Being a hot sauce fan, you probably can indulge in eating it for an entire lifetime and still think it’s not enough. But is hot sauce good for you? Is it the hero or in fact the villain when it comes to your health? If you want your answers, we got you covered. Many studies suggest that using hot sauce is actually good for you and can help reduce your weight and help with diabetes as well as blood pressure.
How? Let us have a closer look beyond all that heat and spice and see how hot sauce is actually our hero!
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Nutritional value of hot sauce:
Before jumping onto any conclusion, it is best to evaluate why hot sauce is eaten worldwide and is really guilt-free! Hot sauce is actually very low in calories and free of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Now doesn’t that sound like a treat?
| Nutrients | Hot sauce in each (in grams) |
| Protein | 0 |
| Fat | 0 |
| Carbohydrates | 0 |
| Calories | 0.5 |
| Vitamin C | 4% of the DV (daily value) |
Reading this, you might want to start dieting with hot sauce only, no? Because hot sauce is used in such small amounts, it is very low in vitamins and minerals too. However, it is still packed with Vitamin C which acts as an antioxidant, neutralizes free radicals and protects against inflammation.
Hence, those scotch bonnet and habanero peppers aren’t just setting your tongue on fire, they’re setting your body into motion.
Capsaicin: The Star
Ever heard of Capsaicin? It is basically the star of the show because it gives chili peppers their signature spice. This compound has many benefits, like:
Weight loss:
Just reading the word weight loss can boost many to go get a hot sauce! But is it really good for you? A lot of folks want to know if you can lose weight by using hot sauce. And the answer is…yeah, maybe. Some research suggests that capsaicin regulates metabolism and decreases your overall appetite while also boosting fat burn. This could actually lead to weight loss! Try it for yourself!
Relieves pain:
Capsaicin stimulates pain receptors in your body and can help reduce pain. Isn’t that just amazing? But does this mean hot sauce is good for you?
Decreased inflammation:
Test-tube studies reveal that this compound may lower certain inflammation.
Cancer prevention:
While research in humans is needed, studies indicate that capsaicin may slow the growth and spread of certain types of cancer cells.
But is hot sauce good for you? Additionally, due to its capsaicin content, hot sauce may cause certain side effects, including acid reflux, stomach cramps, and a burning sensation on the skin.
Hot sauce: The Good!
Below is a list of health benefits that hot sauce can provide. Let’s see how good can hot sauce be:
It can reduce your risk of diabetes
Capsaicin in hot sauce has shown to regulate insulin levels and it may actually prevent you from Type 2 Diabetes. But can this mere fact help you decide whether hot sauce is good for you? Well, too soon to say.
It helps with weight
The most obvious reason hot sauce can help you lose weight is that it’s a low calorie way to add a lot of flavor to your meals. It’s a great thing to grab instead of salt. Anecdotally, hot sauce might also make people eat more slowly. After all, it’s a little harder to scarf down food when it’s spicy because you probably need to take breaks to sip on your beverage of choice.
It is packed with antioxidants
Does that dash of hot sauce add an extra kick to your food? It sure does. But hot sauce does more than just that. Alongside that kick, it boosts your meal’s nutritional value by adding those extra minerals and vitamins like vitamin C, magnesium and folate.
It helps slow down cancer growth
To be clear, hot sauce won’t cure cancer but can surely slow down its growth as suggested through a study on mice. It basically destroyed cancer cells while keeping healthy cells intact, which would be revolutionary. But to achieve this, you might want to try it on humans with rather large amounts of capsaicin which normally a small dash of hot sauce doesn’t contain.
The right peppers in hot sauce can clear your cold
Clogged up your head due to cold? We got you covered. Use hot sauce! The spice levels help clear your sinuses and help relieve your cold in no time! And no, this is not joke! Get up, grab your hot sauce and thank us later!
Hot sauce makes you happy!
This is not just a statement to cheer you up, this is in fact true! Studies suggest that eating something spicy can make your body starts releasing endorphins, serotonin, and other feel-good hormones to block the stinging heat. So next time you’re feeling down, soak your sandwich with the hottest hot sauce you got in your pantry and see what happens. Sure, it may burn your tongue but at least it will lift your mood.
It contributes to longevity and heart health
It is a proven fact that red chilies in hot sauce have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. A report by The American Heart Association showed that “people who ate chili peppers regularly had a 26 percent relative reduction in cardiovascular mortality and 25 percent relative reduction in all-cause mortality” from a study of over half a million participants. Researchers are not exactly certain why spicy food helps out the old ticker, but numbers like that should be encouraging to lovers of spicy food!
Hot Sauce: The Evil!
Is hot sauce good for you? As we step out of trying to prove hot sauce a star, let us quickly look at how it could be a little bad as well!
- Too much hot sauce is overpowering
- It may be high in sodium
- It might not help melt the calories away magically
So, the question remains, is hot sauce good for you? We leave it up to you to decide after having read this rather enticing article. What we can do in the meantime is, help you select on which hot sauce you probably want to have in dinner tonight from our wide range of hot sauces available on our website and explore the world of spice and heat and discover new flavors along the journey.