Why Chillies are good for You

Chillies are one of those things that people seem to either love or hate – some people can eat them like they were a banana while others pull faces at the mere mention of their existence.  Yet there is plenty of evidence to show that even if you aren’t in the chilli fan club, it’s worth trying to add them into your diet in one way or another.

What is a chilli?

So let’s start with the basics – a chilli pepper really is a member of the pepper family, called capsicums.  They are given their powerful kick by the same substance found in other peppers, called capsaicin as well as other chemicals grouped together and called capsaicinoids.  Chilli peppers came originally from the Americas and were spread around the world by the Portuguese navigators in the 16^th century.  It is now a central part in a number of world cuisines including from America right around the world to India, Turkey and even into Japan and Korean foods.

There are actually five species of chilli peppers that include all the ones we have heard of and a few we don’t hear about so often.  There is the Capsicum annuum species that contains the most common chillies such as bell peppers, cayenne and jalapenos while the Capsicum frutenscens has the tabasco, Thai and piri piri chillies.  The Capsicum chinense contains the naga, habanero and scotch bonnet varieties while the remaining two families are mostly seen in South America.  Despite these families, chillies are normally grouped into three types; bell peppers, sweet peppers and hot peppers.

Why is chilli so good?

The substance capsaicin that gives the chilli most of its kick is also responsible for the main health benefits to be gained from eating them.  Capsaicin is being studied in connection with a host of conditions because it works as an anti-inflammatory so can help conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis.  There is also evidence that it has natural pain relieving abilities, particularly for osteoarthritis. 

Red chilli peppers such as cayenne has been shown to help reduce cholesterol levels within the blood along with clearing up a substance called fibrin that is integral in the formation of blood clots.  Spicing meals with powdered chilli can also help protect the body against free radicals, those harmful little things that can contribute to heart conditions.

Finally, chilli peppers can also help to lose weight because eating them takes energy and this uses calories.  In fact, they have been shown to increase heat production and oxygen consumption in the body for around twenty minutes after being eaten, burning nicely through those calories.

Preparing chillies

There are so many dishes that a little chilli can be added to that we would be here forever listing them.  However, the most important point to know is how to prepare them and this is relatively simple.  You can take a wooden board and a sharp knife them cut rings while cutting them into fine shreds by slicing the top off the chilli then removing the seeds with knife or a spoon.  Keep the chilli with the skin side downwards and cut into thin shreds.  Finally, to finely dice, cut these shreds into small cubes.