Wouldn't You Like To Eat A Pepper Too?
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Wouldn't You Like To Eat A Pepper Too? Thomas
Garvey May Jalapenos
(hot green peppers),
despite their fiery reputation, strengthen the digestive system. Their pungent
bite is a natural pain-reliever, and they invigorate the circulation. Garlic,
a first-aid kit in a plant with antibacterial and antiviral action, is also good
for the heart, circulation and lungs. Chipotles
(smoked red chilis)
are packed with antioxidant beta carotenes, which give them their deep red
color. These pigments help reduce inflammation, strengthen the eyes and blood
vessels. Including the
following foods in your diet two to four times a week will provide (in a safe
and wholesome manner) quantities of lutein and zeaxanthin that are several times
the usual American intake: broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage,
carrots, celery, collards, corn, cornmeal, cucumber, green beans, honeydew,
kale, kiwi, lettuce (romaine and iceberg), mango, okra, oranges, orange juice,
peas, peppers (green & orange bell), persimmons, pumpkin, red grapes,
spinach, turnip greens, yellow squash, zucchini squash. (FYI: spinach and corn
are particularly good sources!) How? Try eating... Wouldn't You Like To Eat A Pepper Too? Thomas Garvey May It's no secret that natural products are becoming more mainstream. Conventional supermarkets, traditional medical journals and standard media sources have lined up to acknowledge the medicinal benefits of eating certain foods. But now even the government has acknowledged the power of a particular food—in this case, peppers. In June, the U.S. Forest Service set aside acreage near Tucson, Ariz., specifically to study the medicinal properties of the nutrients in hot peppers. Botanists call them berries; horticulturists refer to them as fruits; produce managers merchandise them among vegetables; and when they're dried, cooks use them as spices. But however they're classified, peppers are now recognized, even federally, as a rich source of many vitamins and nutrients. Bell peppers are a tremendous source of vitamins. A medium-size red pepper has three times the vitamin C of an orange and 7,000 IU of vitamin A, says Suzanne Girard Eberle, a registered dietitian who works in Portland, Ore. "Eating just one medium-size pepper gives you a big boost when you're looking at daily requirements," she says. When compared to fruits and vegetables more traditionally thought of as nutritious, peppers stack up well. The vitamin A in a red pepper provides four milligrams of beta-carotene, two-thirds of the minimum daily requirement. "When you're looking at getting in all your vegetable servings in a day, peppers are a great choice," says Cathy Kapica, Ph.D., spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "It's tough to rank vegetables, but peppers are nutrient-dense, and I'd put reds up there with [spinach, broccoli and carrots]." Munching on raw peppers provides more vitamins than eating many other vegetables, Eberle says. "People order a dinner salad, and if somebody analyzed it, they're not really getting anything in terms of nutrients," she says, "where with peppers you've almost met your vitamin C and beta carotene needs for the day." Darkly colored vegetables tend to be higher in nutrients than paler ones, so red peppers are the best, followed by orange, yellow then green, Kapica says. "The more natural color a vegetable has, the more phytochemicals it has," she says. "Green peppers are OK, but red peppers are a superfood." Chili peppers have many of the same vitamins as their sweeter cousins, but eating them in sufficient quantities to get the nutritional benefit becomes problematic for people who don't like spicy foods, says Eberle. "It's like garlic—when we calculate how much has to be eaten to get the benefit, sometimes it's not practical," she says. "Even if we did promote the health benefits of jalapenos, how many people would include them in their daily diet?" However, as peppers get hotter, there is a higher concentration of another phytonutrient that makes them an important part of a healthy diet. Capsaicin gives peppers their fiery temperament and, in anecdotal accounts, it has been associated with some amazing cures, says Kellye Hunter, associate editor of Fiery Foods Magazine and co-author of The Healing Power of Peppers (Three Rivers Press, 1998). Capsaicin spreads unevenly throughout the inside of the vegetable but tends to concentrate where the seeds attach. While writing her book, Hunter heard anecdotes about capsaicin curing frostbitten limbs, stopping heart attacks in progress, lowering blood pressure and relieving ulcers. "We read a lot of folk remedies that incorporate chili peppers," she says. But, for medicinal purposes, it's usually recommended that you take it therapeutically, up to three times a day." Adding a little hot pepper to your diet does have health-maintenance benefits. Vitamins A and C are present, and the capsaicin raises metabolism as well. "Even in dietary doses, capsaicin gets people's blood pumping," Hunter says. "It helps your insides function a little more efficiently." Government agencies aside, hot peppers have only recently been recognized for their nutritional status, even among natural foods enthusiasts. Hunter thinks the spice in the vegetables has kept consumers away. "Some people are just afraid to eat hot food. But you don't have to eat them in mouth-searing amounts," she says. And while bell peppers are more prevalent in typical diets, consumers are less inclined to choose them as vitamin-dense vegetables when looking for something healthy. "It's something Americans have just never got used to eating," Kapica says. To promote peppers, retailers can showcase the nutrient content of the vegetables in the produce section or create healthy recipes in the home meal replacement department. Eberle counsels clients and friends to include peppers in recipes wherever they can. She recommends adding them to salads, grilling or roasting them, or even just cutting them up for dipping in sauces. "It's as easy as carrots or any other finger food," she says. Some vitamins can be unstable, and overcooking peppers can lessen the nutritional benefits. Still, both Kapica and Eberle recommend retailers encourage shoppers to eat them however they taste best. "It's better to eat vegetables any way they're prepared versus no vegetables at all," says Eberle. Kapica agrees: "Cook them however you like them, because if you don't eat them, you don't get anything." Onions and garlic. Reduce the growth of cancer cells, prevent heart disease, suppress cholesterol production, decrease abnormal blood clotting and boost immunity. Red peppers. Red peppers are rich in protective carotenoids, shown to decrease the risk of both heart disease and cancer, increase immunity, enhance mental functioning, and prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Five to six servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer by nearly 50 percent and can slow the progression of already existing cancer. Red peppers are also high in vitamins A and C, fiber, and protective phytochemical compounds that ward off cancer. Sesame Seeds (Tahini). Since they're the energy reserves for plants, seeds are nutritional powerhouses. They contain essential fatty acids (EFAs), which help prevent heart disease and tumor formation, promote growth and regulate blood pressure. They're also essential for healthy skin, hair, nerves and arteries. Lignans in seeds may block or suppress the growth of cancer cells and protect against heart disease. Seeds may also help relieve prostate gland enlargement, and some researchers recommend an ounce a day of sesame seeds or certain nuts to treat the symptoms of enlarged prostate gland. Garlic. In folklore medicine, garlic has a long history of healing, to prevent and treat ailments ranging from rheumatism to gangrene. Garlic contains more than 200 different compounds that can reduce the growth of cancer cells, prevent heart disease, suppress cholesterol production and lower LDL levels, decrease the tendency of blood to clump, and boost immunity. Garlic is part of the Allium family, which also includes onions, shallots, scallions, chives and leeks. The organosulfur compounds in this family seem to be potent agents in preventing cancer and heart disease. At high levels--about 8 cloves a day--garlic can also lower cholesterol by as much as 10 to 21 percent. Shallots. Onions, shallots, scallions, chives and leeks, as members of the Allium family, have many of the same benefits of garlic. They can help decrease abnormal blood clotting, lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels. Other studies have shown that flavonoids in members of the onion family may inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Onions and related species can also help lower blood sugar, prevent inflammation and reduce swelling.
Nutraceuticals and Phytochemicals in Plants Can Fight Cancer
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