The Many Health Benefits of Chili Peppers
Many people enjoy chili peppers. Some like the flaming heat of the hottest chili peppers . Some enjoy their robust flavor. Besides flavor and heat, there are other reasons to include chili peppers in your diet. There are many chili peppers health benefits.
General Benefits of Peppers
Maybe you’ve seen different peppers in the grocery store. Maybe you’ve noticed their various colors. And that some are hot and some sweet. All peppers, whether hot or mild, are low in calories but loaded with nutrients. All chili peppers contain a variety of vitamins. They all pack lots of vitamins A and C. Peppers also contain folic acid, potassium, and fiber. Red peppers have more nutrients than other colored peppers. They pack about 11 times more beta carotene than other colors. Red peppers contain about 1 ½ times more vitamin C.
Circulatory System Health
- Peppers Promote a Healthy Heart – Capsaicin can help reduce triglycerides, cholesterol and platelet formation. Many believe Capsaicin also helps the body create fibrin. Fibrin helps the blood clot so injuries can heal. Also, cultures that use hot peppers as a staple ingredient have fewer heart attacks and strokes.
- Lower Blood Pressure – All Chili peppers are naturally high in vitamins A and C. They also contain bioflavonoids. These nutrients strengthen blood vessels and make them more elastic. This means they respond and adjust better to changes in blood pressure. It is common for chili peppers to make a person sweat. This may reduce one’s overall blood volume temporarily and this may help reduce blood pressure.
General Health Benefits
- Promote Weight Loss – Really? Can eating peppers help you lose weight? Can they help burn fat? Yes, according to many experts. The capsaicin in peppers is heat producing. It stimulates the body to burn fat by increasing the metabolism. If you simply replace fatty foods with chili peppers, then the metabolic increase may help you shed a few pounds.
- Fight Inflammation – Capsaicin is a strong anti-inflammatory. Capsaicin keeps inflammatory substances from forming. As a result, this reduces inflammation.
Disease Fighting Properties
- Help Fight Cancer – Capsaicin may burn the tongue a bit, but it also makes prostate cancer cells kill themselves. At least according to some of the most recent research. Capsaicin is known to slow the development of tumors in the prostate.
- Promote Healthy Sinuses – Peppers stimulate secretions. This helps clear mucus from the sinuses and nasal cavity. Ultimately it helps reduce nasal congestion. The antibacterial properties in capsaicin also help fight off chronic sinus infections. This, in turn, relieves sinus headaches.
- Fight Intestinal Disease – One recent study indicated that capsaicin may help cure inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It also kills some bacteria such as H. pylori. This might help prevent stomach ulcers.
- Boost Immune System – High amounts of vitamin C in peppers help the body fight infection. They also reduce free radicals. This helps with inflammation. Peppers also contain collagen. This substance holds the body together. And this is important for healthy blood vessels, organs, bones, and skin.
- Reduce Negative Effect of Stress – Peppers are loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants. These help the body fight off damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are produced when you are stressed out or sick.
More than Just Flavor – Enjoy Chili Peppers Health Benefits
So, there are many chili peppers health benefits. These just give you more reasons to enjoy the great taste. It doesn’t matter whether you like them mild or hot; or if you like just eating the hottest peppers. They all have elements that are good for your health. Add peppers to different dishes. In addition, you can eat them fresh with dips or in salads. Their flavor makes it easy to enjoy chili peppers health benefits. From now on, you can enjoy them more knowing they help your body be healthy.
