I was reading a blurp by RealAge ("All About You: Rise With Red Pepper") and thought I'd post their info and add a little more. I use hot red peppers when I make Plague Tonic (for winter colds and sore throats) and I swear by the medicinal benefits of this hot little ingredient.
Real Age mentions that red pepper, when eaten early in the day, curbs your appetite and decreases food intake later in the day. I'm assuming they're referring to weight loss opportunities, but there's so much more that red pepper has to offer -- from pain relief for arthritis and other conditions, to relieving headaches and circulatory problems, to helping cure ear infections and heartburn. (I've noticed myself that when I've had certain types of stomach bug, contrary to my doctor's general recommendation of eating bland foods for relief, hot and spicy foods can make me feel much better.
A good article from the University of Maryland Medical Center summarizes some of the benefits of this plant, which has been used by Native Americans as a food and medicine for over 9000 years. I like this article also because it gives important drug interaction information -- because many foods also have drug properties.
I found an interesting chart on another site that seems to have broken down the nutritional properties of cayenne.
Recipies:
With three kids, I'm personally not the most creative, complex cook, but I do like to add spices to our foods, also to help the kids develop an appreciation for different tastes. I don't focus exclusively on red pepper, or garlic or other specific spices, but just add a mix of what I've heard are healthy spices to what I cook.
To keep nutritional value and taste of spices, fresh is always better. I love to cut up fresh peppers (and garlic...) for cooking, though when I'm cooking quickly, dried spices work well too. After a year of storage, the general rule is that dried spices should be replaced.
I generally add red pepper (small amounts when the kids are eating...) to omelletes or scrambles for breakfast. It's such a flexible spice that it can be added in small amounts to just about anything -- pasta sauces, oatmeal, meats...
Here are some other recipes I found that look good:
Red Pepper Bisk (ok, not a breakfast treat, but great for lunch or dinner...)
And the Spice Barn offers several sauce and meat recipes that look good too....
More recipes are welcome....
