Anyone who is struggling to lose weight certainly knows that there are no miracles to reach the goal. It is necessary to improve the diet as a whole and follow a balanced and healthy diet . In addition, exercising also helps, as it increases the expenditure of calories.
But, although there are no foods that magically eliminate pounds or exclude the need for a diet, there are ingredients that can give strength to the weight loss process. One is pepper, due to its ability to speed up metabolism .
In addition, some studies have already shown that consuming pepper can help curb your appetite . Research that looked at people who ate pepper at the starter, soup or salad before the main course found that they ate less calories in the main course of the meal.
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But how to use pepper on a daily basis?
First, you need to know your tolerance level with regard to pepper. Those who have the habit of consuming it probably have a good tolerance to food and can eat the pepper in a salad dressing, soup or main dish.
For those who do not have the habit of eating pepper and do not have much tolerance to food, the recommendation is to start slowly.
That is, with low amounts of the ingredient and increasing these amounts little by little. Over time, it is possible to acquire a greater tolerance to food.
For example, you can start by putting a little pepper on the chicken or the roasted meat, in that broth that they release when they go to the oven.
Adding pepper to these dishes with sauces (healthy, of course), in which it is easier to dissolve the ingredient, facilitates its introduction into the diet. On the other hand, adding drops of pepper or chili powder directly on top of the steak or chicken can bother the tongue.
Watch out for the ready pepper sauces!
You know those ready-made liquid pepper sauces we found for sale in supermarkets? Or that the snack bars and restaurants make available on the table next to the salt and other condiments?
So, they are a bad idea for the diet, as they are super rich in sodium , which in excess is bad for your health and causes bloating. In addition, some of these ready-made pepper sauces have sugar.
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Thus, these industrialized pepper sauces cannot be expected to bring benefits to the diet and weight loss. Ideally, you should prepare a healthy pepper sauce at home.
For example, you can put the chili pepper in the oil with some very thin slices of onion. Then let the mixture soak for a while. Discover other recipes for homemade, light and healthy pepper sauce .
If you don’t want to make a pepper sauce at home, you can only buy the pepper powder, without the harmful additions of an industrialized sauce. Another interesting suggestion is the peppers preserved in olive oil.
If ready-made sauce is the only option
If you really want the pepper sauce and you can only make it ready, read the entire package carefully, checking the nutritional table and the list of ingredients before taking it home. The first items in the list of ingredients are those that are present in greater quantity in the product.
Choose one that is sugar-free, has the fewest items on the list of ingredients shown on the label and the lowest sodium content in the nutritional table. Also, avoid sauces with monosodium glutamate , a substance very rich in sodium.
What about high blood pressure?
Those who suffer from high blood pressure may be afraid that eating pepper will raise the pressure. But, there is no scientific consensus on the effect of pepper to increase pressure .
In fact, some studies have stated that consuming little pepper, but constantly, can help reduce pressure. So, for those who notice that the pressure rises after eating pepper, the tip is to analyze if the pepper consumed is not the industrialized one full of sodium.
But if you find that even just the powdered pepper or the natural homemade pepper sauce makes your pressure go up, it is best not to consume the pepper.
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Anyway, if you already know that you are hypertensive, before introducing any amount of pepper in your diet, consult your doctor to find out if this is safe for you or if it can harm you.
Other care
People who suffer from reflux, gastritis, hemorrhoids or some inflammatory bowel disease should also not use pepper in their meals. This is because pepper is more reactive and can sensitize the digestive system, causing problems for these conditions.
Anyway, those who have these or other conditions that do not match the pepper, the ideal is always to follow the recommendation of the doctor and / or nutritionist regarding the diet.
Also don’t miss the following video, in which our nutritionist also teaches you how to lose weight with pepper and enjoy all its benefits:
