Guest Author - Vanette (Vannie) Ryanes

Do you love chili peppers? Go ahead and eat some more. Why? At only 4 calories per tablespoon, you don’t have to worry about weight gain. Another reason to munch down on chilies is that one tablespoon contains one-third of the daily intake of vitamin C needed, 10 percent of the vitamin A needed and is chockful of antioxidants.

Here’s more good news: Eating chili peppers can help suppress your appetite. That’s because capsaicin, the thing that makes chilies hot, aids in suppressing your desire to eat. People who consume hot peppers tend to consume fewer calories. And that’s not all, hot peppers also cause an increase in metabolism, which helps burn more calories.

Want to jump start your morning? How about a “Zesty Blueberry Power Smoothie”? You can add tofu (silky) for more nutritional benefits if you like. The endorphins from the chipotle pepper will give you that feel-good energy to start your day.

Zesty Blueberry Power Smoothie

1 cup nonfat yogurt

1 banana, peeled and sliced

2 cups apple juice

2 cups blueberries

1 cup ice

1 teaspoon toasted chipotle pepper, minced

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Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Store remainder in fridge. Enjoy!


—adapted from Chile Pepper/Cooking Zesty
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