Jalapeño fever!

Written by Rachel Berman   

 

Normally I don’t pay too much attention to the commercials running throughout the regular football season. Everyone knows advertisers save their best stuff for Super Bowl Sunday. But this year, I couldn’t help but notice one trend repeatedly shoved in my face with the commercials run during playoff season. I picked up on it and then realized every other food ad was for something hot or spicy and inevitably, a bunch of jalapeño and other chili peppers were thrown up in the air. Granted, most of these commercials were for fast food chains like KFC and Wendy’s. But they’ve hit on a trend that Americans love and might actually be good for your health!

The jalapeño is a type of chili pepper and its burning sensation is hard to ignore. Basically, you know if you’ve eaten one or not. If you’ve had any type of chipotle sauce, that’s also made from jalapeño. I remember about seven years ago, I was interning for a Food Network production that highlighted the breakout of this pepper into America’s food culture. But I’m glad it hasn’t disappeared because of recent studies regarding capsaicin, the component within the jalapeño that causes its intense heat.

A study published in Clinical Nutrition last year found that capsaicin, in combination with green tea, can help promote a feeling of fullness and aid with weight loss. In addition, researchers in South Korea have been feeding mice capsaicin extracts and finding that it results in lowered inflammation and leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in appetite and metabolism. More investigation is needed on the topic but if spicy food can help my metabolism, sign me up!

On a much more basic level, spicy foods can inhibit you from eating too much too fast. I’m not saying you should go out to Wendy’s and get their new spicy chicken nuggets or start eating fried jalapeño poppers. But you can enjoy jalapeños sliced over a salad or baked chips with low-fat cheese. You can also grind them into dips, and use chipotle sauce on any entrée to give it heat. Or try the sauce over this healthy taco recipe featured on Skinny.