The 5 Amazing Health Benefits Of Spicy Foods

SPECIAL FROM Cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, chili—it seems like there are a million different kinds of hot peppers you can buy. And not only are they a great way to add flavor to your recipes, research shows that they may have a surprisingly positive effect on your health. Hot peppers, like jalapeños and chills, are rich in a component called capsaicin. "What we now know about capsaicin is that it has many benefits in terms of adding to the resistance to disease," says Cary Present, M.D., a medical oncologist at City of Hope hospitalin California and author ofSurviving American Medicine. "Capsaicin as a local treatment can help with pain. Eating peppers can also help improve immunity, and we know from huge study done in China that people who ate peppers a few times a week had a longer life."  Another go-to spice for improving your health: Tumeric, the yellow spice often used in Indian food and curries. The main active component of turmeric iscurcumin, which studies show can help prevent cancer, decrease inflammation in the body, and have other positive effects. Read on to find out more. 1. Weight loss While there is no replacing exercise and cutting back on processed foods, adding spice to your recipes can speed up weight loss. "Research suggests that when you eat hot peppers, it increases your body heat, which boosts metabolism up to five percent, and increases fat burning up to 16 percent," says nutritionist Pamela Peeke, M.D., author ofThe Hunger Fi...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news