Chili pepper is a deservedly popular spice used to prepare a variety of dishes, it is one of the most important ingredients in many cuisines of the world. Some gourmets cannot imagine at all how to give up the piquancy and extraordinary aroma of chili, while someone declines to continue to add it to food, having tried it once.
In this case, you need to know about a number of contraindications to the use of this piquant product. What is the use of chili peppers when they should not get involved and why?
Red and green hot chili - where it comes from and where it grows
The homeland of this pepper is Central and South America. Local Indians appreciated its charm at least 7,500 years before our era. Nowadays, hot peppers are grown all over the world, but the largest plantations are in the tropics of Mexico, China, India and Thailand. China has become the world's largest producer of green chilli, growing half of the world's total.
This sharp vegetable became known to Europe and Asia after the expedition of Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of the New World in 1492. The indigenous people shared it with travelers, and since then, chiles have been cultivated around the world.
The word "chili" has nothing to do with a country with that name, from the Aztec language "chilli" is translated as "red".
The sharpness of the taste is caused by the high content of capsaicin and several related chemicals called collectively capsaicinoids. This substance is not found in all types of pepper - for example, it is not in Bulgarian, the taste of which is pungent and rather sweet. The amount of capsaicin varies depending on the variety and growing conditions. The intensity of “hotness” is usually measured in digital terms and is indicated on the factory packaging by some manufacturers - 1, 2, 3, and so on, the larger the number, the sharper.
Hot chili peppers - how to cook and what to eat?
The ripe fruits of the shrub become red chili, but they are also harvested in green. The pods are eaten fresh or dried, including ground, pepper can be pickled. Chili is added to meat dishes and to seafood, salads and side dishes. Asians love to pepper even fruit. Many varieties are used in traditional medicine. Capsaicin derived from pepper is used as an analgesic.
Fresh or dried chillies are used to make sauces so that this “fire hazardous” and “explosive” spice is added to ready-made dishes. Dried chilli are also used to make vegetable oil.
Suddenly:
University of Pennsylvania psychologist Paul Rosin, who studies people's choice of food, suggests that addiction to chili is an example of "limited risk." An illustration explaining the meaning of this concept can be people's interest in the risk that they allow themselves while riding a roller coaster. At the same time, a person experiences extreme sensations and even pain, while at the same time realizing that they are actually not harmful. Thus, people are attracted to the opportunity to experience acute emotions without any risk of bodily harm.
Chili Pepper - Benefits and Nutrition Facts
What harm chili peppers can do to the body will be discussed later. There are many more advantages! So controversial, chili pepper contains a huge amount of vitamins - there are about forty of them, it contains a lot of minerals and various trace elements that must be present in the diet to ensure the full functioning of the human body.
Fresh red pepper is a real storehouse of vitamin C, here it is twice as much as in lemon! It contains vitamins of groups B, A and is rich in carotene and essential oil. Green pepper, that is, unripe red, contains significantly less vitamins.
Culinary use of hot pepper
In cooking, the use of hot pepper is unlimited. The processing method affects the taste. In raw and dried form, whole and after grinding, it is added as a seasoning to hot and cold dishes, marinades and sauces, salads and soups. Whether you cook pilaf or borsch, it is enough to put a whole pod in the pan during cooking and the dish will absorb as much sharpness as it needs to be.
Fresh red and green chili peppers are good to add to almost any salad, it will give a special note to the taste. Finely chopped, they serve as an excellent seasoning for fish and pasta. Also, do not forget about dried pepper, which becomes the flavor of vinegar or olive oil, in order to subsequently add them to dishes. Just know the measure and take a number of precautions. The main thing - having started cooking with hot pepper, avoid touching your eyes to your hands and - and this is not at all funny - to the intimate areas of your body. Therefore, a good housewife knows that you need to stock up on gloves for such an occasion.
Preventive, therapeutic and analgesic
Pepper has proven to be an effective treatment for viruses and colds. When included in a ration of a reasonable amount, the benefits of chili pepper are manifested in lowering cholesterol, becoming an excellent prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The exceptional benefits of hot chili in the ability to generate the endorphin “hormone of happiness” in the body, pepper is an excellent remedy for insomnia. The miraculous gift of nature, chili is able to strengthen the immune system, it increases resistance to stress, activates blood circulation, reduces the risk of cancer and cancer.
The analgesic effect of hot pepper has long been discovered - the very capsaicin is able to eliminate chronic pain and stop inflammatory processes. For some time now, hot pepper varieties began to be used in the production of various ointments, gels, and nasal sprays.
The benefits of capsaicin
With proper moderate use, the hero of this publication improves digestion and increases appetite. The chemical component capsaicin, produced by pepper pods, resists microbes and is added to medicinal preparations, becoming a lifesaving drug for many ailments:
• headaches, including migraines;
• hypertension and other diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• relieve pain with arthritis;
• skin itch;
• diabetic nephropathy with high sugar;
• psoriasis.
Pepper in cosmetology
And this plant got here, where it’s only good! Masks, which include chili, have long been used to strengthen and stimulate hair growth. On the basis of pepper, even toothpaste is produced to help normalize blood circulation in the gums. It remains only to add that pepper is included in the recipes of creams to combat cellulite.
Cautions must be remembered, as the benefits of chili peppers with any treatment or cosmetic procedure can only be guaranteed after prior consultation with a certified specialist.
Calorie Chili
This spicy product has a very low calorie content. What do we have in one hundred grams of pepper?
• calories - 40 kcal;
• proteins - 2 g;
• fats - 0.2 g;
• carbohydrates - 9.5 g.
The benefits of pepper for men
If your man loves spicy - you're on the right track! He tastes good - and it’s good for you. Hot pepper well increases the level of testosterone - the same hormone that stimulates sexual activity. That's why tinctures cooked on hot pepper are so in demand.
The daily diet of men should contain a variety of hot sauces and dishes, which will have a beneficial effect on potency. However, again, it is important to add pungency in moderation and not overdo it.
Possible harm to the chili pepper in the digestive system
All good things often have contraindications. Pepper does not represent a stomach of a healthy person; on the contrary, it normalizes its functioning. Bitterness of pepper negatively affects the walls of internal organs, causing irritation of the mucous membrane, which is fraught with inflammation. Severity can trigger heartburn. Doctors warn against eating pepper suffering from gastritis, gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer.
But even in the absence of diseases of the digestive tract, in order not to provoke an ailment, both red and green peppers should be consumed in moderation. Perhaps it would be useful to refuse to use the seeds of the pod, because it is here that the maximum chilliness is concentrated.
Fans of spicy write should never consult a doctor, in particular a gastroenterologist, to know for sure whether pepper will harm the body.
Have tasty, healthy and safe food on your table!
