What are the Health Benefits of Eating Pepper Jelly?
Pepper jelly is quickly becoming a new health food trend among cuisine lovers, and when you realize the benefits, it’s easy to see why. Pepper jelly may not be the most obvious additive to make your food taste sweeter and improve your health, but peppers have plenty of factors that will not only add a kick to your dishes but make those dishes better for you in the long run. If you’re curious about an enticing way to liven up your homemade meals, here are the reasons why you should try pepper jelly as a solution.
First of all, what are we talking about?
If you found yourself here, there’s a chance you’re curious about what pepper jelly is. Put simply, it’s jelly made from peppers, but there’s more to it than that. Typical jellies are made with fruit that has its pulp removed (as distinct from jam which does not) hence their more benign sweet flavor. Pepper jelly, by contrast, is hotter and spicier, though only by a small amount. This actually makes it quite different from fruit-based jelly in terms of its impact on health for a couple of reasons.
Peppers are rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Bell peppers, which are the most common types of peppers to use in this type of jelly, contain roughly 170% of your daily intake of Vitamin C in one serving. That means that a jar of jelly made with bell peppers (most recipes recommend using between ¼ cup and 1 ½ cups of chopped peppers to make a serving of jelly) will give you more than 200% of your prescribed vitamin C intake. And it does this with a sweet taste that contains minimal sugar compared to other fruit jellies. This is because the natural sugar found in peppers is less than the typical ingredients used for fruit jelly, so the total sugar content is lower. While most recipes call for added sugar, the majority of the flavor in those recipes comes from the peppers themselves, leading to a much warmer and spicier taste,
Peppers May Reduce Cataracts, Memory Loss, and Macular Degeneration
Peppers have a great effect on eyesight because of an antioxidant in them called beta-carotene. This is similar to carrots, which also give the same effect; in fact, carrots derive their name from the material. Not only does the beta-carotene found in peppers improve and maintain good eyesight, but it also reduces ocular disorders and abnormalities like cataracts and macular degeneration. Spicier peppers such as habanero typically contain a greater amount of beta-carotene than their milder counterparts, so this benefit is increased for those with a stronger palette. The link between peppers and Alzheimer’s is less definitive, but studies have shown that mammal species’ memories can be improved by eating peppers. The exact reason for this is still unclear, but further research is ongoing, and experts recommend the intake of peppers and other flowering fruits to stave off memory loss in old age.
