Do you like spicy food? Have you ever asked, actually chili has benefits or not? It turns out that behind its small size and spicy taste that makes you both wince and addict, chili has many benefits, you know! Let’s see the full review below to find out what the nutritional content and benefits of chili are.
The nutritional content in chili
Chili is a food ingredient that is still in the same family as peppers and tomatoes, more precisely under the genus Capsicum.
Apparently, chili and other plants in the genus Capsicum fall into the category of fruit, not vegetables.
There are several types of chili that we usually encounter in Indonesia, namely cayenne pepper and red chili.
Although the shape is not large, as the saying goes ‘small chili peppers’, it turns out that chili has a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Not only that, there are carbohydrates, protein, and a little fat that also complement the chili nutrition.
Here is the nutritional content in 100 grams (g) of fresh red chilies:
1. Air: 90,9 g
2. Energy: 36 calories (Cal)
3. Protein: 1 g
4. Fat: 0.3 g
5. Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
6. Fiber: 1.4 g
7. Calcium: 29 milligrams (mg)
8. Fosfor: 24 mg
9. Iron: 0.5 mg
10. Sodium: 23 mg
11. Potassium: 272 mg
12. Seng: 0,2 mg
13. Beta-carotene : 5,800 micrograms (mcg)
14. Niacin: 3 mg
15. Vitamin C: 18 mg
Various benefits of chili for health
After seeing the nutritional content that is so diverse, it’s time you find out what are the benefits of chili.
Not just spicy and delicious, here are the benefits you can get from eating chilies:
1. Relieve pain
The release of endorphins in the body stimulated by chili can act as a natural pain reliever.
The capsaicin substance then works with pain receptors. Next, there is a hot sensation from the chili which helps the nerve endings to stop sending pain sensation signals.
It is not surprising that currently there are also topical or cream drugs that contain capsaicin so that they can be used to help treat joint pain and injury.
2. Benefits of chili for weight loss
The next benefit of chili is that it helps you lose weight.
Yes, if you plan to go on a diet, don’t forget to include chilies in your daily menu. This is because the capsaicin substance in chili is believed to burn fat and body energy faster.
In addition, research from the journal Appetite shows that an intake of 2 milligrams of capsaicin per day for 12 weeks can help reduce waist circumference.
3. Maintain digestive health
People think that eating chili is not good for digestion. In fact, as long as it is not consumed in excessive amounts, chili has benefits for digestive health, you know!
When capsaicin enters the digestive tract, the nerves in the gastrointestinal tract produce anandamide.
Anandamide is a chemical compound that helps reduce inflammation, including those that often occur due to peptic ulcers and Crohn’s disease.
4. The benefits of chili to maintaining blood sugar levels
For those of you who have diabetes, chili also provides benefits in the form of maintaining blood sugar levels.
Again, this is thanks to the capsaicin content in chilies. A study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry revealed that capsaicin has the potential to lower blood sugar levels.
Not only that, capsaicin is antidiabetic and is believed to have a positive effect when consumed by type 1 diabetes patients.
5. Reducing the risk of heart and blood vessel disease
With the content of vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, and beta-carotene found in chilies, you can avoid heart attacks.
B vitamins can also reduce homocysteine levels. High levels of homocysteine can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.
6. Lowers the risk of cancer
The next benefit of chili that you can get is a reduced risk of cancer.
This is due to the high antioxidant content in chili peppers, some of which are vitamin C, lutein, and beta-carotene.
Antioxidants have been shown to protect cells from free radical damage. Well, one of the triggers of cancer is excessive exposure to free radicals.
7. Smooth breathing
Chili can help widen the airways in the lungs so it has benefits for those of you who have asthma.
Vitamin A in chili can also reduce the risk of pneumonia that occurs due to smoking. This is because cigarette smoke contains benzopyrene which destroys vitamin A in the body.
8. The benefits of chili for eye health
Another benefit that is no less interesting than chili is to help maintain eye health.
This is thanks to the lutein content in chilies, especially green chilies that you often encounter when eating fried foods.
Well, the lutein in chili is useful for preventing eye damage due to aging, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
Those were 8 benefits of chili for your body’s health. For those of you who don’t like spicy food, you don’t need to force yourself to eat chili.
Indeed, not everyone can and can eat chili. You can find the nutritional content in chilies in other foodstuffs, such as peppers or tomatoes.