Mustard, Chili, and Weight Loss

In today's mail I have the question, "Is there a relationship between mustard and weight loss?"

One benefit of mustard for dieters is very straightforward. A tablespoon (14 g) of mayonnaise--and most of us prefer two tablespoons or more on our sandwiches--contains 99 calories (kcal)and 11 g of fat. Because we go for both the "feel" as well as the taste of mayonnaise, we tend to eat more.

A teaspoon of mustard--which is enough to give a zingy taste to sandwich if you spread it thinly--comes in at just 3 calories and zero grams of fat. Switching from mayo mustard can easily save you 200 calories or more for every sandwich. And chilies are just as low-calorie with an additional benefit.

The volatile isothiocyanates that give mustard its "mustardy" taste have an additional benefit that assists in weight loss. They are bitter.

Bitter herbs and flavoring trigger a reflex action in the stomach that causes it to secrete more gastric juices. Meals are digested more quickly and pass to the small intestine more quickly. The resulting "stretch" in the gut sends signals to the brain that you have eaten enough. Just beware that if you keep on eating despite feeling full, the expansion of your small intestine can also signal your pancreas to pour out insulin to store sugar and fat. Mustard won't help you lose weight if you eat until it hurts.

An Australian clinical study finds that eating an ounce of chopped chili peppers every day can protect cholesterol from forming atherosclerotic plaques, and the benefit is measurable in as little as a month.

Drs. K. D. Ahuja and M. J. Ball of the University of Tasmania (Australia) found that a "freshly chopped chili" condiment eaten every day slowed the oxidation of cholesterol even more effectively than taking vitamin E and antioxidant supplements. The same researchers, along with Drs. I. K. Robertson and D. P. Geraghty, also found that eating chilies for a month lowered resting heart rate in men.

So, dieters, spice it up! Both your diets and your arteries may benefit.

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Mustard, Chili, and Weight Loss