Do you love spicy foods?
So do I, and one of my favorites is the green chile. It’s a super food that has amazing health benefits.
Some people think that green chilies are a type of plant, but they’re actually just peppers that have were early. If they grew, they would end up as Poblano, Anaheim, or other types of hot peppers.
Green chilies contain capsaicin, a chemical that has a big impact on our bodies. That burst of heat that you feel in your mouth when you eat a pepper does a lot more than add flavor.
A group of researchers found evidence that capsaicin may help in the battle of the bulge by stimulating energy-burning and turning white fat to brown fat. Their findings are based on a study in mice but is very promising.
So what is brown fat, and why do you want it? Simply put, the more brown fat you have, the more calories you burn.
As adults, we don't have very much of this helpful brown fat in our bodies. Deposits are limited to small areas in the neck and upper back.
Once it is activated, brown fat can burn up to 300 calories in 24 hours.
And, now, chili peppers may be the next big thing to kick up brown fat growth.
When capsaicin meets up with our mouths and throats, it sends a message to the brain. It raises our heart rate, makes us sweat, and releases endorphins.
The end result is that our body changes the way that it uses energy. It shifts away from its normal, slow process to make a big surge in our internal thermal energy.
This means that green chilies are a delicious way to boost our metabolism and help us burn calories.
Besides their power to increase our metabolism and help us lose weight, green chilies offer a lot of other health benefits.
They have high amounts of
- vitamin A- a powerful antioxidant
- vitamin C- shown to boost the body’s ability to burn fat by 30% during exercise.
Green chilies have no fat and no cholesterol. They contain high levels of beta-carotene, and they actually block the absorption of cholesterol.
All this makes green chilies one of the most heart-healthy foods around.
Studies show that green chilies can help to reduce high blood sugar levels too!
How can I get more green chilies in my meals?
You can buy green chilies all year long at your local market.
If you're in the U.S. try something special, look online for the Hatch green chile, which comes from Hatch, New Mexico. This is New Mexico’s state vegetable. Its flavor is sweet, spicy and smoky. Ask anybody from Hatch about their chilies and they will tell you that if you want the best green chile, buy it from Hatch.
Green chilies up the volume of your food and make you feel fuller faster. They're great in soups and salads, salsas and sauces.
One of my favorite ways to use green chilies is to mix up this dressing. It's great over fruit, salad, or even over grilled chicken or fish.
Sweet and Spicy Green Chile Dressing
INGREDIENTS
1-inch knob of ginger
1 green chili pepper, minced
zest and juice of half of a lime
¼ cup honeyDIRECTIONS
Use a fine grater to grate ginger into a bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer over a small microwaveable bowl. Transfer ginger pulp and any juices to the strainer. Press down on the pulp with the back of a spoon to capture the ginger's juices in the bowl. Discard solids.
Add the minced green chile, lime, zest and honey to the ginger juice, then microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir, then microwave again for another 20 seconds or until mixture starts to bubble. Enjoy!
Yours in Health,
Danette
P.S. Please share this with your friends and I love reading your comments below.
