Capsaicin is My Friend
I’m so glad hot peppers are not considered unhealthy because I put hot peppers on almost everything I eat! I love chopping up some jalapeños and cooking them with my eggs or mixing them in with tuna. I don’t have a favorite hot pepper as I like them all. I won’t go near the habenero pepper too often as those are just way too hot even for me. I looked up some of the health benefits of peppers and was quite surprised to learn just how beneficial they can be. This is great news for all of the chili heads out there!
Chili Pepper Health Benefits
Chili peppers contain capsaicin which provides the pepper’s heat as well as being the primary reason for their many health benefits.
The capsaicin in peppers are known to:
- Increase body’s caloric burn rate
- Improve circulation
- Fight cancer
- Prevent food borne bacteria
- Improves digestion
- Relieve pain (muscle creams)
- Clear nasal passages (sinus relief)
- Arthritis relief
I was watching a program the other night about the human body and one of the topics included hot peppers. They stated that peppers produced capsaicin to ward off predators. Humans adapted to the pain and eventually turned the burning sensation into a “good” sensation in the brain. There was much more to it but that was the part I remembered.
The only thing I don’t like about chili peppers is when I don’t wash my hands well enough after cutting them up and end up rubbing my eye. 
Otherwise, I love them! 
