So although one tablespoon still provides beta carotene (which your body uses to make vitamin A), it adds 230 milligrams of sodium. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams a day, with an ideal limit of 1,500 mg for most adults.
Most commercially grown red peppers are of the species Capsicum annuum, which is nothing if not versatile. That Latin term covers hundreds of common names, including cayenne pepper but also jalapeños and Thai peppers.
The roots of modern chile peppers are tangled, with evidence that a common ancestor plant evolved in South America, then was domesticated as far back as 10,000 years ago at multiple sites across the hemisphere. Red peppers are not related to black pepper, though. For that bit of linguistic confusion, we can thank Christopher Columbus, who introduced peppers to Europe. They rapidly spread around the world from there.
Also a hot topic: How to spell "chile." The debate could fill an entire article, but the latest guidance from the Associated Press, which sets the standards for journalists, says the vegetables are "chiles."
The really burning issue with peppers is the substance capsaicin. It doesn't actually burn you, but it tricks your brain into feeling that sensation. It's what distinguishes a sweet pepper from a hot one.
It might do more. A new analysis published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology combined the results of previous studies on the benefits of capsaicin and found that regular consumption of chile peppers was associated with "significantly" lower rates of overall mortality, including deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer, compared to rare or no consumption.
That review, however, attempted to draw on data from more than 4,700 scientific papers—and found only four that met the standards for inclusion. More studies are needed to identify what's happening and how it might impact adding chile peppers to your diet, the authors wrote.
Van Horn said other research has looked at capsaicin's potential use as a weight loss aid. But adding extra peppers to a Tex-Mex platter or sprinkling flakes on your orange chicken is not going to do much good, she said. Eating too many peppers, she pointed out, can even trigger an inflammatory response and stomach problems in sensitive individuals.
For her, chile peppers are best used to help add flavor to healthy things you might not otherwise enjoy. She regularly uses them in guacamole, meatless chili and other bean dishes.
"Overall, chiles should be viewed as flavorings like garlic, basil or oregano that enhance the taste of other foods but are not a meal in themselves."
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10 Amazing Health Benefits to Eating Hot Peppers [Scientifically Proven]
https://pepperhead.com/health-benefits-eating-peppers/
The documented health benefits from hot peppers continues to grow at a break-neck speed, similar to the increasing popularity of consuming hot foods in various forms. The heat and health benefits comes from a chemical called capsaicin.
Adding hot peppers, hot sauces and hot powders to food continues to protect us from food poisoning even though we now refrigerate food. To maximize these health benefits, eating the hottest pepper would magnify these effects.
Below are 10 health benefits of hot peppers.
1. Benefits the Digestive Tract
This may sound counter-intuitive, but the capsaicin in peppers actually act as an anti-irritant. People with ulcers have been told for years to avoid hot spicy foods, but research has revealed that peppers are beneficial to ulcers.
For example, pepper powder provides trace amounts of anti-oxidants and other chemicals to aid digestive issues such as, healing an upset stomach, reducing intestinal gas, curing diarrhea and acting as a natural remedy for cramps.
It does this by reducing the acidity in the digestive tract that causes ulcers. It also helps produce saliva and stimulates gastric juices aiding digestion.
2. Promotes a Healthy Heart
hot pepper heart health
It also aids the circulatory system and prevents heart disease by lowering blood serum cholesterol and reduces lipid deposits, and therefore, reverses excessive blood clotting. It also dilates the blood vessels to aid in blood flow.
3. Mitigates Migraines
Have you ever had a pain on a body part that was your sole focus until you had another pain that was even worse? The original pain simply disappeared when your brain focused on the new injury.
This phenomenon is what happens to a migraine when you consume hot peppers. Your body becomes desensitized to the migraine and the overall sensation of pain is lessened.
4. Relieves Joint Pain
hot pepper relieves joint pain
Due to the powerful pain-relieving properties of the capsaicin from peppers, it can be applied to the skin to reduce the chemical P, the ingredient that carries pain messages to the brain.
Ultimately, the pain receptors exhaust themselves by depleting the body’s reserves. Once this happens, the capsaicin acts as a pain reliever. It is used effectively for shingles, HIV neuropathy and other types of pain.
5. Improves Metabolism / Promotes Weight Loss metabolism
Spicy peppers revs up the metabolic rate by generating the thermogenic processes in our body that generates heat.
That process utilizes energy, and thereby, burns additional calores. In addition, if hot peppers are consumed at breakfast, the appetite is suppressed the rest of the day which ultimately helps in weight loss.
It may even alter proteins in your body to combat fat accumulation.
Capsaicin also has been studied as a holistic method to for weight loss. It will selectively destroy nerve fibers that send messages from the stomach to the brain.
6. Quells Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an itchy skin condition resulting in ugly skin patches. Capsaicin cream will significantly reduce the number of cells to replicating and aids in the reversal of the auto-immune skin lesions.
7. Reduces Cancer Risk
cancer:
Since tne capsaicin in pepper flesh has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is being studied as a cancer-fighter. It reduces the growth of prostate cancer cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed.
Research also shows consumption of large quantities of peppers effective against breast, pancreatic and bladder cancers. (8 large habaneros per week)
8. Fights the Flu, Colds and Fungal Infections
peppers prevent flu:
Hot peppers are chalked full of beta carotene and antioxidants that support your immune system and will aid in fighting off colds and the flu.
Research has found that nasal sprays containing capsaicin reduce congestion. Increased body temperature from the ingestion of hot peppers triggers the immune system into action in fighting the norovirus (cold), flu viruses.
Consumption of peppers fights against 16 fungal strains by reducing fungal pathogens.
9. Prevents Bad Breath
To keep your significant other attracted to you, eating hot pepper powder acts as a disinfectant to the air you breathe out by improving the odor of your breath.
10. Prevents Allergies
bee pollen allergy
Due to the anti-inflammatory benefits of capsaicin, hot peppers can help prevent allergies and symptoms from allergies
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