Spice Up Your Life, Rev Up Your Metabolism and More

Spicy food has the ability to help you burn more calories. Many studies suggest that for a few hours after you eat a dish with lots of hot spice like mustard or chili, you can expect your metabolism to be revved up.

Not only might you end up with a trimmer waistline but hot and spicy foods can keep you healthier overall as many spices act as antibacterial agents so when mixed with food that could be contaminated with a food borne illness or a parasite, you may be less likely to get sick. National Geographic published a great article about this study that referenced people in certain climates having different spice habits due to the potential for food borne illnesses. Cold climates had much fewer spice and much fewer food poisoning cases over tropical climates.

Chili, which contains capsaicin has a whole laundry list of health benefits including anti-arthritic properties, cholesterol lowering, fights headaches, sore throats, muscle pains and more.

Worried about heartburn or ulcers? Spice can aggravate these symptoms but does not actually cause ulcers.

So, adding a bit of spice can do a lot for your health and well being as well as your waistline.

Worried your kids won't eat spicy food? Start them off early. Many kids won't eat variety due to not being offered a variety in their diet. It's never too late to institute the "try one bite" rule which can increase your child's ability to expand their horizons beyond mac & cheese and hot dogs.