Tabasco, Tapatio, Cholula, Frank’s, Sriracha, Crystal, Valentina. Besides sounding like a reunion of my father’s side of the family, all these names share only one common description, hot sauce.

As an athlete, personal trainer, and run coach, I realize the importance of fueling your body with the proper nutrients in order to replenish the muscles and promote increased strength. Do I enjoy eating steamed broccoli and carrots, with a side portion of brown rice? Um, no. But can I dash a few drops of my traveling Tapatio 5 oz. bottle on top before? DOWN!

3 Reasons To Add Hot Sauce To Your Meal

• Eat Healthy Foods!

You’ve been listening to it for years, in order for you to have the six-pack like the peeps on the Abercrombie poster, you have to drop the burgers, hotdogs, and pizza for healthier foods such as cauliflower, tofu, artichokes, quinoa and spinach!?!? It’s not the fact that we don’t want to eat healthy, it’s just that double bacon cheeseburger, dripping with extra ranch and bbq sauce tastesso much better! Well, coming from somebody who didn’t have his first onion until his girlfriend made him eat one during junior year of college, I have found a solution! Mask the flavor, or should I say lack of flavor that veggies, grains, and beans have, with a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce! The best thing of all, hot sauce contains ZERO calories! So, if you’re still tasting “healthy,” just add more!

• Kickstart Metabolism! Burn Fat!

The reports of two separate studies, Oxford Journals in 2011 & American Society for Clinical Nutrition in 2006, found that “capsaicin and capsiate both augment energy expenditure and enhance fat oxidation, especially at high doses.” Capsaicin is the active component found in chili peppers and is responsible for the burning sensation you feel when consuming them. Enhanced fat oxidation is a fancy way of saying, you’re burning more fat! It’s simple. Eat hot sauce, kickstart your metabolic system, burn fat!

• Increase Daily Water Intake!

The recommended daily intake for water is 1/2 of your body weight in oz. For example, if you weigh 180 lbs. then you should be consuming at least 90 oz. of water daily. The human body is roughly 60% water, and needs water in order to maintain a state of homeostasis and keep all the body’s processes, pathways, and systems running smoothly. Most people don’t even drink half the recommended amount of water they should, and certainly not every day. Spicy makes our mouth burn, and cold ice water cools it down. Eat Spicy, Drink Water!

Can you say, having your cake and eating it too? Let’s recap, you get to enjoy eating a healthy meal by adding some spice to it. Then, you get to kickstart your metabolism and burn some fat. Finally, you get to ensure you’re getting enough water by constantly relieving yourself of the fire occurring on your tongue. That’s it! I’ve solved the roadblock to eating healthy
Instead of ending this article with a cheesy 90’s song title reference, I will simply encourage you all to take a tip from one the greatest pop bands ever, and “Spice Up Your Life!”
Bon Apetit!

 

– Coach Jon

http://www.jdlt.me