Healthy Chillies

Tonight I am helping judge a Chilli eating contest in the Perth suburb of Malaga. This is timed to coincide with this weekend’s chilli festival. Chillies trace their origins back 7500 years
Previously regarded as the domain of eccentrics Mexicans and Thais it is only recently that many westerners have developed a taste for them. In the UK in particular Chillies are really big.
There are many health benefits to having chillies in your cooking and diet They are rich in potassium calcium iron Vitamin A Vitamin C and B Vitamins particularly B6
As vitamin C helps the body absorb iron ,having some chilli with your meat will boost the iron absorption
Chillies will initially cause a release of adrenalin in the body This why you tend to sweat and your pulse quickens After this the body releases endorphins which are the bodies happy hormones giving you a “natural” high . This high is similar to the feeling athletes get after crossing the finish line- a real buzz.
Whilst some people find them disagreeable there is no evidence at all that chillies increase the rate of stomach complaints A study which looked at the stomach lining after certain things were ingested showed that an aspirin affected the stomach lining far more than chilli
The other great thing is that chillies are brightly coloured. This type food is good for you as it has antioxidants Furthermore cooking with chilli means you are preparing fresh food which is always better than something from a packet with a use by date of sometime in 2011

http://www.chillifreak.com/