Are Chili Peppers Good for You?
Chili peppers have a fiery and often complex taste, but you may not know that chili peppers are good for you, too! Many spicy foods include some great health benefits in addition to being delicious, and those health benefits are usually provided by the chili peppers used in the dish.
Vitamins in Chili Peppers
Some of the health benefits of chili peppers come from the many vitamins that they contain, some of which are hard to get enough of in typical Western diets. Here are the vitamins that make chili peppers good for you:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K1
Chili peppers also contain potassium and copper, two vital nutrients.
Other Health Benefits of Chili Peppers
While the evidence isn’t conclusive yet, multiple studies have shown that people who included chili peppers in their diet regularly had lower rates of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. It’s not clear why chili peppers might have these benefits, but some scientists theorize that it’s the capsaicin they contain. Capsaicin gives peppers their heat, and it’s also a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
