Chili peppers need to be in your diet. Here are 18 healthy reasons to spice up your diet with more hot chili peppers. Just by adding more spice to your life, you're also boosting your health in several ways. I've always loved the way it burns, but now I have even more reason.

Vitamin A

The beta carotene concentration is high in red chili peppers, especially. This is converted to Vitamin A within the body.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins that helps the body with energy-related metabolism.

Vitamin C

This vitamin comes in large amounts in hot chili peppers. It aids the body in immunity, as well as wound healing.

Capsaicin

This compound is only found in chili peppers. It's what causes them to be spicy. But it also helps reduce pain and inflammation. It's also one of the several antioxidants found in chili peppers. Antioxidants are known for helping with the  prevention and healing of cancer.

Capsanthin

This is another powerful carotenoid antioxidant found in chili peppers. It is also thought to aid in fighting cancer.

Carbohydrates

Chili peppers are packed with plenty of good carbs to help create good energy. Plant-based carbs contain fibers that help the body produce energy, stabilize hormones, lose weight, sleep well, promote healthy brain function, and more.

Copper

Copper promotes strong bones and healthy neurons and is often a rare commodity in the Western diet. But it can be found in various chili peppers.

Ferulic Acid

This is yet another strong antioxidant found in chili peppers. It can help protect against many chronic diseases.

Fiber

Chili peppers have fiber, which is very good for digestion and keeping you regular.

Vitamin K1

Vitamin K1 (or phylloquinone) is know for aiding in blood clotting, promoting healthy kidney function, and promoting healthy bones.

Lutein

High amounts of lutein have been linked to improved eye health and function. Strong concentrations have been found in green or immature hot chili peppers.

Monounsaturated & Polyunsatured Fats

These good fats help reduce the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol. In chili peppers, they come in many forms, including some of the Omegas.

Omega 3

This all-important polyunsaturated fat can help you lower unhealthy levels of bad cholesterol.

Omega 6

The human body cannot produce the polyunsaturated fats Omega-6 or Omega-3, both of which are found in chili peppers.

Potassium

Think you can only find potassium in bananas? Wrong. You can also get it from eating lots of spicy chili peppers. Potassium may help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Protein

Did you know that chili peppers contained protein? The exact amount of protein needed each day is debated by many health professionals. However, most will agree that it's definitely beneficial.

Sinapic Acid

Sinapic (or sinapinic) acid is another powerful antioxidant also found in chili peppers. This compound is similar to ferulic acid.

Violaxanthin

This carotenoid antioxidant can be found in yellow chili peppers. Like other antioxidants in chili peppers, this compound can help fight many major chronic diseases, such as some types of cancer.

If you're looking for a vegan recipe that allows you to enjoy some great Asian-style cuisine vegan style - and without soy or gluten, here you go! Our soy-free Spicy Szechuan Stir Fry recipe is sure to please large families, vegans, transitioning vegans, and even non-vegans! Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Put the olive oil in a wok or large frying pan. Throw in everything else and mix it up. Cover, stirring occasionally until everything is moist and evenly heated. This should take about 25-30 minutes. Serve on a plate with a fork or chopsticks.

Optional: Serve over rice or rice noodles.

*Note: Some individuals with wheat gluten sensitivities may also have sensitivities to corn gluten. If that's the case, eliminate the baby corn from this recipe. All other ingredients are safe for those on a gluten-free diet, to the best of our knowledge. Please let us know if you believe our information is incorrect, so that we can adjust the recipe.

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Need to add some easily-made comfort to your meal? According to my kids (and many others), my homemade cabbage hits the spot. Preparation is simple and it can be pretty much left alone to do its thing while you’re preparing the rest of the meal. You haven’t had cabbage until you’ve had this mama’s cabbage. I may be biased, but try it and find out!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Fill a large pot with all ingredients, except the salt. Fill to a couple inches from brim with water. Then, heat the mixture on high until it’s boiling. Turn it down to medium-low heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt to taste, if desired. Boil for another 15 minutes. Note that if the water boils below the food during cooking, you should add more water as needed.

