| Capsaicin (the stuff in peppers that makes them | | | | and chilli sauces. |
| hot), is a flavourless, odourless chemical concentrated | | | | Because capsaicin contains Vitamins A and C, and |
| in the veins and seeds of chillis and peppers. | | | | beta-carotene. It's low in fat, calories and cholesterol. |
| Capsaicin has been associated with a number of | | | | If you're diabetic and thought your diet was |
| cures that include lowering blood pressure, reducing | | | | supposed to be boring, try spicing up your cuisine |
| cholesterol and warding off strokes and heart | | | | with capsaicin-based products, like hot sauce or |
| attacks, speeding up metabolism, treating colds and | | | | jalapeno peppers. And if that's not enough, capsaicin |
| fevers, preventing cancer and pain control. | | | | also appears to increase your metabolic rate so you |
| Chilli also protects against the side effects of aspirin | | | | can burn more calories. This is an important finding |
| and chilli eaters develop fewer peptic ulcers than | | | | for dieters. If you sprinkle cayenne pepper flakes on |
| those who eat plain foods. Also, rates of stomach | | | | your low-fat pizza or soup, toss some sliced jalapeno |
| cancer are unusually low in countries where chilli | | | | peppers into your salad, or chop some Habanero |
| peppers are part of a regular diet, as capsaicin | | | | peppers into your turkey chilli, you may be able to |
| appears to neutralize some carcinogens. | | | | lose weight faster! You'll also benefit from the other |
| Research has proven that adding chilli peppers to | | | | perks: lower triglycerides and great digestion. |
| your foods can help your body burn calories faster | | | | Improve the odds that your family will reap the |
| (up to 45 calories more per meal than if you eat | | | | health benefits of capsaicin. Keep a bottle of hot |
| bland dishes) and speed up your metabolism. Chilli | | | | sauce on your kitchen table or counter. Low fat |
| peppers are an incredible replacement for the fat and | | | | tortilla chips and hot sauce make a satisfying |
| salt in your diet as the flavours of the foods are | | | | appetizer or after-school snack. |
| enhanced sufficiently with the ingredients themselves. | | | | When taken internally, capsaicin stimulates circulation |
| Fresh chillis also offer the highest source of vitamin C | | | | sequentially, from the internal organs to skin surface |
| available from any vegetable. Surprisingly, fresh, | | | | and subsequently throughout the entire body. When |
| uncooked green chillis provide at least twice and up | | | | applied externally and once it penetrates the skin, |
| to eight times the amount that is available from citrus | | | | capsaicin increases circulation to the site where it has |
| fruits. Chillis are also a good source of vitamin A. As | | | | been applied. |
| chillis turn from green to red, they lose much of their | | | | Capsaicin has been proven to be highly successful in |
| vitamin C but gain vitamin A through increased | | | | relieving symptoms of arthritis, sports injuries, other |
| amounts of carotene. When fresh chillis are dried | | | | kinds of chronic joint and muscle pain, and certain |
| they lose most of their vitamin C content, but their | | | | kinds of itching. |
| vitamin A content increases 100 times. In addition to | | | | Capsaicin has also been medicinally proven to aid in |
| adding great flavour to food that thrills the palate, | | | | the human body's process of digestion and protect |
| chillis offer the world some amazing health benefits. | | | | against stomach ulcers and the ravages of alcohol. No |
| As if the perfect balance of heat and award winning | | | | wonder tequila and hot food make me feel so good! |
| flavour isn't enough, here are a few other reasons to | | | | Contrary to popular belief that ulcer sufferers should |
| eat Hot Sauce with every meal. | | | | avoid spicy foods, a report published in "Digestive |
| A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition | | | | Diseases and Sciences" concluded that capsaicin |
| has discovered that capsaicin, when added to | | | | increased blood flow in the stomach's mucous lining, |
| breakfast foods or appetizers at lunch, causes people | | | | which may help in healing of the stomach tissue. |
| to eat less during meals and for hours afterwards. | | | | Spicy cooking can have some unexpected health |
| Thirteen women, who ate breakfast foods spiced | | | | benefits. No longer is "hot spicy food" blamed for |
| with red pepper, ate less than normal at breakfast | | | | ulcers and other gastric ills. In fact, the opposite |
| and during the day, while ten men, who ate red | | | | seems to be true. |
| pepper laced appetizers, consumed fewer calories at | | | | Many of these health benefits are being investigated |
| lunch and during a mid-day snack hours later. Aside | | | | by the medical and pharmaceutical communities. |
| from acting as an appetite suppressant, red pepper | | | | Meanwhile, the people of countries where spicy |
| also seems to increase the number of calories | | | | cooking is the norm have understood the preventive |
| burned, particularly after high-fat meals. We found | | | | and curative benefits of these substances for |
| that was one of the best websites for buying chillis | | | | hundreds of years. |