Who does not love spicy food. Most people are fond of spices but have you ever thought what does spicy food do to your stomach? Although there may be some serious health benefits to eating spicy food such as prevention from cancer, good heart health, loss of extra calories, but it may also mess up your system, especially your stomach. It can cause gastric ulcers, loss of appetite and even acute gastritis. So, you might want to think twice if you have been over-indulging in hot and spicy foods.
People prefer to gorge on masaledar khana, which uses generous quantities of spices and plenty of red chilli powder, of course. When we eat, we just love turning up the heat, but did you know that consuming spicy foods can do more than just spice up your dish’s flavours?
Here are some explanations for bringing that now to a halt.
Stomach ailments triggered by over-indulgence in spicy foods
The following are the stomach ailments that you should know about which may be triggered by over-indulgence in spicy foods.
1. Acidic reactions
A funnel, which is a ring of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), is at the entrance to your stomach. Normally, as soon as food passes into it, the LES closes. Acid created by your stomach will travel up into your oesophagus if the LES does not close all the way, or if it opens too much but this acid is not alone it may combine with the acids of spicy food that you just ate.
Spices are a mixture of acids and they begin to damage the walls of the stomach when so much of these acids are added into the stomach, which often has its own acidic content.
Summary
Acids combined with more acidic content causes some irritation on stomach lining due to which we often feel irritation on our abdomen. Symptoms such as burning chest pain called heartburn may be caused by this.
2. Gastric ulcers
Stomach ulcers are open sores that form on the stomach lining, also known as gastric ulcers.
Ulcers can also happen just inside the stomach, in part of the intestine. These are referred to as duodenal ulcers.
Peptic ulcers are often referred to as both stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. The word stomach ulcer will be used here, although the data is equally applicable to duodenal ulcers. These ulcers may be caused due to over indulging spices in your appetite or they may get serious when people already have symptoms of such ulcers.
Summary
In that sensitive mucosal lining or in the small intestine, called the duodenum, or sometimes even in the oesophagus, consuming over-spicy foods may exacerbate ulcers.
These ulcers are painful, further causing pain in the stomach, nausea , vomiting, and weight loss.
3. Loss of appetite
A decreased appetite occurs when you have a reduced desire to eat. It may also be known as a poor appetite or loss of appetite. The medical term for this is anorexia.
It’s good to consume modest quantities of spicy food; for example, you should eat 2-3 times a week, but certainly not daily. If you over-eat spicy foods, you might experience a troubling loss of appetite.
Summary
You may also have associated effects, such as weight loss or malnutrition, if you experience a loss of appetite.
4. Acute gastritis
A sudden inflammation or swelling in the lining of the stomach is acute gastritis.
Gastritis affects the stomach only directly, while both the stomach and intestines are affected by gastroenteritis.
Inflammation of the gastric mucosa, the membrane that forms the stomach, causes gastritis which is often a result of either eating fried food or too much spicy food.
Symptoms of acute gastritis may include :
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Headache
- Blood in stool
Summary
Most individuals endure periodic gastritis bouts that are also conveyed as indigestion which is result of eating too much spices sometimes.
5. Upset stomach
Stomachaches are so normal that everyone experiences them at one point or another. There are hundreds of reasons why a tummy ache or upset stomach could happen to you one of the reason is eating too much spices.
This may result in:
- Burning in the upper belly or the stomach
- Heartburning
- Pressure in the abdomen
- (full feeling) Bloating
- Gas and Belching
- Nausea
- Vomiting Over
- Acidic flavour
- (Sometimes) diarrhea.
How to cure upset stomach
There are several remedies on how to cure upset stomach. Some of the effective ones are:
1. Yogurt
Probiotics in yoghurt make it an ideal alternative for an irritated stomach to soothe. If you’re sick with stomach flu, yoghurt can help ease digestive problems, as well as give a boost to your immune system. For better results, however, make sure that you do not select sugary yoghurt with added flavours. The best option for resolving an upset stomach is non-fat, plain yoghurt.
2. Heat pad
To help alleviate monthly cramps, ladies know all about the magic of heat pad. As it turns out, heat when it comes to calming a disturbed stomach can also be incredibly beneficial. Place a bottle or heating pad of hot water over your stomach. This can help improve blood flow, which can often completely ease the upset in your stomach.
3. Rice tea
Any rice tea can help calm your stomach if you have a disturbed stomach or are having diarrhea.
Directions
- All you have to do is boil half a cup of rice for about 15 minutes in six cups of water.
- Simply strain the rice out of the bath, then.
- If you’re not keen on the taste of simple rice water, you can add honey or sugar.
