Myth Buster: Chillies Are Actually Good For Your Health

If you have kept yourself away from eating chillies all your life, this avoidance may have caused you more harm than good. Chillies, in contrast to popular belief, are a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. Not just this, many of its varieties, like capsicum and jalapenos are also infact beneficial for your health. This small, perennial shrub grows in most parts of the world and gives food a heat that is a special characteristic of Indian, Chinese and Tibetan food.

Vitamins and minerals found in Chillies

Chillies are 88% water and 8% carbohydrates. It also has some proteins and minor quantities of fat. One of the important benefits of eating chillies arises due to the presence of high quantities of Vitamin C in it. This antioxidant is essential for our body's immune functioning and wound healing and so chillies are important for our immune system.

Another component of chillies is Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine. This vitamin is responsible for regulating an effective metabolism, controlling kidney and emotional disorders and for a healthy adrenal production.

Chillies are also rich in copper and potassium. While copper is essential for strong bones and healthy neurons, potassium helps our body by reducing the risk of heart disease along with a high blood pressure. Additionally, chillies are iron rich, making them an important ingredient for haemoglobin production in our bodies.

3 reasons why chillies are healthy

The benefits of chillies do not end here. Apart from the vitamins and minerals, certain other properties of chillies make them super foods, worth adding to your daily diet. Here are 3 ways chillies help our bodies:

1. Path for quick weight-loss
Chillies contain capsaicin, a thermogenic and alkaloid compound, that increases the speed of our metabolism. This means that our calories burn faster while we derive energy from them for our regular bodily functions. Additionally, they aid fat burning by limiting our appetite due to the heat produced while eating them. Chillies have also been found to decrease LDL cholesterol levels.

2. Pain-reliever
The bioactive plant compound capsaicin also helps in reducing pain sensitivity of people. This happens because the compound binds with pain receptors, which are nerve endings that sense pain., somewhat damaging the pain receptors. Other kinds of pain, like the ones caused by acid reflux due to overeating also get diminished with the consumption of chillies.

3. Sugar capsaicin
Wards of sugar capsaicin in chillies is effective in reducing blood sugar levels and insulin production. It also boosts blood circulation, which implies that it is the ideal food for obese people, as it will prevent the risk of strokes for them. Finally, the chilli has been found helpful in treating intestinal problems.

While chillies are not recommended as a part of any major health plans, with these benefits of the pepper plant, you now know that the spicy Kolhapuri chicken that you love is not so bad after all. Infact, addition of chillies to your diet may bring you welcome health benefits and alleviate your pain.

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