health benefits/cons from eating spicy foods?

[Deleted]

I have some issue with my stomach where the opening at the top (I don't know the English word for it) won't close properly, regularly giving me acid reflux. Very annoying... went to see a doctor about it, he stuck a camera on a stick in my throat to look around and told me this.

He then told me not to consume (much) of the following:
- fat
- alcohol
- acid (like in Dr. Pepper :'()
- sugar
- spicy food
- caffeine
- pretty much anything else that's worth enjoying you can think of

I think the reason was that when you consume these things, your stomach will make more acid to deal with it. So yes, spicy food itself doesn't hurt your stomach but you might feel heartburn or acid reflux.

As mfatal said, moderation is key :-)

[jbhasban]

You have GERD. It's caused by a problem with the lower esophageal sphincter.

[Hiricine]

Spicy foods can cause some GI issues like burning on the can or abdominal pain, but generally, there are no health benefits or detriments to spicy foods on their own.

[Mortai2]

Some spices that are in spicy foods, turmeric and cayenne for example, are generally believed to be good for you. Turmeric helps reduce inflammation and cayenne increases blood flow.

But if you're talking about chicken wings buried in a sugary "spicy" sauce, then yeah, probably more con than pro. If you're talking about some fresh cayenne sprinkled on your soup, then probably more pro than con.

Moderation!

[tratra]

Eating spicy foods protects you from getting cold. Thats a benefit.

A cons is that it makes u smell badly. So ye moderation overall.

[jbhasban]

Eating spicy foods protects you from getting cold. Thats a benefit.

A cons is that it makes u smell badly. So ye moderation overall.

But colds make you smell badly by stuffing up your nose.

[breadisfunny]

Some spices that are in spicy foods, turmeric and cayenne for example, are generally believed to be good for you. Turmeric helps reduce inflammation and cayenne increases blood flow.

But if you're talking about chicken wings buried in a sugary "spicy" sauce, then yeah, probably more con than pro. If you're talking about some fresh cayenne sprinkled on your soup, then probably more pro than con.

Moderation!

im talking about the stuff like peppers and ghost chili extract/habanero extract/ghost chili peppers. not sure if that stuff is worse or better than what you listed.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

im talking about the stuff like peppers and ghost chili extract/habanero extract/ghost chili peppers. not sure if that stuff is worse or better than what you listed.

In excess, mushed up ghost chillies can give you a heart attack.

They use ghost chillies to ward off elephants. Smear some on your fence and it will stop a stampeding elephant in its tracks. Stopping yourself being smushed by a raging elephant that weighs more than two family cars is a health benefit, right?

[breadisfunny]

btw would a local grocery store carry habanero/ghost chili extract? i havent been able to find any thus far.

[jbhasban]

btw would a local grocery store carry habanero/ghost chili extract? i havent been able to find any thus far.

I doubt anyone would carry ghost chili peppers as those can quite easily hurt people and stores dont want to have to deal with a law suit. I have seen hanero's at my local whole foods though.

[Rennadrel]

Spicy food is good for you in moderation, and if you are trying to lose weight, is actually a good thing. Spicy food makes you sweat, so naturally your body is using more energy to cool itself down to a normal temperature. Not to mention it will make you rather regular and help your digestive system to some extent.

[jbhasban]

Spicy food is good for you in moderation, and if you are trying to lose weight, is actually a good thing. Spicy food makes you sweat, so naturally your body is using more energy to cool itself down to a normal temperature. Not to mention it will make you rather regular and help your digestive system to some extent.

... Sweat cools you off. Your body would have to use more energy to heat itself up back to normal temperatures after the sweat cools you down. But the effect of this is almost nothing. You would burn more calories heating up some ice in your mouth.

Seriously though... energy to cool you down? Nothing needs to expend energy to cool things down except to the extent that the device is inefficient (fridge, freezer, etc). Heat, by definition, is energy. The hotter something is, the more energy it has.

[breadisfunny]

I doubt anyone would carry ghost chili peppers as those can quite easily hurt people and stores dont want to have to deal with a law suit. I have seen hanero's at my local whole foods though.

i was thinking more about the capsaicin extract from the peppers themself. our local grocery stores are brave enough to carry ghost chili peppers. i just bought a box of dried ghost chili peppers today in fact. thimnking of grinding them into powdered form and sprinkling them into my breading for my fish.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

i was thinking more about the capsaicin extract from the peppers themself. our local grocery stores are brave enough to carry ghost chili peppers. i just bought a box of dried ghost chili peppers today in fact. thimnking of grinding them into powdered form and sprinkling them into my breading for my fish.

