The Spice of Life: The Health benefits of Chillies

Illustration: ©The Artisan Food Trail / Lisa Childs

We’ve been enjoying a fantastic chilli harvest in the AFT kitchen garden and with the tips that Jo from Edible Ornamentals has given us, the plants are still producing masses of flowers even though the weather has turned down the heat at night.

We eat a fair few chillies so were wondering whether they were doing us any good – well they are part of your five a day, but what else are they good for? There are numerous articles in the press attributing various health benefits associated with the eating of chillies, but just how much of it is based on actual scientific fact?

Well, who better to ask than Priya Tew of Dietitian UK.

AFT: So what are the ‘magic’ ingredients that make chillies good for us?
PT: Chillies contain a range of wonderful micronutrients including vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron and Vitamin A. However it is a lesser known nutrient called Capsaicin which gives chillies some special health benefits. The more pungent the chilli, the more capsaicin it contains. So a Scotch bonnet contains more than a Spanish Pimento.

AFT: We all know having a good curry can clear out the nasal passages and can help if you feel like you have a cold coming. But what else can chillies help with?
PT: Chillies have been shown to aid blood sugar control so could be helpful in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. A study showed eating chilli as part of a meal helped lower the amount of insulin needed to bring down blood sugar levels after a meal (1).

AFT: We’ve read that the natural chemicals in chillies can act as a pain reliever and help inflammation, is this true?
PT: Capsaicin can be helpful in inflammation. It works by preventing a neuropeptide known as Substance P from working. Its has been suggested as being useful in arthritis, psoriases and diabetic neuropathy but may have far more uses in other inflammatory diseases too. Applying creams containing capsaicin have been shown to reduce pain although you may experience a slight burning sensation after application! (2).

AFT: There are lots of ‘super-foods’ that can apparently help fight heart disease, so do chillies have any ‘super’ properties?
PT: Capsaicin looks like it has benefits in cardiovascular disease as well. Eating meals containing chopped chillies can decrease the levels of dangerous cholesterol (3).

AFT: Is there any truth in articles we’ve read that chillies could help you shed a few pounds?
PT: There is also evidence to show that eating chilli raises your metabolism after a meal, hence you feel warmer – so you burn more calories, which could help with weight loss.

It certainly sounds like chillies are indeed beneficial to us all and even if you do find some chillies a little too hot at least you know they’re doing you good!

1. Ahuja KD, Robertson IK, Geraghty DP, Ball MJ. Effects of chili consumption on postprandial glucose, insulin, and energy metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 84(1):63-9 (2006).
2. Ellis CN, Berberian B, et al. A double-blind evaluation of topical capsaicin in pruritic psoriasis. J Amer Acad Dermatol 29:438-42 (1993).
3. Ahuja KD, Ball MJ. Effects of daily ingestion of chilli on serum lipoprotein oxidation in adult men and women. Br J Nutr. 2006 Aug;96(2):239-42. (2006).

Priya Tew is a registered dietitian who runs her own nutrition consultancy business, Dietitian UK.

As a mum and food lover she is passionate about helping people to discover good quality food and to show them how healthy eating is not just tasty but vitally important.

www.dietitianuk.co.uk

Life without gluten

© The Artisan Food Trail/Lisa Childs

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Many things are easy to take for granted, foodstuffs especially so. Most of us don’t have to think an awful lot before we put something into our mouths and many certainly don’t need to consider whether it may be harmful to their wellbeing.
Living gluten free is not always as straightforward as it should be as so many foods contain gluten from various sources, wheat being the most known.
There is much confusion concerning the subject, so we found out more from AFT’s Industry Expert, Priya Tew of Dietitian UK, to get the facts straight.

AFT: What is gluten and how does it affect some people?
PT: Gluten is a protein that naturally occurs in wheat, barley, rye and spelt. It acts like a glue binding flours together and providing elasticity in bread. Eating gluten can cause an immune reaction in some people, where the small intestine becomes inflamed and damaged. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue, headaches, wind and bloating.

AFT: Some people say they have a wheat intolerance which could be related to problems with gluten. Do they have a disease or are they just ‘sensitive’?
PT: There are two types of gluten reactions in the body – coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity. The difference between the two conditions is that coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where eating gluten causes the body to produce antibodies that attack the bodies own tissues. It causes an allergic response in the body that can be tested for via a blood test. Gluten sensitivity is a non allergic response which cannot be tested for other than cutting gluten out of the diet and seeing a response.

In sensitive people eating gluten can not only cause pain and discomfort but also affect the absorption of other nutrients. The small intestine is lined with mucosa which have finger like projections called villi that stick out into the intestine to catch and absorb nutrients as they pass through. When these become damaged the intestinal wall is no longer able to absorb properly.

