fun facts about green chiles
Bet you didn't know:
And if you needed an excuse to eat more chiles:
- New Mexico has an official state question :"Red or green?" This refers to your preference of red or green chile on your dish in question. Want both? Respond with, "Christmas!"
- Chile is New Mexico's largest agricultural crop.
And if you needed an excuse to eat more chiles:
- Chile peppers contain capsaicin, which gives the peppers their spiciness. Capsaicin releases endorphins in your brain, which triggers feelings of happiness and even euphoria. No wonder we're addicted!
- Chile peppers increase your metabolism. Capsaicin again! The heat in the chile increases body heat, which in turn burns more calories.
- One green chile has as much Vitamin C as six oranges. Vitamin C promotes wound healing, and the formation of collagen - which is important in the formation of healthy skin, tendons, bones and body tissue.
- Green chile is full of iron and calcium. Iron helps create hemoglobin and myoglobin, which transport oxygen in the blood to muscles and tissue, and calcium builds and maintains bones and teeth, regulates the passage of nutrients through cells, and assists with proper blood clotting.
- The protein and fiber that are found in green chile will stave off hunger after a meal for a longer period of time than if your meal didn't contain green chile.
- Thanks again to capsaicin and fiber content, green chile also has effects of lowering blood cholesterol levels. Furthermore, green chile contains no cholesterol AND no fat.
- Vitamin A, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, most B vitamins, and many essential amino acids among them. Bye-bye to those boring vitamin horse pills!
- In the same way that you can get addicted to exercise, you really can become dependent upon green chile in your diet. (I knew it!)
- Green chile is good on everything.
