Not everyone is into spicy foods. For people who are not a fan of explosive flavors that can burn the mouth, it takes practice to learn how to love the spicy chows. For the spicy food lovers, however, the more they sweat in every bite of their food, the more it excites their taste buds. Although it could be true that spicy meals can cause digestive disturbance to people with a sensitive stomach, eating spicy dishes also have a positive impact on health. If you’re not into foods that come with a strong punch, yet you care about your health, you may want to reconsider your choice of flavor. Here are the health benefits of eating spicy:
Strengthens the heart
Certain spices protect the heart against cardiovascular disease. Flavor enhancers like pepper and turmeric contain capsaicin that can lower down blood pressure. This same component can also widen the blood vessels, which helps reduce blood pressure, aiding in the transportation of oxygen in the heart. Turmeric also contains anti-inflammatory properties that further help in protecting the cardiovascular system against diseases.
Burns calories
People tend to sweat when eating spicy foods, and apparently, it’s good for the body. Perspiration while eating fiery meals can help burn calories. As the body temperature rises when eating spicy foods, the number of burned calories in the body increases as well. Eating spicy appetizers also helps individuals eat less during the main course. This is particularly helpful to people who desire to lose weight.
Fights cancer
Curcumin, a component of turmeric, has seen to have an effect on cancer cells. Studies show that consumption of this component can reduce the risk of breast, stomach, and cervical cancer. On the other hand, capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers showed to reduce the number of prostate cells in laboratory mice.
Adds nutrients
Chili and pepper are packed with nutrients, too. These spice bombs will give your body a good dose of vitamin A and C, as well as other healthy minerals. These ingredients will not only give an explosion of flavor in your mouth, they can also give the nutrients that your body needs.
Helps in weight loss
As mentioned earlier, eating spicy food can help burn calories. In addition to its weight loss abilities, adding some chili or dashing a little bit more pepper to your meal can improve your metabolism. Fiery foods don’t only reduce calories or improve your metabolism, it will also help you avoid cravings, which is one the chief culprits of weight gain. Thus, if you have been wanting to have your weight reduced, consider consuming spicy food at least once or twice a week.
Boosts mood
The excitement that the taste buds get when spicy food is introduced to the mouth, seem to have a similar effect in the brain. Apparently, fiery food also enhances the mood. The capsaicin and curcumin that are typically found in spices like pepper and chili help in the production of happy hormones known as serotonin in the brain. These mood enhancers can help thousands of people who are suffering from depression, and anxiety.
Spicy foods may be too intimidating for people who never liked the overwhelming flavors that it can deliver in the mouth. However, the fieriness of such food can be learned to love, especially when you know the advantages that eating spicy foods can cause to the body. By adding a little bit of spice to your meals, you can have a stronger heart, a fit body, good mood, and you can avoid life-threatening illnesses like cancer. So, better try how good that chili is now.
Enjoy this short video that looks at a few different types of peppers :