Chili Peppers Pack a Nutritious Punch

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans are eating 38 percent more chili peppers than they were in 1996. Per capita, Americans eat more chili peppers (5.9 pounds) than asparagus (1.3 pounds), cauliflower (2.2 pounds) or green peas (3.3 pounds).

Even without these statistics, it's been obvious that chili peppers have caught on. Every day seems to bring a new variety of salsa to the supermarket shelf. Chips and salsa, which most Americans used to eat only in Mexican restaurants, are a mainstream snack, as unremarkable as potato chips or crackers.

Trends in American eating habits are usually nothing to celebrate, but the popularity of the chili pepper may be a happy exception. For one thing, it shows that Americans are rejecting blandness for more exciting flavors. In a small way, it's evidence of the manifold influence of the country's immigrant population. And nutritionally, chili peppers tot up on the asset side of the ledger. Gram for gram, they contain more calcium and vitamin A and C than asparagus, celery and green peas (cauliflower, alas, has a slight vitamin C edge but trails in calcium and vitamin A).

Of course, people don't eat chili peppers in the amounts like those other foods. But even salsa is a positive, if small, contributor. According to the nutrient database maintained by the agriculture department, two tablespoons of mild La Victoria salsa contains calcium (4 milligrams), vitamin A (124 IU) and vitamin C (1.8 milligrams). Naturally, the tomato part of the mixture deserves some of the credit.

But vitamin and mineral content isn't the only way to size up a food's health credentials. The main benefit from chili peppers may come from the positive effects they have on our metabolism and the way we respond to other foods.

Researchers have reported that chili pepper consumption seems to rev up metabolism and increase oxidation of fat. A number of experiments have shown that there's an uptick in epinephrine and norepinephrine hormone levels after a chili-laden meal, suggesting perhaps that they stimulate a minor fight-or-flight response. (Web sites devoted to chili peppers wax enthusiastic about the release of endorphins and the chili "high.") Other research suggests a mitigating effect on appetite.