The Healthiest Hot Peppers

If you can handle the heat, you'll benefit from natures own wonder food. Hot peppers are one of the most natural ways to maintain your health and add potent flavor to foods. They are grown in a variety of shapes and sizes and have long been cultivated by native civilizations of Central and South America for thousands of years.

Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing these peppers back to Europe where black pepper was the only choice of the time and much more costly as it was imported through trade with China. Ferdinand Magellan is credited with spreading hot pepper plants to Africa and Asia where it was used as both for culinary and medicinal purposes.

Among the benefits of dancing with the fire is a quick boost to your immune system. With harsh weather fast approaching this could be the simplest most natural way to fight off the winter bug. Many hot peppers are rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, lutein and other important nutrients. According to The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden, peppers contain twice the amount of vitamin C as any citrus fruit.

There are many types of hot peppers which are ranked according to their relative heat index. If your intent on engaging in a suicide mission or longing to prove you could win Fear Factor, you could sample the hottest pepper in the world, the Jolokia from Northeast India. The next hottest on the scale is the Red Savina habanero native of Central and South America. Also notable are the Scotch bennet, cayenne, jalapeno and chile varieties bringing both the heat and flavor to your favorite foods.

The main ingredient of hot peppers is a substance called capsaicin. The hotter the pepper the more capsaicin it contains allowing for several health benefits. Among these are the ability to act as an anti inflammatory and a natural pain relief remedy.

With a high concentration of vitamin A, hot peppers assist in boosting your immune system and helps clear congestion, a welcome natural remedy for cold and flu season. Many hot peppers have the ability to reduce cholesterol and promote healthy heart function, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Because hot peppers also increase mood enhancing substances, endorphins, you'll be able to ward off depression. And as a boost to your metabolism, speeding up fat loss and suppressing your appetite, you will look better and feel better promoting a healthier lifestyle.

So if you're looking to spice things up in the kitchen and boost your health, few other foods offer as much heat, flavor and lasting benefits as hot peppers.