Most of us parents have gone back and forth while serving green chilli (hari mirch) to our kids.
In fact, just yesterday when I put a green chilli on my plate, my 2-year-old niece asked me, "Maasi, do you want to burn your mouth? Why are you eating hari mirch with your food?"
She literally plucked it out of my plate and said, "It's not good for health because it burns your tongue."
What surprised me was not her concern, but the fact that she had a wrong idea about a vegetable that has so many benefits.
It's not her fault that her parents don't want her running for sugar or water after each morsel. Most of us would rather not introduce green chilli to our kids till they are above the ages of 2 or 3 years, just so they don't feel the heat.
But here's the thing, green chilli (hari mirch) can benefit your child in more ways than you know it.
Spice can increase longevity
A new study by University of California, Berkeley, US, states that, "Eating spicy food (including chilli) just once or twice a week reduces risk of death by 10 percent and eating more (three-seven days a week) by 14 percent, when compared to people who eat spicy food less than once a week."
So basically they stated something our forefathers have been practicing for the longest time- eating chilling with their meal! They also found that spice-eaters have a lower risk of death as a result of diseases like cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
Another study proved that, "Women who regularly consumed spicy foods were 45 percent less likely to die from infections versus those who rarely ate them."
But wait, there are more benefits!
Continue reading to know more about how green chilli can benefit your kid and how to use it.
7 amazing benefits of eating hari mirch or green chilli
To get the best out of green chilli or hari mirch, it's best had fresh and not in a powdered form. Here's why:
- Green chilli is loaded with a chemical compound called capsaicin. It is this compound that gives the chilli its mouth-watering punch. It helps lower any inflammation, which is usually responsible for most disorders including cancer.
- Hari mirch also keeps the cholesterol levels in control and also keep a tab on oxidative stress; both of which are primarily responsible for cardiac diseases in young and old.
- It keeps the gut bacteria positive and boosts the good ones. This means that your immune system is functioning well and is in good health.
- Hari mirch also keeps the body weight in check. It increases metabolism in the body, thereby, reducing fat accumulated in the body. Plus, it aids in the mouth releasing more saliva which helps in breaking down the food easily.
- It also takes care of your skin. Yes! Eating green chilli means an intake of vitamin C, which is good for the skin and keep sit healthy, glowing and fresh.
- Hari mirch is also good for those who have diabetes. Since it helps to reduce sugar level and cholesterol in the body, it keeps the body fit.
- An added benefit, hari mirch also contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, iron, potassium, copper, a small amount of protein and carbohydrates.
When should you introduce chilli to your child?
Experts say that if a mother consumes hari mirch during breastfeeding, its effect automatically reaches the baby. So there shouldn't be any rush to introduce such a spice to your baby's diet.
Once your baby is ready to be introduced to solid foods, perhaps after his/her annaprashan, slowly introduce herbs and spices into the food.
Here's how you can do it:
- You can grate a bit of ginger into dal and sabzi that you would feed your baby
- Add a pinch of powdered spices like coriander or cumin to rajma, chana, or even sambhar, and dal during cooking
- Use whole seeds like saunf, sarson or jeera, for tempering with ghee right before you begin to cook. It will add an aromatic flavour and can easily be dissolved in the food.
- Similarly you can use dalchini, jaiphal, elaichi, as additions to sweet puddings and cereals
- For kids above the age of 18 months, you can introduce hari mirch but in moderation. Begin by removing the seeds and adding the mirch into your food during cooking.
Whenever you cook for a baby, make sure all the ingredients are fresh. And always check the manufacturing dates of the products you purchase, especially if its powdered chilli or any other spice.
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