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Leading nutrition experts are revealing the secret health benefits of adding hot sauce to everything–from your eggs or avo toast in the morning, to your sandwiches at lunch and grilled chicken at night. Not only does it help reduce inflammation and even potentially fight cancers, but it’s also good for your waistline as well. There are so many reasons why! See what the dietitians and doctors are saying:
Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD of Balance One Supplements: “Hot sauce, and other spicy food can cool the body through a process called Gustatory Facial Sweating. This is essentially when spicy food causes you to sweat, starting in the face first, which then cools the body. Thoughts on how this works exactly are not completely agreed upon by professionals. On one hand it is thought the food raises the internal body temperature which produces sweat and the other disagrees with this thought, but both agree that spicy foods do lead to the sweating and cooling effect. Hot sauce also has a notable amount of plant compounds that act as antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants have widespread health benefits from preventing illness, reducing inflammation and even potentially preventing cancer. The flavonoid compound in particular plays an important role in preventing and reversing cellular damage. If this damage is allowed to occur and replicate at the cellular level cancer cells can form. Adding chile's to your diet is proving to be beneficial for overall health.”
Julie Upton, MS, RD, of Appetite for Health: "Capsaicin, the compounds in peppers that give them their hotness, is known to have documented health benefits. One of which is that is can slightly elevate your basal metabolism so that you can burn more calories. In addition, it is also a natural antibacterial compound so it helps reduce the liklihood of foodborne illness when it is put on perishable foods. It also has anti-viral and anti-cancer properties and it might help reduce nausea. All in all, foods prepared with hot peppers are def a good addition for one's health."
Glen Wilde, CEO & Founder of Diet to Success: "Hot sauce is a great weight loss booster. The chili peppers in hot sauce contain capsaicin, a nutrient known for its thermogenic properties. A 2003 study showed that the consumption of capsaicin resulted in a 30-minute metabolism boost. Hot sauce also aids in weight loss by helping you feel full faster. A 2014 study revealed that capsaicin reduced food cravings and promoted a feeling of satiety after a meal."
Alicia Hough, a corporate health and wellness expert at The Product Analyst: "It helps with nasal congestion. Spicy foods causes your nose to run, which is natural and common, because the capsaicin, does not only give health boost but also cleans up sinuses. Once you feel your nose stuffy again, add a bit of spiciness to your food, and surely that stuffy nose will have a good run. It also helps you keep fit. Since spicy foods give your tongue a sting, you refuse to take huge bites and settle with small servings too. This will result to slower time in eating, which then leads to feeling less hungry. The slower we eat, the easier we feel full which is what spicy foods do to us, especially if you are not used to eating spicy flavored dishes."
