Hang onto your taste buds!\u00a0 Today\u2019s tip for speeding up the metabolism is a scorcher.\u00a0 Numerous sites hail cayenne pepper as the hottest metabolism booster around. (Okay, sorry for the pun.)<\/p>\n
Seriously, though, cayenne has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for a number of ills, including obesity.\u00a0 It\u2019s main ingredient is capsaicin. This naturally occurring chemical is said to be thermogenic. That is, it speeds up your metabolism by heating up your internal temperature.<\/p>\n
Of course, other sites say that the effect of cayenne is minimal. \u00a0 However, one Web site\u00a0 refers to a study done by the Laval University in Quebec.\u00a0 Scientists there found that study participants who ate cayenne pepper with their breakfast had less appetite and ate fewer calories during the day.\u00a0 (Hmm.\u00a0 Wonder if they weren\u2019t as hungry, or if they just had scorched tongues and didn\u2019t feel like eating?)<\/p>\n
Further studies into the medicinal qualities of cayenne shows an impressive list of things it is supposed to help — ranging from improved blood pressure to increased sex drive.\u00a0 It is also said to aid digestion, increase blood circulation, decrease inflammation, and when applied externally, relieve joint pain.<\/p>\n
However, from what I can tell, it relieves joint pain by overloading the pain sensors. It feels so painful on top of the joint that your brain can\u2019t take in the pain signals from inside the joint.\u00a0 That sounds to me a little like hitting your thumb with a hammer to make you forget about your headache.<\/p>\n
Speaking of headaches, cayenne is also said to prevent migraines.<\/p>\n
Do I believe all this?\u00a0 It\u2019s possible, but not sure I want to try all these remedies.\u00a0 I have opted out of the cayenne cleanse I read about. It calls for cayenne pepper, maple syrup and lemon juice.\u00a0 That\u2019s all you eat, and it is guaranteed to cleanse your insides and make you not hungry so you lose weight. \u00a0 Ummm — think I might pass on this one.<\/p>\n
If you do decide to take cayenne you can add LOTS of it to your food.\u00a0 Apparently it requires quite a bit to be effective. If you are sufficiently tough and\/or motivated, you can also buy the powder, mix it in a liquid and drink it.\u00a0 An easier option is to buy the capsules and swallow them.<\/p>\n
As with all the remedies, this one will not hurt you unless you have a sensitivity to the pepper.\u00a0 Be aware, though, that if you have significant weight to lose, adding a few sprinkles of cayenne on your food won\u2019t make you drop pounds overnight.\u00a0 If you are doing everything else right, though, with a low glycemic diet and stepping up the exercise, it won\u2019t hurt to have another little nudge in the right direction.<\/p>\n
Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n
Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hang onto your taste buds!\u00a0 Today\u2019s tip for speeding up the metabolism is a scorcher.\u00a0 Numerous sites hail cayenne pepper as the hottest metabolism booster around. (Okay, sorry for the pun.) Seriously, though, cayenne has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for a number of ills, including obesity.\u00a0 It\u2019s main ingredient is capsaicin. This…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,68],"tags":[470,469,473,472,471],"class_list":["post-1631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eating-plan","category-encouragement","tag-capsaicin","tag-cayenne-pepper","tag-metabolism-booster","tag-spice","tag-thermogenic"],"yoast_head":"\n