- Make sure you drink your rice tea while it’s still warm to relax your stomach for the best effect.
4. Warm lemon water
The best sour stomach remedies are made from lemons. In your stomach, the acids in lemons help break down food that causes indigestion pain. It does not only help in curing upset stomach there are several other benefits of lemon water such as it is a well known remedy for cough.
Directions
- Take a whole lemon, clean it, cut it, and squeeze in a glass or cup of fresh juice.
- To the bottle, add warm or room temperature water.
- To ease your disturbed stomach symptoms, slowly sip on the fluid.
5. Activated charcoal
In your stomach, activated charcoal helps to absorb toxins that are the source of your pain. If your stomach pain is due to something you have consumed, it works best.
Directions
- For more than three consecutive days, do not use activated charcoal.
- For a healthy dose of activated charcoal, consult your doctor or family doctor.
What happens when you eat a pepper
One thing is certain, whether you love or hate the heat: the more spice, the more it hurts. What exactly do our bodies have to do with hot peppers such as either jalapeno, serrano or and other spicy foods, and would you hurt yourself by eating too much?
It will fire off more pain receptors in the membrane lining the oesophagus and create a burning sensation in the chest after you swallow spicy food. This is not the same as heartburn caused by acid regurgitation from a leaky valve into the stomach into the oesophagus, but it may feel similar.
Some of actions performed by the as soon as you eat a pepper such as capsaicin in excess amount are:
- It binds to pain the receptors in the tongue.
- Brain starts to cool the body by sweating, salivating and producing more mucus than necessary.
- Pain receptors in the oesophagus cause a burning sensation in the chest.
- Irritated phrenic nerve may affect the lungs and cause hiccups.
- Pain and cramping in the stomach
- Digestion rate increases causing diarrhea
- Perennial burning may occur.
Why most people love spicy food?
In recent years , the popularity of spicy foods has grown. A controversial topic for individuals who take flavour seriously is the enjoyment of spicy food. Then why are people as such fond of spicy food?
Let us look at some of those different factors:
1. The surge of adrenaline
One of the prevalent theories regarding hot peppers’ popularity is that they cause a response to defence. When you eat them, the body senses pain and responds to the pain as if it is in danger, which causes it to release adrenaline.
Adrenaline induces a state of excitement that is pleasurable for all of us. Essentially, eating chilli peppers gives us a feeling comparable to skydiving and bungee jumping.
2. A healthy signal for foods
Some researchers claim that centuries of using them to preserve food and defeat food-borne diseases have contributed to the taste of spicy peppers. The compound that makes chilli peppers hot is capsaicin.
Along with its spicy kick, it has antimicrobial effects. Scientists theorise that our brain receives warm signals that food is healthy to consume, making food more attractive.
3. Your mom was enjoying spicy food.
Some research indicates that our spice enjoyment can begin before birth. While pregnant, the food a mother consumes will decide what her baby likes. Later in life, the flavours we taste as kids can also influence our tastes.
You are more likely to love them in adulthood if you have grown up in a home where spicy foods are consumed all the time.
4. Deliberate creation of tolerance
Spicy heat is a taste that you get, like black coffee and whiskey flavours. By constantly eating it, you can actually teach yourself to handle hot pepper. Do this by beginning with a mild pepper such as banana pepper and working your way up to a spicy one like a habanero gradually.
Some people do this because, while others only want to add a new dimension to their food, they see the enjoyment of spicy food as a symbol of power.
Can babies eat spicy food?
Things are changing and people are beginning to be a bit more open-minded about introducing babies to new food. But the question is “is it it good?”.
There are South American countries that consume a lot of hot foods, and there are many Asian countries that introduce it to children early on, if we look all over the world. Spicy foods are introduced early in certain countries or societies, and with regular use, meaning it could be every day, it could be two or three times a week. Many kids then become tolerant of varying degrees of spiciness.
The idea seems good. But there is a age factor that matters. Because the organs of baby are really sensitive. It is obviously okay to introduce your babies to spicy food slowly as they may get tolerant of spices but it should be in limit.
When can you introduce spicy food to your baby?
Children want to eat food that, just like adults, tastes good too.
But before you add curry, chilli pepper, or other powerful flavours in your child’s diet, wait until your baby is at least 1 year old.
Children younger than 1 are only getting used to simple foods and are more vulnerable to sensitivities and food reactions. Think of how your baby usually responds to new foods, too. Stick to blander fare for a while if your child is sensitive to fresh foods.
What kind of spicy food should I introduce to my baby?
As soon as your kid begins eating finger food, you can add herbs and several spices. Try mild spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, first.
Don’t add sugar or salt.
