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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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