Chilli

Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps

Green chillies are just unripe red ones, and ripening is what builds up the colour and the vitamins.

Stage by stage

Intake (TRPV1 activated): Capsaicin binds the receptor that normally detects painful heat, producing burn without any tissue damage.
Stomach (Transient gastric response): Blood flow and motility shift briefly; repeated exposure desensitises the response over weeks.
Small intestine (Vitamin C and carotenoids absorbed): Ascorbate absorbs readily; beta-carotene, far higher in ripe red fruit, needs fat in the meal.
Nerves (Receptors desensitise): TRPV1 stops firing after minutes; dairy casein clears the lipophilic capsaicin faster than water.

Time to effect

Minutes: The burn peaks within a minute or two and fades over 10 to 20 minutes as the receptor desensitises.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

In season

July to October in the northern hemisphere, January to April in the southern.

Satiety

Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.

Environmental footprint

0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 46
Protein: 1.4g
Carbohydrate: 4.8g
of which sugars: 4.8g
Fat: 0.7g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 7.2g
Sodium: 3mg

Food vs. supplement

Capsaicin capsules produce a small, short-lived rise in energy expenditure and little durable weight effect, with real gastrointestinal side effects at supplement doses. The fruit itself supplies vitamin C, B6 and carotenoids alongside the heat.

Kitchen tip

The heat lives in the pale placental membrane, not the seeds. Scrape it out to lower the burn while keeping the fruit's flavour and colour.

Common myth

“Chilli causes stomach ulcers.” In reality: Ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori and by anti-inflammatory painkillers. Capsaicin does not cause them and at moderate doses reduces acid secretion, though it can worsen the symptoms of an ulcer or reflux that is already there.