Each time I visit my home state of New Mexico, I know why it’s called “The Land of Enchantment.” My last visit to Albuquerque was no different. As we landed at the International Sunport, I smiled out the window as the majestic Sandia mountains greeted me among white puffy clouds in a clear blue sky. And as I exited the plane, the friendly familiarity of the people in our 47th state (yes, it is a part of the U.S.) reminded me once again that I was home.
And then there’s the food. If you’ve experienced authentic New Mexican cuisine, you know what I mean. A routine question when you order this fare is “red or green?”… as in chile. Yes, it is spelled “chile” in New Mexico. And I know of no other state where sopapillas — puffy fried bread dough — are routinely served with the meal. That’s what the honey on the table is for, by the way.
Nutrition-wise, there are some real benefits of eating the traditional foods of New Mexico. Pinto beans (aka “frijoles”) are perhaps the only food that qualifies as a vegetable as well as a protein. So they work well for vegetarians as well as meat-eaters.
A large part of beans’ carbohydrate content is in the form of dietary fiber, a nutrient that feeds healthful bacteria in our guts and does not contribute extra calories. For people with diabetes, a serving of beans is often more friendly to blood sugars than rice.
Beans and chile share the honor as New Mexico’s state vegetables. That’s why I was concerned when I spotted a recent research article that reported a link between eating chili (chile) peppers and obesity. These researchers used data from 2003-2006 in which participants answered the question, “How often did you eat chili (peppers) over the past year?”
They found a higher incidence of obesity in those who reported eating chili peppers at least once a week as compared to those who ate it less often.
If you’re surprised, so was I … until I took a closer look. This study did not measure what people actually ate in addition to the chile peppers. Other studies have. And they generally report that chili peppers (in a balanced diet) may help lower body weight as well as cholesterol. In fact, no matter how you spell it, hot chiles are often recognized for their fat-burning and metabolism-boosting properties.
Several experts who evaluated this study concur that it’s most likely the high fat, high calorie foods we consume along with the peppers—such as eating the whole basket of sopapillas with honey— that might indeed contribute to weight gain. It pays to look behind the headlines … and to enjoy everything in moderation.
Note: Soon after finishing this piece, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the devastating fire that destroyed thousands of acres in and around the picturesque mountain town of Ruidoso, New Mexico. My prayers are with all the people involved in this disaster.
Barbara Quinn-Intermill is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator affiliated with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She is the author of “Quinn-Essential Nutrition” (Westbow Press, 2015). Email her at to [email protected].
