Why you need to eat spicy food everyday

Spicy food is commonly eaten in different parts of Africa, Asia and South America. However, chillies aren’t a household staple in most Kenyan homes. More meals could be enhanced with chillies, which are not only delicious but have several health benefits. Below are five reasons why you need to eat spicy food every day.

Certain spices can speed up your metabolism rate and decrease your appetite. As much as some people don’t like the heat sensation that they get from eating spicy food, it is actually the geothermic processes in the body generating heat.  

This process requires energy from your body, resulting in calories being burnt.  Spices that aid in this increase in metabolism rate are chillies, turmeric, peppers, cinnamon and cumin.

Studies say that an active component of chilli peppers called ‘capsaicin’ has been proven to slow down and destroy cancer cells in the body. This is a vital addition into your diet because cancers that can be combatted with the help of chillies are breast, pancreatic, bladder and prostate cancers.

Did you know that eating spicy food can make you live longer? A study by Harvard University found that people who ate spicy food daily had a 14% lower risk of death in comparison to people who ate spicy food once a week or less. If you aren’t a fan of spicy food, it is recommended that you include it in at least one of your meals on a daily basis.

The state of your heart is vital, and it should be at optimal performance for your survival. LDL (bad cholesterol) accumulates on artery walls, which constricts blood flow to the heart. The capsaicin that is found in chillies can lower the damaging effects of LDL and potentially save you from heart problems. Studies show that cultures that typically eat more spicy food have fewer cases of heart attacks and strokes.

Chillies are great for your immune system and help prevent colds and cases of flu. The burning sensation you get when you eat spicy food helps ease a blocked nose and sore throat. In the example of a runny nose, mucous secretions are thinned, helping relieve a blocked nose.