Nothing adds excitement to your meal like a drizzle of pepper sauce. Let’s admit, whether it’s mother-in-law pepper, lime pepper, roast pepper – “We Like It Hot!”. Not only do we add it to our pelau, buss-up-shot and Sunday lunch, but we use it to spice up everything from our morning doubles ‘with slight’ and to that oil down breadfruit. Chances are, you probably don’t know everything there is to know about this popular Caribbean condiment. Here are a few things you should know before you eat any more pepper sauce.
1. HOT SAUCE HELPS WEIGHT LOSS
Pepper sauce can contribute to weight loss in several ways. First, capsaicin can temporarily increase your metabolic rate and help you burn more calories efficiently. This translates to kickstarting your body to lose weight, making it effective for weight management. Capsaicin is found in peppers ranging from your basic red chili peppers to those on the Scoville scale that could close your airways instantly.
Second, unlike many other sugary or fatty condiments, pepper sauce also adds flavour without adding calories. Finally, cooking with hot sauce can prevent overeating by encouraging you to take small bites and eat more slowly, yuh know we love to eat fast!
2. HOT SAUCE IS PACKED WITH ESSENTIAL MINERALS AND VITAMINS.
Hot peppers come with high doses of essential minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins, including vitamin C and vitamin A. The antioxidants in pepper sauce, contain anti-aging properties and can help to decrease blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Vitamin C, in turn, can prevent colds and may even help ward off heart disease and cancer, according to health professionals.
Red pepper, in particular, provides these basic necessities. Sprinkling cayenne pepper or using crushed red pepper as the main ingredient also does the trick of smothering something in hot sauce if you’re looking for the health benefits.
3. PEPPER SAUCE COMBATS CONGESTION.
When a cold or sinus infection leaves you feeling stuffy, eating spicy food can clear up congestion. Made with capsaicin-packed chile peppers, hot sauce is a powerful ingredient in many homemade, all-natural anti-flu and decongestant remedies.
4. PEPPER SAUCE CAN ENHANCE EYE HEALTH.
Chipotle pepper, an ingredient in many hot sauces and salsas, is a type of smoked jalapeño that includes phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which contribute to your overall eye health.
Downing hot sauce and other foods with these phytonutrients can help prevent eye disorders and night blindness.
5. PEPPER SAUCE CAN REDUCE RISK OF CANCER.
By attacking cell mitochondria, the capsaicin in pepper sauce can trigger the self-destruction of harmful cancer cells without hurting healthy cells. Hot sauce may be able to reduce risk of cancer development and cancerous cell growth by triggering apoptotic cell death, researchers say.
6. PEPPER SAUCE CAN REDUCE ACHES AND PAINS.
Pepper sauce may be able to alleviate aches and pains from sprains and strains. That’s because capsaicin contains anti-inflammatory properties that help speed up recovery and soothe sore muscles.
7. PEPPER SAUCE CAN REDUCE STRESS AND DEPRESSION.
Pepper sauce and other spicy foods can promote the production of serotonin and other feel-good hormones. When you get a mouthful of something good ‘n spicy, your body starts pumping out endorphins to block the feeling of spicy heat.
So make sure to have a bottle of pepper sauce handy for whatever meal you’re having today.
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