Daniel E. Kennedy is a healthcare executive, counselor, author and filmmaker. His passion for disease prevention was ignited professionally while working with thousands of cancer patients, and personally, by witnessing the cancer and heart disease related deaths of his grandmother, uncle, aunt and father. His philosophy is simple — it’s not good enough to live a long sick life when there’s the opportunity to live a healthy long life. Through the process of writing and host-writing 15 books on cancer and heart health, Daniel honed the skills necessary to create, write and direct the 8-episode Healthy Long Life documentary series. His relationships with researchers and clinicians, developed over the last three decades, has given him access to the world’s top experts on healthy life expectancy. The Healthy Long Life documentary series is a global celebration of life, food, ancient healing traditions, dance and music. It’s a feast for the eyes, and food for the brain. It uncovers longevity and health secrets around the world.
Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada. Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.
There are three basic groups of peppers: bell, sweet, and hot. People all over the world eat them in one form or another. Some eat for them the flavour, some eat them for the challenge and many for a combination of the two.
I am going to focus here on the hot variety and just why they are so.
Peppers are hot because they contain a chemical called capsaicin and related chemicals called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin acts by binding with nerve receptors generally used to transmit heat and heat-related pain in the body. The higher the capsaicin content the hotter the pepper.
Scoville Heat Unit
In 1912 a chemist named Wilbur Scoville invented a scale to measure the heat of peppers. To this day pepper heat is measured in the Scoville Heat Unit. Bell and sweet peppers have zero Scoville units since they have no capsaicin. Jalepeno peppers measure from 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units and the pepper that I mistakenly planted this year, the Bhut Jolokia chili pepper or ghost pepper, which holds the distinction of being the world’s hottest chili pepper, measures 1,001,304 Scoville.
Back to capsaicin. It’s a flavourless and odourless substance found on the inside flesh of peppers. The experience of heat happens when the chemical binds to receptors that are made to respond to pain and heat in the throat and mouth. This tricks the brain into thinking that your mouth is on fire, causing your body to fight the “heat” by boosting your metabolism (increasing circulation) and cooling via perspiration.
After the brain gets this heat alert it sends out the cooling troops to neutralize and remove the heat. These troops work to increased circulation by initiating cooling perspiration and reactions like a runny nose and teary eyes.
Myth:
A chilli pepper’s spicy heat comes from the seeds so removing them minimizes the heat.
Truth:
A chilli pepper’s spicy heat comes from the pith and ribs of the pepper, not the seeds.
The seeds may be coated with some of the capsaicin because they are in contact with the rib. But the seeds themselves don’t actually contain any heat.
The ribs contain a good deal of the capsaicin heat but the flesh itself contains a good amount of heat as well.
So why can some people beat the heat while others suffer the fire?
There are 3 reasons proposed to answer this question.
1. Less Capsaicin Detecting Receptors
This theory states that some people inherit fewer of the capsaicin-detecting receptors that line your mouth and throat, making them less sensitive to hot peppers.
2. Training our heat receptors
An associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America, William Phillips, pointed out that people in some parts of the world such as Mexico or India naturally have higher tolerance for spicy food because they begin eating them at a very young age.
This receptor training desensitizes a person to capsaicin over time so they actually perceive less burn from capsaicin.
3. Thrill Seekers Love the Burn
This is interesting. There was a study done in 2012 that showed sensation-seeking individuals are more likely to like spicy food. The researchers found that people who are more open to new experiences and enjoy thrill-based activities, think roller coaster and rock climbing, tend to enjoy spicy food even if the immediate sensation is unpleasant.
Nadia Byrnes, one of the researchers stated that “Biologically, spice creates a sensation in the mouth that the brain interprets as burning or being on fire. When your body realizes there’s no real danger, it begins to interpret the sensation as a ‘thrill’ similar to gambling or riding roller coasters.”
Why are peppers healthy?
Hot peppers are healthy and here is why:
Capsaicin
On top of being “hot,” capsaicin has been shown to be anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-diabetic.
Vitamins
Peppers are a rich source of vitamin C. They also contain antioxidants like vitamin A and also B-complex vitamins like vitamin B-6 and B-1.
Minerals
Chillies have a good amount of minerals like magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese.
There are countless ways to incorporate hot peppers in to your diet. Your first decision however is to determine what types of peppers pack just the right amount of heat for you.
Hot Pepper Oil
Here is a handy dandy way to use hot peppers.
Is it a recipe? Not sure but here is how it goes.
In a glass jar with a lid (I use 125ml one) cut up a a few peppers (I use 2-3 different types usually) enough to fill about half of the jar.
Fill the jar with a very good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil making sure all pepper are covered. Put the lid on the jar and let it sit for at least one day before using it.
Erin Holt is a board-certified integrative and functional nutritionist helping people re-energize and find real health without restriction. After suffering health issues (chronic digestive problems, eating disorders, anxiety, autoimmune disease) for most of her life without any conventional answers, Erin turned to alternative medicine and functional nutrition for her recovery. Erin couples deep science research & functional testing with holistic healing modalities when working with women to get to the root cause of their health issues. She works with women all over the world through private consultations and online nutrition programs. Her nutrition practice honours the indissoluble link between mind and body.
Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada. Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.
Dr. William Li is a world-renowned speaker, physician, scientist, and author of The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestseller EAT TO BEAT DISEASE. As CEO and President of the global nonprofit Angiogenesis Foundation, Dr. Li’s work has impacted more than 50 million people worldwide and has led to the effective prevention, novel treatment, and even reversal of diseases spanning cancer, chronic wounds, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and vision loss. An internationally sought-after speaker, Dr. Li is among an exclusive group of global change-makers who have been selected to address the Vatican at its Cellular Horizons and Unite to Cure conferences, aimed at improving global health. Dr. Li has captivated and inspired audiences at Fortune 100 companies, the National Institutes of Health, the Milken Institute, and numerous academic, government, corporate, clinical, and general public audiences around the world. His TED Talk “Can we eat to starve cancer” is considered one of the most riveting talks of all time and has been viewed more than 11 million times.
Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada. Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.
Dr. Nisha Chellam is the best selling author of Transform your thyroid: The Five steps to regain your thyroid and get back your life. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s but prior to this had a failing tug of war with weight gain, seasonal allergies, joint pains and migraine headaches with normal blood tests.. She was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and vitamin deficiencies when she got exposed to the clinical application of functional medicine. Applying these principles, she was able to completely resolve all of her medical issues. Since then her only goal has been to spread the message that there is a different way to diagnose and resolve health issues. She believes chronic symptoms are a default to not seeking a better way.
Learning Points:
What is the clinical definition of chronic fatigue?
What is the Functional Medicine model for dealing with chronic fatigue?
How can we take steps right now to combat fatigue?
Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada. Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.