Most of us enjoy a good hot chilli from time to time and I’ve got to confess that I do occasionally succumb to the odd Vegetarian Spicy pizza from our local takeaway with loads of onion, mushrooms, olives, sliced tomatoes and jalapenos on it, particularly after a hard day’s graft tapping away at the keyboard listening to the dronings of some of my real estate clients extolling the virtues of some wonderful property with 20 bedrooms and two zillion acres of land which I know I could never afford.  Little did I realise that my need for this hot and spicy pizza could be down to the fact that chillies lift the spirit!

Research has shown that one of the prime chemicals in the peppers, capsaicin, clings to the receptors in the mouth and throat that detect heat.  This in turn send messages to the brain that the food we are eating is hot and the brain immediately says ”ouch, that’s hot mate”.  Endorphins, natural painkillers, are then released into the body which take away the Ouch Factor and this gives us a sense of pleasure.

As well as possibly helping to lift your mood, it’s also been discovered that hot chilli sauces eaten with meals slightly raise the rate at which calories are burnt for a couple of hours after eating so they’re good if you’re on a diet and it’s thought that they also stimulate digestion and relieve wind.

Why is it that one minute we’re being advised that some food or other is “good for you” so you go out, stockpile that food and before the first morsel has hardly had time to hit the side of your bowels, some other so-called “expert” comes forward and tells us that we should swiftly despatch it from the pantry to the bin as it’s lethal!  Such is the case with the poor, harmless looking Brazil nut!

It had come to the attention of the “first experts” that Brazil nuts had certain minerals in them that boosted the immune system and may protect against cancer.  Now our “second experts” have said that this mineral may push up bad cholesterol levels and raise the risk of heart disease!

These second experts from Warwick University (UK) found from their research that selenium which is found in Brazil nuts as well as grain, fish and meat, increased cholesterol levels.  They carried out tests which showed that the highest levels of selenium were found in those people who regularly took dietary supplements containing the mineral so it followed that if you over indulged on Brazil nuts and other foods that are rich in this mineral you’re at greater risk of heart disease.

The University took a cross-section of 1,042 people aged between 19 and 64 between 2000 and 2001 and, according to the researchers, of those people with selenium concentrations higher than 1.20 μmoles (micromoles) per litre of blood, levels of cholesterol were up by about 8%, and levels of a “bad” cholesterol associated with heart disease were raised by 10%. 

I would suggest that we take the research with a pinch of salt at the moment and I, for one, won’t be throwing my Christmas stash of nuts in the bin or scattering them onto the bird table!!  Oh, hang on; we’re not allowed to take a pinch of salt are we?  It’s bad for the health!!

Now please spare a thought for those who suffer from lachanophobia!  Never heard of it?  Neither had I until the other day.  It’s a fear of vegetables so my Vegetarian Spicy pizza definitely wouldn’t go down well with sufferers!

A 22 year old student from Portsmouth (UK) was frightened of vegetables when she was a child and this has continued into her adult life.  The poor girl has panic attacks not only when she finds the odd pea or carrot straying onto her plate, but also when she’s just walking past the greengrocery on display in a supermarket. 

She eats meat and cereals and can manage a potato and an occasional apple but nerry a pea or sprout passes her lips!!  And as for touching them – that’s definitely out!

Apparently lachanophobia affects a few thousand people in the UK and one of the best ways to curb the fear is to undergo “psychological re-programming” (sounds like something out of Dr Who!).

Anxiety UK, a phobia charity, has indicated that around 13% of British people suffer from some sort of phobia and most of them are treatable, usually by medication or self-help groups but they suggest that if anyone feels they’ve got a phobia they should, in the first instance, visit their GP for a proper diagnosis … Not quite sure what you’re supposed to do if, like 75% or more of us across the world, have a fear of the doctor’s surgery!!!

And finally, an amusing story of the Italian bakers who thought they could beat the credit crunch! 

Michelangelo Alesso and Alessandro Mancino had a nice little bakery in Turin but, due to the recession, they found their income dwindling as more and more customers abandoned them for cheaper, more run of the mill bread, so being extremely resourceful they decided to add a secret ingredient to their recipe and, once again found the customers flocking in to purchase.

Unfortunately this increase in trade was short-lived!  Police became extremely suspicious when queues for the bakery began blocking the footpaths.  Further investigation revealed that this secret ingredient was cocaine.  Apparently the bakers had turned to drug dealing in order to pay the bills!  Maybe they should have put some nice hot chillies into their mix instead!!