Living in Indonesia means that you should get yourself used to seeing and consuming spicy dishes. While it can sometimes cause a burning sensation on your tongue, the pungency of chili peppers or jalapeno will enrich the flavor of your foods and subsequently make you want to eat more and more.

You can relate to it? Or do you happen to be one of those people who can’t enjoy a meal without the spiciness of chili peppers or sambal? Then you’re lucky, because spicy foods actually have lots of benefits to your health. What are they?

Weight loss

Chili peppers and other spicy ingredients have something called capsaicin, which is respobsible for the pungent flavors. Multiple studies show that capsaicin can improve metabolism by raising the temperature of your body. This process known as thermogenic cause your body to burn more calories and lose more weight.

Heart health

Spicy foods keeps your heart healthy by lowering the levels of bad cholesterol LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), which may clog your arteries and cause various heart problems. Not only scientifically, the connection between spicy food and healthier heart has also been proven by the society. Statistic shows that people whose culture include lots of spicy foods have a much lower rate of heart attacks and stroke.

Cancer killer

Some researches also prove that capsaicin can reduce the risk of various cancers. This compund will slow down the growth of cancerous cells, and even kill them, without affecting the healthy cells around them.

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Flu relief

Capsicin helps ease flu symptoms by causing you to sweat more and open up the nasal passages. It will also help everyone with flu, sinusitis, asthma, and other respiratory issues to breathe easier.

Better sleep

Do you have sleeping problems? Then it’s time to spice up your diet. Accoding to a study conducted by Australian researchers, those who regularly eat spicy foods fall asleep easier and will wake up feeling more refreshed and more energized.

Mood booster

Spiciness makes you happier – not only because it improves the flavor of your meals. But also because it boosts the production of “happy hormones” such as serotonin. So, the next time you feel down and depressed, try eating more spicy foods.

Are you surprised knowing that spicy foods can bring lots of health benefits? If you plan on having more spicy meals right after reading this article, we recommend you to check @FiberCreme_TV on Instagram, where you can find lots of spicy foods recipes to satisfy your taste buds. We have new tasty and easy-to-make recipes uploaded to the account every week. So hit that follow button so you’ll never miss an update.

But remember to always mind the amount of spiciness added to your foods! Instead of getting all the aforementioned benefits, excessive spicy ingredients may cause various health problems including heartburn and diarrhea. So consume it moderately!