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Bite into Hot Peppers for health
Peppers are good sources of vitamins (A and C) but hot peppers contain capsaicinoids which have many wonderful health benefits. These (the most common form is capsaicin) cause the ‘hot’ experience when we eat them. They have no effect on the taste buds but act directly on the pain receptors in the mouth. If you have eaten a hot pepper by mistake, you will understand. The hotness of peppers is measured in scoville units. Bell peppers have zero scoville units while habanero peppers register 200,000 to 300,000 scoville units. Other peppers (or chiles) are in between.
Get your capsaicin from nature – not from pills
Capsaicin can offer pain relief from headache and arthritis and some studies suggest that it can prevent the growth of some types of cancer. Because of the concentration of capsaicin in hot peppers, small amounts added to food can provide health benefits while enhancing the flavor of the dishes.
Many people avoid hot peppers and miss the health benefits they can provide because they don’t like the ‘heat’. There are a range of hot peppers which make it possible to enjoy them in food while limiting the experience of heat. Removing the seeds and white veins will reduce the ‘heat’ of any pepper. Finally, it is possible to become accustomed to higher levels of hotness by increasing consumption of milder peppers and working up to the hotter ones. If you find that you have bitten off more ‘heat’ than you can stand, the best antidote is to drink milk or eat rice or bread.
Add chiles to your diet even if you only use the milder ones in small doses. The benefits are great and as you build up your comfort with the heat, you can increase your consumption.
These tips are really practical i have to say and i never thought of some of the points you mentioned here. This post has got me really thinking very deep.
Richard,
Thanks for stopping by.
I take drops of cayenne with 250,000 heat units from a herbalist. These are strong, but I like the benefits. This formular is a blend of peppers including habanero. It really works, but you use only about 4-7 drops in 2 ounces of water.
Habanero peppers stimulate circulation, detoxifies and provides a defense from microorganisms. Peppers support health, and this posts shares the wisdom of using them.
Blanche,
That is an excellent way to get the benefits without the pain of eating them. Still I like cooking with them as well and I put a Serrano in my morning smoothie.
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