5 Reasons to Add Chilies to Your Diet

A study was recently conducted at Purdue University that tested the power of capsaicinoids, a chemical found in spicy foods like chilies. Capsaicinoids are what give peppers their “kick.” They found that capsaicinoids increase your body’s core temperature and help burn calories faster.

Some people avoid eating chilies because of the spicy properties that come from capsaicinoids, but all chilies aren’t unbearably spicy. Many have much more to offer than just their spicy taste. This versatile vegetable can be found in a wide variety of dishes from spaghetti and meatballs to delicious turkey burgers.

Here are five reasons to incorporate chili peppers into your next dish:

  1. Lowers blood sugar. For people with diabetes, consuming chilies regularly can help level blood sugar levels. Adding chili peppers into your normal diet can curb the need for insulin by 24 percent.
  2. Elevates mood. Chili peppers contain capsaicin, the chemical that makes hot chili peppers hot. The body’s response to capsaicin is to release endorphins, causing your mood to be elevated.
  3. Helps digest food faster. Their spiciness actually heats up your body’s temperature which helps burn calories faster.
  4. Zero fat. Seriously. Raw chilies contain no fat. Check out the nutritional facts here.
  5. Boosts immunity system. Chilies contain high amounts of Vitamins C, A, B-6 and E, all of which help strengthen and boost your immune system.

If you think that chilies are not going to settle well in your stomach, try to eat the mild ones because they offer the same benefits as the spicy ones.

To eat, or not to eat chilies? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Photo credit: Jennifer Rafleyan

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  1. My husband loves spicy food and I am thinking about adding more chilies to the foods that I make for dinner. You make a great point that chilies actually help you to digest food more quickly because they burn calories faster. Also, the fact that they can actually boost your immune system would be a huge benefit for my husband and me, especially as the winter months are approaching.

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