Tagged with 'capsaicin'

Because February is Heart Health Month, I want to feature the ingredients in this cool "rub" recipe, which provide some benefits to our heart.

Cacao Powder

Raw cacao is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. The process keeps the living enzymes in the cocoa and removes the fat (cacao butter). Cocoa butter has significant amounts of saturated fats, but a main fatty acid is stearic acid which has been shown in studies not to raise cholesterol levels like other saturated fats. 

Capsaicin

Chili peppers contain an active compound called capsaicin. Capsaicin may help prevent heart disease. It may stimulate the cardiovascular system and may lower blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It also helps prevent clotting and hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis).

Garlic

Garlic produces a chemical called allicin. It is this active ingredient which helps certain conditions. Some research shows garlic can reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure by as much as 7% or 8%. It also seems to lower blood pressure in people with normal blood pressure. Garlic also seems to reduce hardening of the arteries, which is when arteries tend to lose their ability to stretch and flex with age.

Onion

There is insufficient evidence for using onion for heart health, but onion is used for treating heart and blood vessel problems including chest pain and high blood pressure, and for preventing hardening of the arteries.  

Cinnamon

Although science has not confirmed, one of the many things people use cinnamon for is high blood pressure.

Coconut

Coconut is composed of 90% saturated fat, which is a type of fat we’re told to avoid. However, the type of saturated fat in coconut is not the same as the saturated fat in a steak. The fat in a coconut is medium-chain triglycerides (MTCs), and this fat is metabolized differently. Half of the type of saturated fat found in a coconut is Lauric acid. Lauric acid increases total cholesterol the most of all the fatty acids, but the good news is most of that increase may be in HDL, the healthy cholesterol. Along the same lines, there’s some preliminary evidence suggesting coconut oil intake may be associated with a neutral, if not beneficial, effect on cholesterol levels.  

Chocolate Chili Rub

Makes enough rub for 2 pounds of meat

4 Tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder

2 Tablespoons chili powder (any kind you like, but ancho or chipotle are especially good)

1 teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, sea salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar (optional)

Combine all ingredients and rub 2 to 3 teaspoons of the mixture evenly onto chicken, pork, or steak. Let stand at least 10 minutes before cooking.

Enjoy!

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Cayenne is not just a hot and spicy chili pepper!  

Did you know?

  The cayenne pepper is used medicinally for a variety of different pain-related health conditions.  All chili peppers contain capsaicin, which not only gives cayenne its characteristic heat, but also temporarily depletes “substance P.”  Substance P is a chemical in nerves that send pain signals to the brain.  

Capsaicin is recognized as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, chronic pain, psoriasis, postherpetic neuralgia and pain, and nerve pain caused by diabetic neuropathy.

• If you find the

  burning too much to cope with, go for the milder strength, which is 0.025%

  . With time, as the uncomfortable sensations decrease, you may be able to build back up to the stronger dose.

 

• If you don't get enough relief with the mid-strength, try the strongest dose, which is 0.25% -- but don't use that dose first.

 

• Wash your hands well after use.  Make absolutely sure the cream or fingers that have touched the cream do not touch your eyes, your genitals, or inside your nose – so as not to get hit with the same wild burning that would occur if you touched them after chopping up a hot pepper.

 

• Apply capsaicin after a work-out or shower rather than before.  Warm water or sweat hitting an area of your body where you have used capsaicin may cause a marked increase in burning sensation.

 

• Give capsaicin a full trial - three times daily for two weeks.  If you don't have an improvement by then, or if you feel worse at any time or just can't stand the burning, just stop using it.  However, if the lower dose doesn't work but you tolerate it, a higher dose (see above) may work.

As with any medication or herbal remedy, please consult with your health care provider prior to initiating a new treatment.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

 

References:

1.  Theodore R. Fields, MD, FACP; Attending Physician, Hospital for Special Surgery, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College  http://www.hss.edu/conditions_capsaicin-pepper-creams-joint-pain.asp

2.  Natural Products Foundation:  Capsaicin