Why the hell would you obliterate any flavour the fish might once have had with powdered ghost chilli? I wouldn't use anything stronger than a normal red chilli pepper for fish.

[jbhasban]

Why the hell would you obliterate any flavour the fish might once have had with powdered ghost chilli? I wouldn't use anything stronger than a normal red chilli pepper for fish.

But REAL men can tolerate (or "like") food that makes most men weep!

I have so many friends who claim to love hot food but whenever they eat it they are drinking tons of water, tearing, and eating lots of starch with it.

[Gamdwelf]

But REAL men can tolerate (or "like") food that makes most men weep!

I have so many friends who claim to love hot food but whenever they eat it they are drinking tons of water, tearing, and eating lots of starch with it.

Failures Spicy foods are acidic, you have to counter them with bases, not water, all that does is move the spice around.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Failures Spicy foods are acidic, you have to counter them with bases, not water, all that does is move the spice around.

Capsaicin is fat soluble (it is a fatty acid chain attached to vanilyllamine), so drink milk or eat yoghurt (not the low-fat stuff) to get rid of the burning sensation. Soap will remove Capsaicin from your skin should you get chilli juice on your hands when chopping chillies.

Google what happens to an oil fire when you add water to it. A similar thing happens in your mouth when you try to wash it out with water. The fat soluble capsaicin is carried around the mouth, up to the back of the throat, into the nasal passage and it just makes everything so much worse.

[jbhasban]

Failures Spicy foods are acidic, you have to counter them with bases, not water, all that does is move the spice around.

Uh. Spicy food is oily. You need to wash it down with fatty stuff. Whenever I have too much hot shit in my mouth, milk never does anything because I only have skim milk. I always take a swig of olive oil, some bread, mush it all around in my mouth, then spit it out. That always does the trick.

[Rennadrel]

Capsaicin is fat soluble (it is a fatty acid chain attached to vanilyllamine), so drink milk or eat yoghurt (not the low-fat stuff) to get rid of the burning sensation. Soap will remove Capsaicin from your skin should you get chilli juice on your hands when chopping chillies.

Google what happens to an oil fire when you add water to it. A similar thing happens in your mouth when you try to wash it out with water. The fat soluble capsaicin is carried around the mouth, up to the back of the throat, into the nasal passage and it just makes everything so much worse.

I have a hot sauce with capsaicin in it and yes, it's a million times worse to drink water if you find it too hot.

---------- Post added 2013-01-04 at 10:51 PM ----------

... Sweat cools you off. Your body would have to use more energy to heat itself up back to normal temperatures after the sweat cools you down. But the effect of this is almost nothing. You would burn more calories heating up some ice in your mouth.

Seriously though... energy to cool you down? Nothing needs to expend energy to cool things down except to the extent that the device is inefficient (fridge, freezer, etc). Heat, by definition, is energy. The hotter something is, the more energy it has.

Clearly you can't read. Spicy food makes your body sweat, your heart rate increases because of it, you are naturally working your heart at a faster pace because your body is trying to cool down from how spicy the food is that you just ingest. Like when you exercise, your body sweats and your heart rate is up, the only difference is you are eating a spicy food which reacts with your digestive system and your heart that causes you to sweat.

[jbhasban]

I have a hot sauce with capsaicin in it and yes, it's a million times worse to drink water if you find it too hot.

---------- Post added 2013-01-04 at 10:51 PM ----------



Clearly you can't read. Spicy food makes your body sweat, your heart rate increases because of it, you are naturally working your heart at a faster pace because your body is trying to cool down from how spicy the food is that you just ingest. Like when you exercise, your body sweats and your heart rate is up, the only difference is you are eating a spicy food which reacts with your digestive system and your heart that causes you to sweat.

When you exercise, your body produces kinetic energy and heat (because it is inefficient). Your body sweats to help shed this heat to your surroundings since water transfers heat faster than air alone. Your heart rate increases for the purpose of delivering oxygen to your muscles. It does not increase to aid in temperature stabilization except in the situation where someone is hypothermic.

When you eat spicy food, your heart rate slightly increases and your body produces endorphins as a result of a chemical reaction to the capsaicin. Your body temperature may slightly increase as a result of the chemical as well. Your body sweats to help shed this excess heat to the surrounding environment. Or perhaps you sweat as a result of the capsaicin and your heart rate increases to help produce energy to reheat yourself back to normal.

In either event, a heart rate increase does not aid in temperature decreases. Your body passively loses heat through perspiration, a process that is not mediated by your heart rate.