Longevity-booster in the PRODUCE aisle? (HOT!)

It’s the dead of winter and many of us will begin retreating indoors for hours upon hours, if not DAYS.

Look, I get it. As an avid sun seeker, these long, dark days can CHILL to the bone—for many reasons.

But I have an unconventional way to help heat you up… and keep you going.

It all starts in the produce aisle.

Spicy and beneficial

An analysis suggests that eating more of ANY type of chili pepper might help you stay alive longer.

Researchers looked at four different studies, featuring more than 570,000 participants. Compared to people who rarely or never ate chili peppers, those who consumed them four or more times weekly…

Slashed heart disease death risk by 26 percent, cancer death risk by 23 percent, and death from any cause by 25 percent!

Impressive, right?

Of course, these results came with all the requisite hand-wringing over how “this isn’t a randomized control trial” or “we don’t know exactly what type of chili pepper to eat or how much or how frequently.”

And while those details would be great to have, honestly, does it really matter? We’re talking about chili peppers here, folks.

Just remember… if a pharmaceutical medication performed with those preliminary numbers, doctors would use it off-label starting yesterday.

But since it’s a food—and no one stands to make loads of money off of it—I guess the “experts” can’t be bothered.

But I can… and I will!

In fact, I’ve been urging patients to eat more chili peppers in my practice for many years now—because there’s plenty of scientific and cultural data to support their benefits. Here’s a way to get started…

Chili garlic paste (recipe)

Let’s start with a simple, versatile recipe.

Gather 15 dried whole chili peppers (preferably a mixture of hot and mild), 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves (peeled), and Kosher salt.

Put the chilis in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and a small plate to keep them submerged. Soak them until soft, about 30 minutes. Then, drain the chilies and reserve some of the soaking water.

Clean each by removing the stem, then pulling or slitting it open. (Do this over a sink since they’ll contain a lot of water.) Scrape out the seeds (or retain some if you want a hotter paste).

Put the chilies and any seeds you might be using in a blender or food processor, along with the oil, garlic, and a generous amount of salt. Puree until smooth, adding a spoonful of the reserved water at a time, until the consistency is a thick paste.

Use immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate.

This makes a great rub for any meat, poultry, or fish dish. All while potentially keeping you healthier, for longer.

Enjoy!

Source:

“People who eat chili pepper may live longer?” American Heart Association, 11/09/2020. (newsroom.heart.org/news/people-who-eat-chili-pepper-may-live-longer)