The benefits and harms of chili peppers

Chili has been honored by the World Health Organization for recording it in the TOP 10 products that are important to use in order to save health and prolong life. Is hot pepper so useful and what is its benefit and harm, try to understand the article.

Calorie, nutritional value and chemical composition of chili pepper

Among all types of peppers, the sharpest and most pungent taste and the brightest flashy coloring have Chile. If you describe in words what chili pepper looks like, then it is a small fruit in the form of a pod up to 4 cm in length of bright red, green, yellow, orange color. It grows on small shrubs up to 60 cm high. Used in raw and dried form. It is widely used in cooking (in salads, vegetable and first courses, pickles, sauces, spice sets), in folk and traditional medicine, in cosmetology.

Did you know? Chili or, as it is also called, hot, bitter, is grown in tropical and subtropical regions, most of all in Thailand and India. His homeland is considered tropical Africa. Spaniards and Portuguese discovered chili for Europeans.

Chilli contains about 40 vitamins, among which are vitamins A, B6, B2, C, K and 20 minerals: zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and also thiamine, niacin, etc. The main biologically active component is phenolic compound capsaicin.

As for nutritional value, hot pepper contains 17% of proteins, 4% of fats and 79% of carbohydrates, in terms of grams - this is 1.87 g of proteins, 0.44 g of fats and 7.31 g of carbohydrates per 100 g. 100 g of the product is 40 kcal.

How useful chili pepper for the body

Chili has a number of useful properties. The presence of alkaloid capsaicin, which gives the spices a burning sensation, gives it an antibacterial, antiviral, immunomodulatory effect. Bacteria and infections die by interacting with spicy juice. Chile, when ingested, can kill up to 75% of harmful bacteria.

Hot pepper is good for people with problems with the gastrointestinal tract, as it is able to improve its work, improve its appetite, prevent poisoning. In addition, it helps to digest food that is hard for the stomach.

The use of hot peppers for men is obvious, since it improves potency and is counted among aphrodisiacs.

A beneficial effect of hot peppers on the work of the liver and cardiovascular system. It improves blood circulation, preventing the development of atherosclerosis and the occurrence of blood clots, strengthens and makes the walls of blood vessels more elastic. It is also known how chili pepper affects the normalization of blood pressure. Expanding blood vessels, it thereby leads to a decrease in its high performance to a normal level.

The use of chili leads to the release of an increased amount of endorphin in a person - a hormone that improves mood, relieves depression, insomnia, and therefore has a positive effect on the central nervous system. Also, this hormone can relieve pain of a different nature.

The usefulness of chilli pepper is also manifested in sweating as well as laxative effects.

While there are no official statistics, however, a lot of information is voiced that hot pepper with its regular use can reduce the risk of cancer.

Researches of scientists from Australia prove that this vegetable lowers the level of sugar in the blood, can be entered into the menu in order to prevent this disease.

Traditional medicine is actively used by the vegetable: recipes for chili peppers are recommended for people suffering from arthritis, radiculitis, and rheumatism. Compresses and tinctures are made of it.

When applied externally, acting on the bulb, pepper promotes active hair growth.

Possible harm from chili peppers

Like any other product when used in large quantities, chili is capable of harming the human body. There are also several categories of people who are forbidden to eat meals with its addition or should be used with caution.

So, to limit the use of this pepper is better for those who have a history of gastrointestinal diseases (ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, diseases of the duodenum), liver. Chili irritates the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, therefore, before using it, it is necessary to know that its excessive eating (more than one pod daily) can cause heartburn, provoke gastrointestinal diseases or aggravate them.

Do not eat hot peppers in pregnant women, children, hypertensive patients.

When cooking dishes or other manipulations with pepper, you need to remember that you can not bring and rub your hands with your eyes, because chili irritates the mucous membranes and can even cause burns to the eye shell.

How to use chilli in cooking

So, we learned what chili is, now let's figure out what to eat it with.

In cooking of almost the entire world, hot peppers are primarily used as a seasoning, which gives the dishes spiciness and savory taste. It is added to meat, vegetable dishes, sauces, marinades. Ground pepper seasoned first courses, salads, kefir, yogurt.

Chile has found use in raw and dried form. Whole pods are put in borscht and soups, in stews and pilaf, and even in chocolate. When cooked, the vegetable does not lose its properties. Finely chopped fresh peppers are made into pasta and fish. Dry pepper is used to flavor vinegar and olive oil for dressing.

Did you know? When removing the internal partition and seeds in the bitter pepper, its sharpness is reduced by an order of magnitude.
Chili is often included in spice sets along with garlic, dill, bay leaf, basil, coriander, etc. These are, for example, the famous curry, Garam masala, Hmeli suneli, Bacharat, and Shichimi " and etc.

The most popular dishes that include chili are Mexican soup "Chili con carne", adjika, Mexican stew, oriental soups, pickled and stuffed peppers, chili pasta, and chili hot sauce.

Pepper is stored in a suspended form strung on a string or frozen.

Important! If the pepper turned out to be very spicy, and you have what is called a fire in your mouth, try to eat a spoonful of yogurt or a slice of white bread, cheese. Water in such cases only exacerbates the discomfort.

How to use chili pepper in medicine and cosmetology

Probably one of the most well-known facts, which is useful chili pepper, is that it improves metabolism, speeds up the process of digestion, causing an increased heat in the body, burns kilocalories. So, it can be recommended for people who are overweight or want to lose weight. Thus, hot peppers can help to be both healthy and beautiful.

Its regular use contributes to the fact that you will gradually lose weight. In addition, there are many different diets, where chili pepper is the main ingredient for weight loss. For example, many have heard of the so-called "Mexican diet" or the miraculous properties that effectively get rid of extra pounds, dishes called "Tomato Chili Soup."

Also, pepper tincture is widely used for weight loss, which is prepared from one teaspoon of dry chilli, poured with a glass of boiled water and infused for an hour. By consuming such a tincture one teaspoon before meals daily, while squeezing water with water, you can bring your body to a comfortable weight.

Important! When using any food or means with chili in the composition must control their condition. If you have pain in the stomach or other discomfort, it should be stopped.
In traditional medicine, pepper plasters, pepper tinctures from radiculitis and neuralgia are used. Chile is part of a means of frostbite and malaria.

In cosmetology, hot pepper is added to special agents used to combat cellulite. It is believed that he is able to burn fat and external use. In addition, it smoothes the skin, removes toxins, improves blood flow, normalizes metabolism in tissues.

Chili is also widely used in hair products. Tinctures of red pepper are added to shampoos or masks that promote hair growth. There are recipes for such masks, including a large list of components, and there are simple ones. For example, a well-proven remedy made from chili mixed with milk and castor, burdock or vegetable oil. Pepper irritates the hair follicle and provokes blood flow to the scalp, which leads to stimulation of hair growth. Also, pepper extracts have a good effect on colored and weakened hair, help with dryness of the head and dandruff.

Did you know? Red pepper can be cultivated indoors in pots.
As you can see, the range of application of chili pepper is very wide. He is a frequent guest in the kitchens of different nations, his properties help with many diseases and cosmetic problems, he is an aphrodisiac. Therefore, if you are a fan of hot, then, having learned about a number of useful properties of hot pepper, you will use it without fear, but only with pleasure and health.

Watch the video: Spicy Foods Pros and Cons (March 2024).