FitSugar

Become a Spice Girl, For Your Health

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:00:00 PDT

Me, I like it hot. You name it, I'll sprinkle a little hot sauce on it. I just like the taste (and the heat) but adding spice to your food can curb hunger, strengthen muscles, boost your brainpower and improve mood.

Here's why:

Staying slender: A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that when women added 2 teaspoons of dried red pepper on their food, they consumed fewer calories and fat in later meals. Give your diet a light start; splash hot sauce on your morning omelet.
Becoming stronger: The curcumin that turns turmeric yellow also helps reduce inflammation and aids muscle repair after heavy exercise, researchers at the University of South Carolina at Columbia say. Enjoy the Indian spice for a few days before a big workout (try stirring it in a cup of lowfat cottage cheese and sliced fruit) to speed recovery.
Keeping sharp: Curcumin also sweeps out plaque deposits in your brain, which may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, research from the University of California at Los Angeles suggests. For a savory meal, dust curry spices over rice and beans.
Getting happy: Capsaicin (the compound that gives chiles their kick) triggers pain receptors in the mouth, in turn signaling your brain to release feel-good endorphins, according to scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo. That chemical surge not only helps dull the pepper’s bite, but it also betters your mood. Next time you need a quick lift, toss red pepper flakes or some diced chile peppers into your salad or bowl of chilled soup. Now that’s cool!

Source

5 Things: Cayenne Pepper

FitSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:45:00 PDT

Oooohh . . . It is getting hot in here. Red hot. Red hot pepper that is. I am talking about cayenne pepper. This spice is hot right now for so many reasons - here are just five.

Cayenne is made from ground dried pods of chili peppers. It has hardly any aroma, but makes up for its lack of smell with a powerfully hot taste. The active ingredient in cayenne is capsaicin and it this component that created the heat in peppers.
Recent studies indicate that capsaicin, the chili pepper derived compound, kills cancer cells but doesn't injure healthy cells. It is too soon to recommend capsaicin as a cancer cure, it is promising to think it could someday replace current cancer therapies which indiscriminately kill all cells, healthy or damaged.
Cayenne has proven to be an affective topical pain reliever for sore back muscles as well as joint pain caused by arthritis. You can make a treatment at home using this recipe.
Cayenne may also help to regulate blood sugar levels by affecting the breakdown of carbohydrates after a meal. Based on these studies, capsaicin is being investigated to see if it would be useful in treating obesity. These studies, however, are still ongoing.
A principal ingredient in the Master Cleanse and in other food based detox diets, cayenne helps stimulate the body's self cleaning process and breaks up mucous that is clogging the body. And I mean mucous all over the body.

Source

Killer App: Gyro Jalapeno Poppers

Susannah Chen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:37:28 PST

After salivating over this lamb sausage, feta, and romesco pizza, I had a hankering for the ground meat myself. I was all set to go for kabob e kubideh until I spotted a recipe for the appetizer of my dreams - gyro jalapeno poppers, stuffed with red onion, oregano, and ground lamb. My stomach made the ultimate vote: Greek-style stuffed lamb poppers it was!

Prepping jalapenos for poppers can be a bit gnarly. By the fourth chile or so, I could feel the capsaicin gripping the back of my throat and olfactory system as I ripped out its seeds and veins. But the end result is so very worth it: it's a heartier, more captivating version of the addictive appetizer. Curious to see how it's made? Just keep reading.

The Top Fat-Burning Foods

Health — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:10:08 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Paige Greenfield

It's true: certain foods have a very high thermogenic effect, so you literally scorch calories as you chew. Other eats contain nutrients and compounds that stoke your metabolic fire. Feed your metabolism with these.

Whole Grains
Your body burns twice as many calories breaking down whole foods (especially those rich in fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice) than processed foods.

Health.com: Best Superfoods For Weight Loss

Lean Meats
Protein has a high thermogenic effect: you burn about 30 percent of the calories the food contains during digestion (so a 300-calorie chicken breast requires about 90 calories to break it down).