Pairs well with:

Mama’s Spicy Meatloaf
Mama’s Country Soul Food Cornbread
Mama’s Mashed Potatoes
Mama’s Country Soul Food Green Beans and Potatoes
Mama’s Wings Seven Ways
Texas Style Smoked BBQ Ribs
Southern Style Potato Salad

It's party or Super Bowl time and you need snacks and appetizers to feed all those hungry people in your living room. Seven layer dip is a great way to fill up  bellies. Many Super Bowl  recipes are not vegan. This one is! This is one of those great party snacks that really could be a meal to some. I've tasted many varieties of the seven layer dip. Some have been good, some have been alright, some have been not-so-good, and none ever had anything really special that made me want more. So, I came up with my own Super Bowl or party dip: Mama's Seven Layer Dip (or Eight).

Ingredients for Mama's Seven Layer Dip (or Eight):

Directions:

The first step in making Mama's Seven Layer Dip (or Eight) for your Super Bowl or other party is to make Mama's Spicy Guacamole. Leave some extra pico de gallo for one of the dip layers. This creates the eighth layer and is optional. You'll also need to heat up some refried beans. Adding in some salsa can create a nice flavor. Now that you have those two steps done, you're ready to make Mama's Seven Layer Dip (or Eight). From this point, it's actually pretty easy.

You will now need to get out a 9 x 12 glass cake pan. The bottom layer in Mama's Seven Layer Dip is the refried beans. Spread those across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle some shredded vegan cheese and black olives atop the refried beans and put it in the oven for a couple minutes, until the cheese melts.

Next comes the guacamole and then the vegan sour cream. After that, comes the salsa. If you want homemade salsa, follow the pico de gallo recipe, except at the end, place all the ingredients into a blender. Now take the pico de gallo, mix some shredded lettuce (or your favorite leafy greens) in  and sprinkle that atop the other layers. You can also sprinkle some extra shredded vegan cheese and add some extra vegan sour cream to the top for effect. That makes the layer numbers change though, so if you're a perfectionist, go with the first option!

That's it! Now serve with your favorite tortilla chips and eat!

* This recipe serves 8, but can be doubled, tripled, etc.

More Superbowl-worthy recipes on Life Successfully:

It's no secret that I love many things related to New York. That IS my home state after all. But I swear I wasn't thinking New York the day we tried a new pizza place. In fact, pizza wasn't even on the agenda.

My oldest daughter and I were on an errand and all of a sudden I see this vehicle with I love NY all over it. So, of course we were delighted at the design. Then, I thought “..hmm, wait a second, most people do not decorate their vehicles like this. Could this be pizza?” I seem to be drawn to all things New York and I can always sniff out a good pizza.

The vehicle was driving and we were walking. So that was the first challenge. Luckily, they turned the corner and pulled into a car wash. So we followed them, of course. Don't worry people, I am totally not a stalker – unless New York style pizza is involved. Anyhow, sure enough once we got closer, we saw that it was in fact a pizza vehicle – one for I Love NY Pizzeria Denver (nypizzadenver.com/). So we robbed them for the pizza. Kidding. We took down the name and number nonchalantly and went home and ordered it.

We opted for ordering online, as this was most convenient for us. The online menu was simple to navigate, even with all of their options. The prices were more than fair as compared to similar styles of pizza restaurants we've tried in the past. Payment processing online went smoothly as well. You can choose from paying cash at delivery or paying via PayPal, which allows more options such as credit card payment.

When the pizza delivery driver arrived, the kids were playing just outside the door with their friends. They excitedly shouted “Are you the pizza dude?” He replied back very friendly stating that he was and joked with the kids for a second. That was already a win – that and the fact that he didn't have to call me to figure out where my place was. Most delivery drivers get lost trying to find us. But he had no issues and arrived earlier than expected. The pizza smelled so good before he even handed it to me.

The delivery driver was very friendly with me as well. The conversation was the perfect amount of time – not so fast and rude like you don't matter, but not too long that you're wondering when the person will leave.

