Chili's Fat-Burning Effect Was Tiny

Bird's Eye Chili — พริกขี้หนู (prik-khee-noo) — Capsicum frutescens.

Bird's eye chili raises your heat output a little. Its active compound, capsaicin, triggers heat-sensing receptors and nudges your metabolism up modestly. In one small trial the measured fat-burning effect was tiny. It is a vitamin C-rich chili, and that vitamin C helps your body build collagen for skin, supports normal immune function, and works as an antioxidant that protects your cells. Pad Kra Pao pounds bird's eye chilies with garlic, then stir-fries them with minced meat and holy basil, served over jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg. Som Tum bruises shredded papaya in a mortar with bird's eye chilies, peanuts, and dried shrimp, usually eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken. You can also eat the plant's young leaves as a cooked green in some Thai dishes. Want to grow your own? When the plant is young, pinch the growing tips to push out side branches and a bushier chili.

Pad Kra Pao — ผัดกะเพรา (pad-kra-pao)
Som Tum Thai — ส้มตำไทย (som-tum-thai)

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin C

Research context

Capsaicin modestly raised fat-burning and metabolic rate via TRPV1 in a trial — PLoS One, 2013

Sources

Source: Janssens PLHR et al. (2013). Acute effects of capsaicin on energy expenditure and fat oxidation. PLoS One. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0067786 (PMID 23844093)

Narration transcript

Opening

This chili is barely bigger than a mouse dropping — which is exactly how it earned its Thai name. Bird's eye chili — พริกขี้หนู, prik-kee-noo. You eat the little pods, pounded into som tum or a fiery nam prik, and even the young leaves go into some Thai stir-fries.

Pad Kra Pao (ผัดกะเพรา)

Pad kra pao is a holy-basil stir-fry that pounds bird's eye chilies with garlic, then fries them with minced meat and holy basil, served over jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg.

Som Tum Thai (ส้มตำไทย)

Som tum thai is a green papaya salad that bruises shredded papaya in a mortar with bird's eye chilies, peanuts, and dried shrimp, usually eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken.

Nutrition summary

Ounce for ounce, fresh red chilies carry a full day's vitamin C, plus a strong hit of vitamin B6 and some copper.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Closing

Wash your hands well after chopping — the capsaicin that gives these chilies their burn clings to skin and stings badly if it reaches your eyes. To grow a bushier plant, pinch out the growing tips while it's young. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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