Marketing executives must love their spice. My father doesn’t have much in common with these dudes in the boardrooms, but cayenne pepper may be a universal favorite.
I’ve previously mentioned that my dad would give me a spoonful of raw honey with lemon and cayenne pepper for a sore throat. Maybe he should have trademarked the idea. From globalhealingcenter.com:
A powerful compound with many uses, cayenne pepper is currently gaining buzz for cleansing and detoxifying regimes such as the Master Cleanse, which uses the spice to stimulate circulation and neutralize acidity.
Ughh, why must the phrase “Master Cleanse” ever be uttered? I can just envision how this was pitched:
“The fitness community will be go gaga over this. Anybody want a sip of my tall, Carmel macchiato? I got two extra pumps of vanilla.”
The slick (and sleazy) suits aside, I find myself cooking with the powdered hot stuff almost daily. The impetus for my first shake as an adult may have been inspired by nostalgia, but it’s certainly a conscious health and flavor decision today. Unfortunately, with all the marketing speak, it can be tricky to decipher the true benefits of our ingredients.
Cayenne pepper has been used for centuries in eastern traditions and medical practices. Like my dad breaking it out for the sore throat, the spice has been used as a remedy for all kinds of ailments, including:
- Upset stomach, ulcers, sore throats, spasmodic and irritating coughs, and diarrhea
- Fungal infections
- Migraine headache prevention
- Allergies
- Joint pain
- Weight loss
- Heart health
There is perhaps some science behind these ideas. A teaspoon of the spice has roughly 6 calories and contains both vitamin A and vitamin C. Even a small amount adds significant quantities of essential minerals like copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium and zinc. These minerals support important functions in the body, including heart and liver health and collagen synthesis. The capsaicin can boost metabolism, suppress appetite and support weight loss.
A miracle cure? No. But perhaps it doesn’t hurt to reach into our pantries before we reach into our medicine cabinets.
The central themes of our blog bubble up yet again – personal responsibility, trial and error, challenging conventional wisdom, asking questions, doing your own research and finally, parenting with love and hot peppers. Just don’t expect a magic cleanse.
Kap
Capsaicin rocks! I like sriracha or sambal oelek (chili paste) with my eggs, or chopped hots. A meal isn’t a meal in my house without some capsaicin element. And don’t get me started on dark chocolate bars with chili, such as http://www.lindtusa.com/shop/chocolates/dark-chocolate/chili-excellence-bar. Great post, Gabe.
Appreciate you, Jill. Chii paste, yum.
I have never been able to find any info about how much cayenne pepper is necessary for metabolism benefits. How much do you recommend?
Thanks for this info Gabe!
Hey, Nicole. Tricky. I’d think about a metabolism boost as a potential ancillary benefit. Check this out. It might make you frown a bit if this is your ultimate goal.
http://blog.zocdoc.com/can-spicy-foods-boost-your-metabolism-fact-vs-myth/
It’s funny, the more things change they stay the same…the Aztecs would make a broth of crushed cocoa beans and chili to cleanse and heal..your pops cure is just a modern day version
The wisdom of old folks, huh? Thanks, STF.
Love Cayenne Pepper however I think I use more Sriracha on my food than anything else. Love the heat!! Thanks Kap for the great post.
Happy Sunday, Duane. See you tomorrow.
Thank you sir and happy Sunday to you as well. Always the plan!
Nice to know my dad wasn’t the only father giving his child capsaicin inspired remedies. His sore throat “formula” wasn’t half bad. His asthma remedy did not. When I was old enough, he suggested trying honey, cayenne pepper, and brandy for tooth ache prior to having my wisdom teeth taken out.
Thanks for the post love!
-Kelebek
Brandy for pain. Old school. Thanks, Kelebek.
Gabe, your blog is always informative and the recipes are wicked!!!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!! Go Sox!!!
Try adding it to lemonade, aka, fat-burning lemonade! Tada
Gabe-
I was a college baseball player and have journeyed into the world of working in a cube 50+ hours a week. My first three years, when I was in my young 20’s, I could eat anything I wanted, stay the same weight and never really feel fatigued. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case as my terrible eating habits have started to catch up to me and I have noticed these three drastic changes for the worse: slower metabolism, weight gain in my stomach/butt area and fatigue as the day goes on. Sitting down in a chair/cube clearly doesn’t help but I typically countered that with being able to do some sort of physical activity 5 days a week after work. Now every afternoon/early evening, I’m fatigued to the point where I am not as sharp mentally and have no drive to do any physical activities.
Without consulting any doctors, I have a strong belief this is directly correlated to my poor diet habits and have decided a change is necessary to adjust to my new “less-active / older” life. I’m reaching out to ask for some help. I personally don’t enjoy a lot of foods (specifically lettuce), so I’m having an extremely difficult time trying to create a diet plan that will provide me the pertinent nutrients to keep me performing at a high mental level throughout the day and provide that metabolism boost.
Right now my diet looks like this, and it’s quite sad:
Breakfast: Banana with Peanut Butter and a Coffee (dunkin donuts?)
Lunch: Cold Cuts (typically turkey) with Cheese without any bread.
Dinner: Chicken and Vegetables (asparagus,broccoli, corn, snow peas) or Turkey Burgers / Ground Turkey. I always throw on some cayenne pepper with some salt.
I also have a sweet tooth which doesn’t help. It usually starts kicking in around the afternoon and I will maybe eat some pretzel sticks. I was contemplating maybe throwing in some vitamins in the morning but honestly, I suck at eating and just throwing anything at the wall right now to see what sticks.
Hey, Billy. Standby, I’ll post on this next week.
Kap