Can dogs eat spicy food?
If you like spicy foods, it’s only normal to wonder if your dog likes it as well. Certainly, no matter how spicy it is, many dogs would display a keen interest in their owners’ food.
But is it a good idea to feed your dog spicy food?
Let’s dive deeper into how your four-legged friend could react to these more extreme foods.
Can dogs taste spices?
In certain ways, dogs and human beings are identical and one of those ways has to do with how we experience taste. Dogs, with the exception of salt, will taste much of the same simple flavours as we do. Due to the fact that they have fewer taste buds (about 1,700 compared to the 9,000 in humans), they do not have as sophisticated a palate, but they have a much more strong sense of smell.
Although dogs can taste the same primary flavours as humans, they respond differently to them. Dogs can taste salt, for instance, but do not like it as much as humans do.
A dog won’t really be able to taste it or feel the heat when it comes to heat in chilli peppers or wasabi, but it could have other consequences.
Effect of spices on dogs
If you are an experienced dog owner, you also know that certain things are consumed by humans, but for dogs they are off-limits.
Some of the effects are listed below:
- Although peppers do not have the same taste as humans for dogs, they can still cause symptoms further down the gastrointestinal tract.
- For starters, along with ■■■■■■■■■■ and extreme thirst, they can experience short-term symptoms like stomach pain.
- In certain cases, spicy food, such as canine pancreatitis, may cause significant long-term health issues.
A health issue that primarily affects middle-aged and older female dogs is canine pancreatitis.
- Other ingredients that are much more harmful for dogs, such as onions and garlic, can be found in many spicy foods. Also in relatively small quantities, whether fresh or powdered, onions and garlic can cause anaemia in dogs.
What can you do if your dog has eaten spices?
If your dog has eaten something spicy, it will cause the short-term symptoms described above, but after you have eaten spicy food, it should not cause any serious health issues. Only wait until your dog gets the chilli pepper (or other spicy food) out of her stool. Aside from holding your dog away from spicy foods in the future, there is no need to take any extra measures.
But if the symptoms lasts or they are severe you should take emergency measure as your dogs health is important for you being a pet owner.
How to make food less spicy?
Spicy foods are delightful until it feels like you are about to spill lava straight on your tongue. This means that many adventurous dishes to prepare and try are all outside the window for those individuals who can’t handle the heat that well. Removing the spiciness, however, could totally affect the whole meal.
How can food be made less spicy? If you are serving visitors or your meals are unintentionally abroad spicy, here are a few ways to save your dish from burning your taste buds:
Tips
- The easiest way to mild out the spiciness in the recipe is to reduce the spicy ingredients and increase the rest of the ingredients.
- Try to drizzle your meal with olive oil as a dressing or add an extra chunk of butter to the recipe if you want to reduce the heat from hot peppers.
- A buffering agent such as additive E331, or trisodium citrate can help with the solubility of ginger spiciness.
- Dairy products are best for mitigating the heat almost entirely. So serve your spicy dishes with a dairy-based dip, sauce or drink. Drinking milk especially can have an instantaneous remedy effect to the burn.
- If accidently put on too much hot sauce in your sauces, a spoonful of honey can easily offset the heat without spoiling the flavour.
Benefits of spicy food
There are many reasons why spicy foods should be included in your diet. Usually, they come with uncountable health benefits and are becoming increasingly popular day by day for this reason.
Some of the benefits include:
1. Full of nutrients
Hot pepper intake will make it easier for you to fulfil all of your body’s nutrient requirements. They are rich in vitamins A and C and are also full of minerals that are important.
2. Prevent cancer
This is one of spicy food 's biggest health benefits. While there is insufficient evidence of this, most scientists agree that cancer cells are damaged by chilli pepper and other hot peppers.
3. Improve heart health
People who eat a lot of spicy food have been shown to have lower risks of heart attacks and other heart-related issues.
Spicy foods especially hot pepper has the capability of damaging effects of bad cholesterol.
4. Burn extra calories
Individuals eating spicy foods , especially hot pepper, may initiate the process of burning a lot of fat and eventually have a direct effect on their aspirations for weight loss.
5. Minimizes diabetes
There are some things you can do and one of them is to minimise the danger of having type 2 diabetes and eating spicy foods. You begin by monitoring your blood weight and insulin levels.
Hot pepper intake can significantly boost the role of insulin in your body, according to the available evidence. For this purpose, to ensure that you minimise instances of developing diabetes, you need to add more chilli.
Is spicy food good during pregnancy?
Nearly every society in every nation has its own confidence in diets for pregnancy. The myths are various, from spicy foods raising body heat to causing early labour. But before absolutely removing peppery hot foods from your diet, it’s important to know your reality.
