Spice things up with black pepper

Black pepper, also known as the king of spices has a load of health benefits. When this spice is added to the food, it makes food taste better and spicier. A major benefit of consuming pepper is that it aids in weight loss. It is also said to be good for digestion and prevents cancer by detoxifying the body.

If you are a fitness enthusiast looking to lose weight quickly, then you need to add black pepper to your daily menu. Don’t forget to add lemon juice and finger millet (Ragi) too. All of these foods can help you lose weight quickly and black pepper cleans your intestines and stomach.

Neha Grover, Nutritionist from New Delhi, says, "A diet high in antioxidants may help prevent or delay the damaging effects of free radicals. Black pepper contains the compound piperine which has been proved to have antioxidant effects and thus helps to prevent free radical damage to your cells."

She added, "Black pepper provides tons of benefits. From improving metabolism, contributing to bone health to its antibacterial properties to prevent cough and cold."

Health Benefits of Black Pepper

There are plenty of benefits surrounding this spice and there is a reason why our ancestors had named it the ‘King of Spices’. Here are 5 healthy benefits of black pepper you must know-

1. Prevents Cancer

Black pepper is said to prevent cancer when it is mixed with turmeric. This can be consumed in the form of milk by mixing turmeric and black pepper. This drink is usually given to individuals suffering from severe cold. It is said to consist of antioxidants, vitamin A and carotenoids that help in curing cancer and other deadly diseases. Also, this must be added to most of your daily diet as it is the best way you can stay fit naturally.

2. Good for Digestion

Black pepper helps in good digestion and when it is consumed raw, hydrochloric acid is released by the stomach and helps in breaking down the proteins. Hydrochloric acid helps in cleaning your intestines and barricading you from other gastrointestinal diseases. So don’t forget to add a pinch of black pepper to all of your food.

3. Prevents Constipation

If you have less than three stools a week, then you may be suffering from constipation. However, this problem can be solved by adding some pepper to your food daily. Sometimes when you may be suffering from constipation, you may end up straining to pass stools or sometimes you may not feel empty even after passing stools.

4. Good for Your Hair

Black pepper is said to be good to reduce dandruff. All you need to do is to add some crushed black pepper with some curd and add it to your scalp and let it dry for a minimum of 30 minutes. Also, make sure that you do not use excess black pepper as this can result in the burning of your scalp. Make sure that you do not use shampoo for the next 24 hours after applying black pepper to your hair as this may cause side effects. You can also add lime to the crushed black pepper and apply it to your scalp and then wash it after 30 minutes. This will make your hair shiny and smooth.

5. Reduces Joint Pain

If you are suffering from joint pain Arthritis, you don’t have to be worried because pepper has medical properties that can help you solve this problem. It also helps in preventing gout. It is also used for people suffering from spinal and joint pain. Today, black pepper is used in many cuisines as a global spice. Black pepper’s most powerful impact is when a person with a cold and cough consumes it.

Tips for Using Black Pepper in Cooking:

• This spice can be added to almost any savoury. Be it hot or cold, this spice can be sprinkled over these dishes to spice it up. Here are some simple tips for adding black pepper to your daily cooking.
• Black pepper can be added to salads by sprinkling a pinch of salt on them.
• Add some black pepper while frying an omelette.
• You can add some black pepper to soups, sauces, steak and Bacon, fish and meat.
• You can add it to some of the hamburgers and sausages.
• Add some black pepper to strawberries and pineapple and taste it.
• You can also add some black pepper to mashed potatoes.

As we saw, black pepper curbs colon cancer, constipation, diarrhoea and other types of bacterial types of diseases if consumed daily. However, excessive consumption can be harmful, so make sure you just add a pinch of it to your daily food.