Why is spicy food healthy? Proven by scientists

There are many polar opinions around spicy food. For example, in Asian and Latin American countries they like spicy dishes hotter and are constantly experimenting with their preparation. And in Russia you can often hear that spices can cause very unpleasant consequences in the form of gastritis and ulcers. But we hasten to assure you: everything is good in moderation. Spicy food not only will not harm with an adequate attitude to it, but will benefit the body.

What is useful spicy food?

First of all, it should be understood that when we talk about the benefits of spicy food, we mean spicy seasonings that can be added to home-cooked dishes, not chips with chili peppers. Harmful foods and fast food, no matter what flavors they have, a priori can not positively affect the body. But natural spices, on the contrary, have a lot of valuable properties.

Help to lose weight

It is proven that such burning spices as habanero, jalapeño and cayenne pepper help to fight excess weight. The effect is easily explained by the spices’ effect on the metabolism. They speed up metabolism and make the body burn energy faster and more efficiently. This, in turn, leads to weight loss.

In addition, researchers from Purdue University in the United States found out that eating 1 g of chili peppers together with food suppresses the feeling of hunger. This product contains the substance capsaicin, which reduces appetite and promotes fat burning. Still, you should not throw pepper in your dishes every day. After all, during the experiment, it had no effect at all on ardent lovers of spicy food. Probably, they have already developed some kind of immunity to the product, so its fat-burning properties were minimized.

Saves you from catching a cold

You have probably already felt that spices increase body temperature. At this point, they can bring you to tears and break through a stuffy nose. Peppers like chili peppers have been found to ease bronchial exacerbations, flu symptoms and fevers. The spices help with asthma, and work as an expectorant for colds.

Protect against the accumulation of bad cholesterol

Australian scientists have found that chili peppers prevent the accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels and reduce the need for insulin injections. The positive effect is due to the content of capsaicin in the spicy product – the substance that gives peppers such a burning flavor.

Reduce the risk of certain types of cancer

The same substance is able to kill cancer cells that occur in the lungs, pancreas and prostate without harming the organs. The useful property was confirmed by a team of scientists from the Joan Edwards Medical College in the USA. They found that among mice suffering from lung cancer, far fewer metastases appeared in those animals whose diet included products with capsaicin.

Improve digestion

Spicy spices in moderate quantities competently stimulate the secretion of gastric juice. Sootvetvetnogo together with this increases blood flow to the walls of the stomach, and its mucous membrane is better restored. And the already mentioned capsaicin fights harmful bacteria that can get into the body with food.

Positively affect the cardiovascular system

A mixture of different peppers, spices and turmeric – the kind found in Indian curries – has a positive effect on blood circulation. In cardiovascular diseases, the combination strengthens blood vessels and reduces the risk of blood clots. Moreover, turmeric alone has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties due to curcumin.

Mood boosters

Scientists suggest that consuming moderately spicy spices can boost your mood. Endorphins – so-called joy hormones, which are produced in the body in response to changes in the environment – are released as the body warms up. They can also reduce pain and fear.

The main thing is to choose quality spices

Buying spicy spices in supermarkets should be approached with selectivity. Nutriciologist and nutritionist Anna Berseneva shared with us simple tips that will help you choose a quality product and get the most out of it.

Anna: It is better to buy whole spices, i.e. not ground into powder. For example, peppercorns or whole cardamom. And then in a small coffee grinder to grind them at home, just before cooking. This is the best option. Plus it is very important to look that there are no flavor enhancers in the composition.

And if we are cooking a hot dish, it is better to first roll the spices on a dry pan, and then add other ingredients to open the spices. Because it’s when they’re heat-treated that they reveal themselves perfectly.

A fine line: why you should not overdo it with spicy seasonings

All the benefits of spicy foods can be shattered by your carelessness when consuming them. First of all, you should not get too carried away with burning spices. And secondly, experts in the field of proper nutrition recommend monitoring individual reactions to spicy foods.

Anna: When using spicy spices, you should listen to your body. Because if you have allergic reactions (for example, rashes, this can also happen), this spice is definitely not suitable for you, it will not be useful. In addition, if there is carving in the stomach, unpleasant sensations, it is also not worth trying for the second and third time.

Otherwise, spices can lead to undesirable consequences: gastritis, heartburn, breath odor and damage to taste buds. Gastritis can manifest itself due to frequent irritation of the walls of the stomach with spicy products, heartburn – due to excessive production of gastric juice, and the work of receptors will be disturbed due to banal habituation. By the way, prolonged bad breath odor arises from spicy seasonings that contain onions and garlic. So do not overdo it!