AFT: Obviously there are people who need to eliminate gluten in their diet for health reasons, but some choose to avoid it because they believe it is better for them. Do we need gluten in our diets?
PT: Eating a gluten free diet has become a lot more popular and a lot easier over the past few years. I wouldn’t advocate going gluten free just for the fun of it though, or as a way to lose weight. A gluten free diet can be a very healthy way to eat, but it is important to ensure you replace gluten containing foods with suitable alternatives or your diet will be lacking vital nutrients.

AFT: What kinds of foods contain gluten?
PT: Gluten containing foods include bread and bread products, pizza bases, pasta, noodles, couscous, cakes, biscuits, breakfast cereals, pastry and wheat flour. Less obvious sources are soups, sauces, stock cubes, cereal bars, soy sauce, sausages and most processed food.

AFT: That's a fair amount of every day foods that we all take for granted ruled out. Which foods are completely gluten free and are there any alternatives?
PT: There is a lot that is still gluten free, natural foods include meat, fish, fruit and vegetables rice, beans, quinoa, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils. Numerous gluten free foods alternatives include rice products (rice cakes, rice noodles, rice), quinoa, buckwheat, corn, polenta, potatoes, yams and tapioca. There are a wealth of gluten free products now available to buy. Historically these have been dry, crumbly and tasteless, but that’s all changing.

AFT: For those unable to eat gluten often feel they miss out on treats such as cakes that contain wheat flour, is it possible to make cakes that taste good using gluten free ingredients?
PT: Gluten free baking is a whole new area but one that is a lot of fun. There are so many flours to try: polenta, corn meal, corn flour, buck wheat, potato flour, rice flour tapioca starch. Combine with arrowroot, xanthan gum or guar gums and you can create a whole wealth of yumminess.

AFT: When eating a gluten free diet, how do we keep it healthy?
PT: To ensure your diet is still well balanced keep gluten free starchy foods at each meal, alongside fruit and vegetables and protein (meat, fish or vegetarian alternatives).

AFT: What should you do if you think you have a problem with gluten?
PT: If you have a suspicion of coeliac disease it is important to continue eating gluten until you have been tested. The first step is to visit your GP, they will arrange a blood test that test your antibodies and possibly later an intestinal biopsy, where a small tissue fragment is collected and the villi are looked at to see if they are flattened or damaged.

Priya Tew is a registered dietitian who runs her own nutrition consultancy business, Dietitian UK.

As a mum and food lover she is passionate about helping people to discover good quality food and to show them how healthy eating is not just tasty but vitally important.

www.dietitianuk.co.uk

For information about coeliac disease, Coeliac UK have lots of helpful information www.coeliac.org.uk

Gluten free on The Artisan Food Trail
Although The Artisan Food Trail does not solely concentrate on specialist food for people with specific dietary requirements, many of the producers listed make gluten free products.
For those looking for gluten free products, The Artisan Food Trail has an area here where you can find goods which you can be absolutely sure are safe to eat.

If you're unsure whether a product is gluten free, you are welcome to contact any of the producers. www.artisanfoodtrail.co.uk

Oil's Well – why rapeseed oil is good for you

You may have heard about the endless health benefits of olive oil and the Mediterranean Diet, but did you know that Britain produces an oil that equals, and may even rival it?
Intrigued by this information we spoke to our Industry Expert, Priya Tew of Dietitian UK, to find out more about Britain’s golden elixir, that is rapeseed oil.

AFT: Rapeseed oil has been around for a very long time but not as a gourmet culinary ingredient, we’ve even heard that it was quite unpalatable.
PT: It was used in Asia and Europe as a lamp fuel and in WWII as a lubricant for steam engines. Now all these years later we have a version that has been bred to taste better and is actually good for us.

AFT: It is amazing to think that rapeseed oil was not considered a food, so now with it becoming part of our diet, what makes it so special for our health?
PT: Like olive oil, rapeseed oil is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fats, in fact it is made of about 60% Oleic acid (MUFA). This specific fat has been shown to have some significant health benefits.

AFT: Olive oil has become an ubiquitous store cupboard essential and we’d like to see more British people using rapeseed oil as it tastes good and is good for you. You say that rapeseed oil has much in common with olive oil, so how is it better for us?
PT: Back in the 1980’s some landmark research was conducted that looked at the diet and death rate of over 11,000 middle aged men in 7 Countries. They found that the Mediterranean men had a lower death rate from cancer and heart disease which was related to their diet. Eating less saturated fat and more monounsaturated fats (MUFA) was the key and Oleic acid was the main source of the monounsaturated fat that these men were eating (1). This is the main fat in rapeseed oil.

