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Habanero Pepper
Habanero Pepper
Habanero Pepper
What is it:
Habanero peppers are small chili peppers known for their intense heat, ranging from 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Originating from the Amazon region and commonly cultivated in the Yucatán Peninsula, these peppers come in vibrant colors such as orange, red, and yellow. Habaneros have a fruity, citrus-like flavor in addition to a fiery heat. Processing methods for habaneros include drying, which concentrates their heat and flavor, and pureeing, which is often used to create hot sauces. They can also be pickled or infused into oils and vinegars, adding a potent spice to a variety of dishes and condiments.
Rating:
Habanero peppers are rich in antioxidants and a compound called capsaicin, which is associated with a variety of therapeutic health benefits. Chili peppers also have demonstrated an anti-obesity effect and may reduce the risk of various types of mortalities. However, some research has associated associations between consumption of spicy food and chili peppers with various negative health outcomes including various kinds of cancer, such as gastrointestinal cancer. While more research is needed, it appears that the way chili is consumed in different populations of the world may affect these outcomes, and so consuming chili peppers moderately may prevent negative health effects as excessive intake can cause irritation in the digestive tract. Choosing organic options can help reduce pesticide exposure.
Resources:
- Potential positive and negative health outcomes of consuming spicy food and chili peppers (umbrella review)
- The antioxidant and anti-obesity effects of chili peppers (review)
- Chili pepper consumption associated with reduced risk of mortality (meta-analysis)
- Health benefits of capsaicin (review)
- Anti-inflammatory activity of habanero chili pepper seeds (in vitro study)
How we rate ingredients
Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:
Clean
It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.
Caution
It goes into one or more of the below categories
- It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
- It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)
We Avoid
It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)
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