Let's make it Spicy!!

Hey guys! Welcome to another edition of Caribbean Fit. I was recently asked by one of my followers to do a post on peppers and the nutritional value that they possess within our diets. So today we're going to bring that spice of the Caribbean, because its all about peppers!!!!! 🔥

In most Caribbean islands many kinds of peppers are incorporated into our dishes. From the mild flavour of the sweet pepper to the intense heat of the Moruga Scorpion Pepper, we love the spice that peppers bring into our stews, sauces and cook ups, but do peppers bring any value besides heat and flavour?
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Pepper Sauce

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Moruga Scorpion Pepper
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Guyana Pepper Pot

*Photos courtesy google images

Peppers are fruits which bear from the Capsicum species of plants and contain a oily chemical called Capsaicin embedded in its veins and seeds that causes that sensation of heat which you either love or love to hate. By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm in the love category 😊😊. Peppers are low in calories and pack a lot of antioxidant power as they are great sources of vitamins A and C and are therefore excellent to fight against inflammation and free radicals (unstable molecules in the body). They also bring some fibre to the table and contain folic acid and potassium which are great micro-nutrients the body needs to perform important functions. Peppers also aid in digestion, appetite suppression and help you burn calories while you eat due to the heating effect they have on the body. Some studies also show positive relationships between peppers and cholesterol reduction and better circulation due to the stimulation of the nervous system and blood vessels in response to the heat.

As we can see peppers bring a lot more than just that nose running, water spewing, dragon breathing heat. So don't be shy with incorporating peppers into your dishes as they provide lots of nutritive value and health benefits. All you have to do is know your heat threshold, choose your peppers based on the level of heat intensity you can handle, and remove the veins and seeds to lessen heat (optional).

Until next time stay spicy guys! 😗😘💋

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