Note
If you are a healthy pregnant woman you can go ahead and eat whatever you like but just do not overeat.
But Also before pregnancy, were you naturally susceptible to GI problems and now face side effects such as acid reflux and morning sickness in pregnancy? You ought to be a little more careful, then.
Spicy food then can induce some of the following affects:
- Can Aggravate Morning Sickness
- Can Induce Acid Reflux And Heart Burn
- Can Cause Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
While ■■■■■■■■■■■■■, are spicy foods bad?
You may be craving some post-pregnancy tangy dishes after restraining yourself from spicy foods during pregnancy. Put your worries behind right now if you are holding back worrying that it could affect the baby.
As described earlier, a diet change causes a slight change in the taste of breastmilk. Women do not change their diet during pregnancy in many countries with spicy local food, and this has no effect on the newborn.
In fact It really helps because, while in the womb, babies form their taste preferences. So during pregnancy, consuming daily food will help the baby get used to the staple foods, even if it involves spicy items.
FAQs
1. Does spicy food cause ulcers?
Eating too much spicy food can cause stomach ulcers since excess of anything is dangerous.
Stomach ulcers are open sores that form on the stomach lining, also known as gastric ulcers.
Ulcers can also happen just inside the stomach, in part of the intestine. These are referred to as duodenal ulcers. Peptic ulcers are often referred to as both stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. The word stomach ulcer will be used here, although the data is equally applicable to duodenal ulcers.
In that sensitive mucosal lining or in the small intestine, called the duodenum, or sometimes even in the oesophagus, consuming over-spicy foods may exacerbate ulcers.
These ulcers are painful, further causing pain in the stomach, nausea , vomiting, and weight loss.
2. Does spicy food cause acne?
You may have encountered flair-ups after eating spicy foods like hot peppers if you’re prone to acne. Are they connected? Does acne is caused by spicy food? Or is this actually an ill-timed case of coincidence?
The fact is that the food itself does not normally cause acne, but the side effects of consuming spicy foods such as hot peppers definitely raise the risk of a breakout. If you’re not used to consuming spicy foods, that is particularly true.
3. What are some of the world’s hottest pepper?
Habanero:
A habanero pepper is a small, hot, chili pepper. It’s grown in Mexico and other parts of Latin America as well as in the United States. The habanero pepper is short and squat with thin skin and is usually an orange or red color.
The Habanero pepper has a slightly fruity flavor. It registers between 100,000 and 350,000 Scoville heat units on the Scoville Scale.
Serrano
Serrano peppers clock in at 10,000 to 20,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Jalapeño
Jalapeño peppers have a rating of 2,500 to 10,000 SHU.
Spiciness factor of these two kinds of pepper depends upon a measure of heat called the Scoville Unit which is used to assess the heat of a pepper. This heat is measured on the basis of concentration of a chemical compound called capsaicin present in a pepper.
A serrano’s capsaicin concentration is 3-4 times higher than the jalapeno which clearly explains which pepper is more spicy.
Habanero is hotter
Habanero and serrano are not even close in spiciness level because habanero have a tremendous heat contained with them.
4. Is it true that spicy food burns your digestive tract?
It may hurt to eat spicy food, but it won’t really burn or harm the digestive tract. It will fire off more pain receptors in the membrane lining the oesophagus and create a burning sensation in the chest after you swallow spicy food. This is not the same as heartburn caused by acid regurgitation from a leaky valve into the stomach into the oesophagus, but it may feel similar.
The esophageal feeling is just transient and it won’t permanently burn you, much like the burning pain capsaicin creates in the mouth.
Moderate levels of spicy food may also help with indigestion for others. It may be a concern, however, if you have an established gastrointestinal health problem. Spicy food can also damage the lungs on its way down to the stomach and it may cause hiccups.
5. Does milk help with burning caused by spicy food?
Yes!
Drinking milk after eating spicy food has long been said to help numb the burning sensation in your mouth-and now the hypothesis has been proven by scientists.
Researchers found that the uncomfortable feeling in the mouth was best at relaxing by both skimmed and whole milk.
Casein, the protein in milk, dulls the pain by overpowering capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their kick.
Conclusion
When you eat spicy food, you might feel like your mouth – or the top of your head – is about to explode. But eating spicy food doesn’t generally cause any serious long-term effects. While peppers often add the kick that hurts to different food dishes, one compound in peppers, capsaicin, might actually have health benefits rather than adverse effects.
It’s ok to eat your spicy foods, but cut down that too much from your diet since at the end your health is what matters the most.