5 Ways Jalapeños Benefit Health (Metabolism & Weight Loss)

Posted on February 11th, 2021 to Education

A common question we hear is, “are there any health benefits associated with eating jalapeños?” The answer: YES! Jalapeño peppers belong to the hot pepper family and are a tasty way to augment your diet. Being so flavorful, there are a ton of ways to include jalapeños into your existing meals, and there are some awesome dishes that feature the jalapeño as the star. View the jalapeño infographic.

One of the key beneficial components found in jalapeño peppers is capsaicin. Capsaicin is an active chemical compound found in most hot peppers, primarily chili peppers. It’s been linked to weight loss, and more recently an article published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 2018 took a deeper look into capsaicin, exploring it’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Their findings concluded that capsaicin has a positive impact on metabolism and may even be a potential anti-cancer agent.

Read on to learn about 5 specific benefits you might experience from introducing jalapeño peppers into your diet.

1. Jalapeños are packed with nutrients

Not only are jalapeño peppers flavorful and low in calories, but they are also packed with nutrients, including vitamins C, B6, A, and K, along with folate, fiber, and manganese. Just one raw pepper can help boost your intake of these important vitamins and nutrients. That’s not much when you consider you can add bits of jalapeño pepper to salads and fresh guacamole. It’s also considered to be a very heart-healthy vegetable, according to recent studies.

2. Jalapeños may promote weight loss

Eating jalapeños not only jazzes up your palate, but did you know it may also help you lose weight? An article published by Harvard Medical School found that jalapeños seem to “rev up” your metabolism. The study also found that eating jalapeños may increase the oxidation of fat (4 to 5%). Other studies indicate jalapeño peppers are a good appetite suppressant as well. Rather than reach for the dip, go for salsa – chock-full of jalapeños!

3. Eating jalapeños may assist in preventing illness

What if you could ease your cold symptoms with a natural remedy as opposed to a prescription or OTC medication that comes with potential negative side effects? Well, the capsaicin found in spicier peppers is known to help people fight cold-related symptoms such as congestion, sneezing, and coughing (it doesn’t help with allergies or smoking-related symptoms).

Researchers also believe the protective agents found in cayenne, a close relative to jalapeños, may have antibacterial properties that can have a positive impact when fighting bacterial illnesses. Experts also suggest the compounds found in jalapeños can help slow down the growth of food-borne bacteria.

4. Capsaicin may help battle cancer

Preliminary lab studies indicate capsaicin has strong anti-cancer properties that can stop the growth of and kill more than 40 types of cancer cells without causing harm to non-cancerous cells. Researchers believe it can also aid in preventing cancer from spreading to healthy cells throughout the body. However, studies in humans haven’t been affirmed, but data suggests that the ‘spiciness’ found in chili peppers play a positive role in helping people fight cancer with the right dosage.

5. Spicy peppers may combat stomach ulcers

Stomach ulcers are difficult to live with between the burning, bloating, heartburn, and nausea often associated with them. These, and other symptoms, can create discomfort and persistent stress in your life. Many people believe jalapeños and other spicy foods can create stomach ulcers, but research actually shows the opposite. An increasing number of experts believe capsaicin can protect the stomach from the development of ulcers.

Spice up your life with raw jalapeños OR our jalapeño flavored tinctures!

The jalapeño benefits the body in many ways, from both a culinary and health perspective. If you’re looking to add a health boost to your life, look for recipes that can help you add many of the positive benefits eating jalapeños can bring. Or if you’d like to take it a step further, try our Jalapeño tinctures. We offer a Jalapeño CBD tincture, Jalapeño CBG tincture and Jalapeño CBD/CBG tincture. Have a question about any of our Jalapeño products? Don’t be afraid to contact us!