The popularity of spicy
food lives through the ages. According to
the art of cooking history
people added spices in food many thousand
years ago. Paul W. Sherman, an evolutionary biologist and professor
of neurobiology and behavior of Cornell University, affirms that
knowledge about healthy food is transmitted both in culture and at
genetic level, fixing in human brains what is beneficial and what is
not. Following the law of natural expediency, people choose the food
which makes them more enduring and protects from bacterias. Year by
year, generation after generation, the human got accustomed to healthy
food and, owing to natural selection, it began to seem very tasty. So
it was with spicy food and hot seasonings. Sherman says that those
who preferred spicy food were stronger and left more offspring,
because spices kill food-borne bacteria and fungi.
Among the most health-giving spices garlic, onion, allspice
and
oregano are in the lead. They kill 100% of bacterias, whereas
thyme,cinnamon, and cumin wipe out 80%, and capsicums like chilies and
other hot peppers, which are a common seasoning to spicy food,
–
75%.
Being a common
spicy food flavor, garlic is a good anti-cancer
remedy, helping the organism to neutralize potent carcinogens.
Thanks to the garlic the immune cells can destroy cancer-causing
substances, such as H. pylori bacteria which causes stomach cancer.
People who eat spicy food dressed with garlic are also protected from
elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
Onion contains quercetin, an antioxidant element
which contributes
to the elimination of free radicals in the body and regenerates
vitamin E. People who neglect onion because of bad breath are
unlikely to know that the usage of onion in spicy food dishes can
prevent cancer of lung, breast and bladder. Onion also contains
vitamin C that is a rich source of calcium, indispensable for bones
and teeth.
Many popular spicy food dishes are
flavored with chile,
and not without reason. Besides other health benefits, chilies reduce
high blood pressure, have a laxative effect, may unclog stuffy noses
and improve digestion. Chili is also useful for those who want to
lose weight, as it burns calories speeding up the metabolism. Keeping
to the diet you can replace “undesirable” salt and
fat with some
hot sauce. Thus spicy food protects us from diseases and helps to
be fit.
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