If you like your meals on the spicy side, youre in good company. People have been flavoring their food with jalapeños (ha-la-PEEN-yos) for some 6,000 years. Originally from Mexico and a staple in that countrys cuisine, today these strong peppers also grow in California and throughout the American Southwest.
Most jalapeños are deep green and grow to about 2 to 3 inches long. Some turn red, purple, or other vivid colors after they ripen.
Some are spicier than others. You can buy them fresh and whole in the produce section or canned, sliced, or pickled on the supermarket aisles. Any way you slice them, these little firecrackers are exploding with health benefits.
People with acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome may limit the usage of jalapenos, as it may trigger symptoms. Other common side effects of taking excess amounts of jalapenos include abdominal cramp, burning, cramping and diarrhoea.
It may have this effect by reducing stomach inflammation in people with H. pylori and even helping kill off the infection. However, it is not clear whether the amount of capsaicin in jalapeños is large enough to have this effect (33, 34, 35).
It also appears that dosage matters. While high doses of capsaicin appear to slow the spread of cancer, low doses may encourage spreading (23).
However, it is important to note that all of these studies used chili extracts, not whole chilis, and were conducted in test tubes, not humans.
For people with a low tolerance to spicy foods, there are a few precautions that can reduce reactions to jalapeños (54, 55, 56):
Like most fruits and vegetables, jalapeño peppers are a good source of fiber. One pepper provides 2% of the RDI for a person consuming 2,000 calories per day.
How to Prepare, Eat, and Store Them
Wear gloves when you cut jalapeños. Capsaicin, which is mostly on the inside of the pepper, is hard to wash off your hands and can burn and irritate your eyes, mouth, and nose if you touch them after touching a jalapeño.
If you soak cut-up jalapeños in salt water for at least half an hour before you eat or cook them, it lowers some of the spiciness.
Fresh jalapeños will last up to 3 weeks if you wrap them in paper towel and store them in your refrigerator.
Study suggests health benefits from spicy food
FAQ
What happens if you eat too much jalapeños?
Who should not eat jalapeños?
What does eating jalapeños do to your body?
Are jalapeños bad for your stomach?
Do jalapenos make you eat less?
Additionally, the hot flavor of jalapenos may diminish your appetite a bit, causing you to eat less at meals. ( 4) Another study reported the same thing, though it used the capsaicin from a different, milder source. Apparently, it works by burning more calories after a meal — about 100 calories for a 110 pound woman.
Can jalapenos cause diarrhea?
Spicy foods like jalapenos can irritate the lining of the digestive tract. Eating too many jalapenos or hot peppers can result in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This may be more likely to occur in people with digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome(IBS). Also, if your jalapenos are contaminated with salmonella, they may cause a host of symptoms including diarrhea. Be sure to wash your produce well.
Are jalapenos good for You?
One serving of jalapenos contains 66 percent of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. Vitamin C gives the immune system a boost by producing white blood cells, which helps the body stave off illness. Studies show that vitamin C may eliminate and even prevent infections, such as the common cold, caused by bacteria, viruses,= and protozoa.
How does Jalapeno affect blood pressure?
Jalapeno protects the heart. High blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Jalapeno act as a thinning agent and help dissolve complex proteins such as fibrin. Fibrin is an insoluble protein whose accumulation can lead to blood clots in blood vessels. These blood clots can lead to spikes in blood pressure.