AFT: Obviously in addition to using rapeseed oil we would need to follow a balanced diet to enjoy all the health benefits. What is the Mediterranean diet?
PT: The Mediterranean diet contains plenty of fresh and unprocessed foods. With an emphasis on eating fruit and vegetables, beans and pulses, wholegrains, olive oil and nuts. Dairy foods, fish, poultry and red wine are eaten in moderate amounts. Only a small amount of saturated fats, salt and processed foods are eaten, most meals are cooked from scratch and flavoured with plenty of herbs and spices. Eating this type of diet can reduce death from heart disease by 10% and can also reduce cholesterol levels (2).

AFT: Rapeseed oil is still a fat, so how can it help people looking after their heart?
PT: Some small studies have suggested that using specifically more rapeseed oil could lower total cholesterol levels and more importantly lower the “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels (3,4), once again supporting the fact that eating rapeseed oil can be good for your heart.
Rapeseed oil is a healthy fat to be choosing to include in your diet on a regular basis. Reducing your intake of saturated fats such as butter, cheese and processed foods and increasing avocados, nuts, seeds and rapeseed oil can help lower your risk of heart disease.

Priya Tew is a registered dietitian who runs her own nutrition consultancy business, Dietitian UK.

As a mum and food lover she is passionate about helping people to discover good quality food and to show them how healthy eating is not just tasty but vitally important.

www.dietitianuk.co.uk

If you haven’t yet tried rapeseed oil, we’d urge you to do so. It is great for cooking – use it for shallow frying and roasting – potatoes turn out wonderfully crisp. It is perfect for making dressings too.

To find out where you can get rapeseed oil from, take a look at our Oils section on The Artisan Food Trail here

For more about rapeseed oil the following articles and recipes should inspire you:
Say hello to yellow or why you should buy extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil
Zingy Honey Chilli Chicken recipe
‘A Very British’ Watercress Pesto recipe
Carrot Cake recipe
Roast Potatoes recipe

1. Keys A et al (1986). The diet and 15 year death rate in the Seven Countries Study. Am J Epidemiology 124: 903-15.
2. Sofi F, Abbate R, Gensini GF, Casini A. Accruing evidence on benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov [cited 2011 Oct 24];92(5):1189-96. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20810976
3. Gillingham LG et al (2011). High oleic canola and flaxseed oils modulate serum lipids and inflammatory biomarkers in hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Br J Nutrition 105 (3) 417-27
4. Iggman D et al (2011). Replacing dairy fat with rapeseed oil causes rapid improvement of hyperlipidaemia: a randomized controlled study. J Intern Med 270 (4): 356-64.

Introducing the first of our industry experts to The Artisan Food Trail: Dietitian UK

Priya Tew of Dietitian UK

As The Artisan Food Trail continues to grow, we are always looking for ways to add value to our services and to keep spreading good messages about food.
Back in March we were fortunate enough to be invited to Theo Paphitis’s SBS Event which turned out to be a valuable networking opportunity. All attending winners were gathered in one place giving everyone a chance to talk to each other about their businesses and discuss the potential of working together.

We met Priya Tew, a registered dietitian. As a mum and lover of all things foodie she was very interested in what The Artisan Food Trail does and after chatting for a while we could both see there was a good deal of synergy between us.

Anyway the good news is, that as a result of the meeting, Priya will be working with us to provide insightful advice and information. Priya is passionate about helping people to discover good quality food and to show them how healthy eating is not just tasty but vitally important and we look forward to her contribution to The Artisan Food Trail blog.

Priya runs her own nutrition consultancy business, Dietitian UK which allows her to advise people on food, talk about food, cook up new recipes and then eat great food too.
So what else does her work involve? “I don’t just work with individual patients – in fact that is the smallest part of my work – but I work with food companies”, states Priya.
She is the dietitian for a couple of companies and in this capacity she writes blog posts, articles, advises on their products and labelling and answers questions from customers.
Priya adds, “Having a quote from a dietitian means you have a quote from a true food expert that can be used to promote your product, their reputation is linked to you.
Dietitians have a legally protected title which means you can rest assured that they practise correctly, otherwise they can have their title removed. All the advice they give has to be evidence based, backed up by sound science.”

In the past she has been involved in PR campaigns for big brands, written meals plans and nutritional literature used to promote new products and worked on roadshows, given talks and even served breakfast at the European Parliament to promote certain cereals.

How does Priya see her approach fitting in with The Artisan Food Trail? “Local produce, quality ingredients and supporting UK producers are high up my list of priorities too. We have some amazing products in the UK that need shouting about. I can help do this.”

As well as being a professional, Priya is also a mum and values the importance of family mealtimes, she says, “As a mum I’m always conscious of what I feed my family and I can often be found in the kitchen playing around with new ingredients or combining old favourites in tempting ways. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, that’s just the joy of cooking!”

Priya will be looking through the current producers on the Artisan Food Trail website and doing some blog posts in the next few months which we’re sure will inspire you.

In the meantime please visit www.Dietitianuk.co.uk