Spice up a Diet
To make the most of the diverse health benefits associated
with eating hot peppers, we must add them to our everyday
diet. Any Mexican or Thai restaurant can easily satiate a
hankering for heat. At home, adding hot peppers to meals is
easy and adds intriguing color and flavor to foods.
Note that regular consumption of hot peppers in-
creases one’s tolerance to capsaicin, and thus access to its
benefits. So experts recommend that we begin at the base
of the Scoville Heat Scale, with milder peppers, and gradu-
ally work our way up to the tongue scorchers.
Start, for example, with pepperoncinis, which add zing
to salads and soups and then, step up to hotter varieties,
like poblanos and jalapenos, perfect in pasta dishes, rices
and omelets. Maybe top a pizza with sliced wax peppers.
Finally, add a dash of cayenne pepper to spice salsas,
sauces and meat marinades.
Researchers and dieticians around the world are ex-
cited about the proven and potential health benefits of hot
peppers. People everywhere are proving why, indeed, some
like it hot. a
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer, connect at
AmberNagle.com.
Source: New Mexico State University; for more, visit
ChilePepperInstitute.org and search Chile Information.
Scoville Heat Scale
The Scoville Heat Scale measures the hotness of peppers.
The units represent the average amount of capsaicin present
in the pepper.
Pure Capsaicin 16 million
Naga Jolokia 855,000 +
Red Savina Habanero 350,000 – 580,000
Habanero, Scotch Bonnet 100,000 – 350,000
Rocoto, Jamaican Hot, African Birdseye 100,000 – 200,000
Thai 50,000 – 100,000
Cayenne, Tabasco 30,000 – 50,000
Serrano 10,000 – 23,000
Wax 5,000 – 10,000
Jalapeño, Guajillo 2,500 – 8,000
Rocotillo 1,500 – 2,500
Poblano 1,000 – 1,500
Pepperoncini 100 – 500
Bell 0
September 2009 23
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