Low-Fat Dairy Products
Rich in calcium and vitamin D, these help preserve and build muscle mass - essential for maintaining a robust metabolism.

Health.com: Ditch Five Pounds Without Trying

Green Tea
Drinking four cups of green tea a day helped people shed more than six pounds in eight weeks, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. Credit EGCG, a compound in the brew that temporarily speeds metabolism after sipping it. To up your intake, keep a jug of iced tea in the fridge.

Keep reading to see other foods that burn fat!

4 Natural Remedies You Already Have in Your Pantry

Leta Shy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:06:33 PDT

Some ailments need the power of the medicine cabinet, but other times when you're not feeling that hot all you need to do is look toward the spice rack. Whether you're in a bad mood, can't stop coughing, nursing a hangover, or have post-workout soreness, here are four spices that can help you feel better - no medicine required!

What: Peppers
When to use: When you're feeling down.
Why: The hot feeling you get in your mouth is from the compound capsaicin. It triggers pain receptors in your mouth, which causes your brain to release feel-good endorphins to compensate.
How to eat: Spice up a cold, dreary day with this spicy-sweet chili recipe, or this recipe for a healthy version of spicy eggplant.

What: Ginger
When to use: When you're fighting a cold or feeling nauseous or achy.
Why: Remedy the sniffles, aches, and congestion of the season with ginger; ginger contains a chemical that helps reduce nausea and inflammation symptoms, and ginger tea has been a tried-and-true congestion remedy for years.
How to eat: Whip up this ginger tea recipe the next time you are feeling under the weather, or dress up your dinner with this ginger-garlic broccoli recipe.

Read on for more remedies you can make with what's already in your spice cabinet!

Foods That Send Metabolism Soaring

Prevention — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:21:01 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Power up your fat-burning engine with every bite!
Excerpted from The Active Calorie Diet book by Leslie Bonci, R.D.

A calorie is a calorie, and cutting them is the best way to lose weight, right? Not so fast. New research shows that eating certain types of foods can rev your metabolism, curb your appetite, and help you drop more pounds than others. The Active Calorie Diet, an eating plan based on this research, explains how some foods take more work to eat so you burn more calories during digestion. In fact, just the act of chewing foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 30 percent!

In this diet plan, foods are broken down into four types of "active calories" — chewy foods, hearty foods, energizing foods, and warming foods. Here's how each one encourages your body to burn more calories.

Burn More Calories By Eating

Chewy Foods (lean meats, nuts, whole fruits and vegetables)
These calories make your body work right off the fork. To maximize the chew factor, choose food in its most "whole" state — apples instead of applesauce, for instance. High-protein foods really are your best ally in the Active Calorie Diet because they take more work to chew and longer to leave your stomach so you take more time eating—and have more time to register that you're full.

Hearty Foods (fruits, vegetables, brown rice, whole grains and cereals)
In addition to being chewy, these active calories are packed with fiber, so they take up more room in your belly (compared to other foods with the same number of calories), and leave less room for second helpings. Foods that take more work to chew literally make your mouth work harder (ramping calorie burn by 10 percent!) and increase the thermic effect of food, the calorie-burn bump we get from eating and digesting any given type of food.

Tasty Ways to Get More Fiber

Energizing Foods (coffee, black and green tea, dark chocolate)
You can get metabolism-boosting caffeine in coffee and black tea; just be careful not to load them up with milk, cream, or sugar. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java or black tea can boost your metabolism by 5 to 8 percent - about 80 to 128 calories a day. Green tea doesn't have much caffeine but it does contain catechins, an antioxidant that raises resting metabolism by 4 percent (about 80 calories a day). Dark chocolate contains both catechins and caffeine, but stick to one ounce per day to limit fat and calories.

8 Secrets for All-Day Energy

More foodie tips to rev your metabolism after the break.