Chili peppers can stimulate appetite, aid digestion, and warm the stomach to dispel cold, making them a beloved food during the autumn and winter seasons. So, how should one eat chili peppers healthily? And who should avoid eating them?
Eating chili peppers to stimulate appetite and aid digestion
Eating spicy food is not only delicious, but chili peppers themselves are also rich in nutrients and have many health benefits. Professor Shen Yanying, Vice President of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, points out that first, the variety and content of vitamins in chili peppers are exceptionally abundant. A single small chili contains vitamins A, B, C, E, K, carotene, folic acid, and more. Secondly, chili peppers also contain minerals such as calcium and iron, as well as dietary fiber.
Eating chili peppers can stimulate appetite and aid digestion, warm the stomach to dispel cold, and at the same time promote blood circulation, improving the symptoms of being cold-prone and frostbite. In addition, eating chili peppers also has benefits for skin beauty, lowering fat, and weight loss.
It's best to eat cooked chili peppers
There are various types of chili peppers, such as dried, fresh, and pickled. Shen Yanying suggests that eating fresh peppers is better because their nutrients are more abundant. Additionally, it's best to eat chili peppers after cooking them. This is because raw chili peppers contain a large amount of capsaicin, which can irritate the oral and gastrointestinal mucous membranes. After heating, the irritation to the stomach and intestines is reduced.
In terms of flavor, chili peppers can also be divided into numbing-spicy, sour-spicy, and mustard-spicy. Numbing-spicy chili peppers, with the addition of the pungent heat of Sichuan peppercorns, are more likely to cause "internal heat" (上火), so they should be eaten in moderation. Pickled chili peppers contain less capsaicin; the vinegar in sour-spicy food has a detoxifying effect, reducing the chance of "internal heat," so it can be eaten moderately.
Pair with foods that relieve spiciness and "internal heat"
Although spicy food is addictive, eating too much can be overwhelming. Experts suggest that eating more sweet and sour foods can help relieve the spiciness. Sweetness can cover and interfere with the spicy taste, while acidity can neutralize the alkaline capsaicin. If it's too spicy, dipping in vinegar, drinking a cool sweet beverage, or having a cool piece of fruit can be very helpful. If you are making spicy food at home, try to pair it with foods that nourish yin, reduce dryness, and clear heat, such as duck, shrimp, crucian carp, bitter gourd, loofah, cucumber, etc. You can also cook some cooling mung bean congee or lotus leaf congee to reduce "internal heat".
Eat less spicy food during dry seasons
Regarding chili peppers, due to individual differences in constitution, the tolerance level varies.
People with cold hands and feet or who are prone to anemia can eat them moderately. People with stomach ulcers, esophagitis, hemorrhoids, as well as those with yin deficiency and "internal heat," frequent constipation, or who often get pimples should be cautious. Additionally, chili peppers have the effect of removing dampness, so people in the north should also eat less during the dry spring and autumn seasons.