The kids and the dogs were all immediately in line behind me as I carried the food inside. It did smell pretty darn good. But the taste test would be the true test. I threw the dogs a few pepperonis (yeah, I know they're bad, they don't get them often) and they wouldn't leave me alone after that. So that was a good sign. Then, the rest of us dug in.

The cheese was very “melty” just like New York pizza should be and the toppings all tasted fresh, unlike many delivery pizzas we've tried. I ordered more than we usually order because I had planned on us having some for lunch the next day. However, we ended up eating it all that night. We chose a few different types of pizzas and toppings and equally enjoyed them for different reasons.

Customer Service: Excellent

Wait Time: Exceeded Expectations

Value: Excellent

Taste: Above Average

Rating: 5 Stars

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

Disclaimer: Author is not affiliated with products, brands, or companies mentioned in this post, nor has she received any monetary compensation from said products, brands, or companies in relation to this posting. Views are solely based on personal experience.

Sometimes family get-togethers need a little spicing up. That's when I make my special guacamole dip. Friends and family have tried for years to get the recipe out of me, but to no avail. Now, I've finally gone and revealed it. Enjoy Mama's Spicy Guacamole Dip. But remember to use all organic and non-GMO ingredients for the full experience.

Ingredients:

4 Large Haas Avocados (They are best when the outside skin is dark and they have a soft, but not mushy feel.)
4 ripened Roma tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions/scallions
3 Serrano hot peppers (They are green like jalapeños, but are longer and skinnier)
Black Pepper (Crushed, in a shaker)
Garlic Powder (Powdered in a shaker)
Sea Salt
Tortilla Chips

Preparation:

Making the Pico de Gallo portion of the recipe:

Dice the tomatoes nice and small. Place them in a bowl.

Next, you'll need to get the green onions. Cut off the green part right above the area that splits to branch off. Discard the green area you cut off. There will still be some green left on your onion. Then, hold it upright and slice it halfway down the middle. Then, holding it together, slice halfway down the middle in the other direction. Your top half should be split in fourths. Hold it together and chop it up that way. Then, repeat the process until the entire green onion is cut up. You'll need about 4 of these. Put it in with the diced tomatoes.

Next, get the Serrano peppers. Slice off the top and bottom and discard those pieces. With the remaining middle sections, slice them much in the way of the green onions, only you'll need six sections. Once they are all cut up, dump them into the onion/tomato mixture. Blend those together and set them aside.

Making the spicy guacamole portion of the recipe:

Get out a separate bowl for your guacamole. First, cut the avocados in half, working the knife around the pit, but not trying to penetrate the pit. You should have the avocado as you can see in the avocado picture after pulling the sections apart. Do this to all four avocados.

Now, pull out all the pits and discard them or save them to plant. Then, get a spoon and scoop out all of the avocado out of the skin and into the bowl. If you see any brown parts, do not use those parts. The part you use should be green and soft.

Now, using a potato masher or a whisk, pound and smash the avocados until they are smooth. There should be no lumps at all. Now, you need to dump in  the pico de gallo you just made. Next, add garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. You will generally need more garlic than salt and pepper.

Optional: Add fresh cilantro to taste

Now, your guacamole is ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Servings:

Well, that depends on how long it lasts. One person will usually eat enough for three! This recipe should generally serve 6-8. But again, people tend to eat more of this than they should.

Storage:

You should eat Mama's Spicy Guacamole Dip right away after preparing it. Don't count on leftovers, but if you happen to have any, refrigerate the guacamole in a sealed container. This usually only lasts 24-48 hours, longer if wax paper is placed in between the lid and storage container to create a better seal. Before sealing and refrigerating, you can use a couple squirts of lemon or lime juice as a preservative to help prevent browning.

Try with the following recipes for the Superbowl or other parties:

• Mama's Seven Layer Dip
• Texas Style Smoked BBQ Ribs
• Mama's Wings Seven Ways
• Southern Potato Salad
• Your Favorite Mexican Foods

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network