How to get used to spicy food?
I started eating spicy food (mainly the 2x spicy chicken flavored instant noodles) and very spicy pho ever week.
this all culminated in me having done the hot ones like 3-4 times now and it's been fun. More or less, I can take the heat and its becoming enjoyable.
The one issue that still remains though is when the spicy food hits my digestive tract. sometimes it doesn't bother me at all, but more commonly it can cause serious discomfort and pain for about half an hour before I can finally hit the bathroom. The only thing I have found that remedies it is drinking vegan milk as it passes my digestive tract.
problem is I don't know what to do about it. apparently my stomach is more sensitive then my mouth to spicy food but I don't really know how to make my stomach less sensitive. I'd have though after a year it would get used to spicy and it's doing better than at the beginning I guess but still not without occasional pains.
Make sure you’re drinking water and nothing carbonated, caffeinated, or alcoholic if you’re getting a sore stomach off of spicy things.
other than that, work your way up. I think a lot of people that are into crazy spicy things deal with the upset stomach. Reaper was about my limit, but i’m going in the opposite direction of you because nothing was really hot anymore. i don’t think it’s right for a man to be able to eat ghost peppers off the vine.
anyway, are you eating spicy things that aren’t instant noodles? it might be the noodles itself that are messing with your guts. also be aware of how quickly you’re eating. slower the better :)
This is probably it. I love spicy food and usually don't get stomach issues from it unless I eat something way above my spice tolerance level, but there are certain things that just wreck my stomach every time. I'm pretty sure some kind of artificial spice ingredient is the culprit, because it only happens on heavily processed things - the spicy nuggets at McDonald's, spicy chicken from Popeyes, and things like spicy ramen and takis. They're not even necessarily all that spicy to me, but that doesn't seem to be much of a factor.
OP, for developing a tolerance, I think eating real food from cuisines with high spice levels is the way to go - Indian and Mexican are my go to. (It helps if you have in laws that cook spicy food all the time too, haha). I've also had actual non-instant spicy ramen that doesn't mess up my stomach like the instant stuff. It's really just practice and pushing through the pain a bit to get used to it. Other than that, I do think probiotics help with keeping your stomach calm quite a bit, and most people can benefit from an improved gut biome overall anyway.
Milk helps because capsaicin, the main chemical that contributes to spiciness, is fat-soluble (but not water-soluble). So consuming dairy, preferably from whole-milk, or anything else high in lipids, with the spice helps to break it down more quickly.
Just adding on that apparently the protein count does matter as well. So combination of high fat + high protein seems to be the best.
https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/proteins-milk-not-just-fat-may-help-reduce-oral-burn-spicy-food (has a link to the study but not sure if it's accessible, was unable to with my quick peruse)
This lines up with how some of the spiciest (as in hot) foods I’ve eaten like a home cooked Pakistani dish I can’t remember the name of haven’t bothered me despite having grown up in a near-zero-spice environment. They’ve all been on the richer side with plenty of fat and protein.
guess I should've been more clear. I am a vegan, I drink oat milk and I am pretty sure capsaicin is found only in dairy milk so I am not sure about your theory of why it works for me.
capsaicin is the spicy chemical found in peepers. Oat milk can have fat. You could try oatly “full fat” if it’s available to you.
my apologizes, I misread your sentence. I really should know better given I have done research on spice. my only defense is I was distracted :sweat_smile:
Greek yogurt helps a lot. That's the only thing that helped to reduce inflammation and pain in my stomach and insides, when I ate a carolina reaper twice. I think the blend of the fats and probiotics helps to coat my insides.
Milk makes it worse for me, but I'm slowly becoming lactose intolerant. Noodles makes me a little bloated, but most carbs do.
You said you are drinking milk when you're stomach is upset, but are you drinking it as well when you are having spicy food?
While I love spicy food, I refuse to have it unless I have dairy to consume it with. I don't know our biology well enough to know if "coating" the stomach is correct in what it does, but is does make a big difference to have some dairy before/during/after eating spicy food for me. Because yeah, it can be worse going out than in.
But getting some Indian Hot food with a tub of ice cream is legit probably my favorite eating experience. Local place would make their own in house hot sauce with naga peppers to put on top too
Nah, I meant I really only have stomach issues after trying to eat spicy pho or fried ramen, which forces me to have to drink milk.
Individual tolerances vary, so plenty of cultures that serve spicy food also serve it with or mix in things like yogurt to cut the spice to the individual's level. Not everyone is eating a 6 out of 6 on their curry.
For some folks, having gallbladder issues can also perpetuate stomach upset with spicy food, my understanding is that because the gallbladder handles the extra bile and helps absorb fats and such, the lack of one, or a misbehaving one, can lead to less processing and more dumping of the spice soaked fat into your digestive system. You might have similar issues with fatty foods but only notice some symptoms when spice is involved. Or something specifically about the ramen/pho + spice is the issue (oil can absolutely be a thing there).
You could also have other stomach sensitivities which all could mean you'll never expand your tolerance for spice.
Definitely worth checking with a doc, but also just being ok not eating the spiciest things. I don't understand the desire to eat things that hurt you without a reasonable amount of pleasure in exchange. (Like ice cream for the lactose intolerant, that I understand, but even then it's a judgement call for me)
Yeaaaa, I think my doc would get pissed if I wasted her time with this :P
Your inability to understand is really understandable and the only thing I can offer in my defense is for some reason, I like pushing my taste boundaries :shrug:
If something makes you sick, it's not really inherently a waste of your doctor's time. There are medical reasons some people have harsher reactions to capsaicin than others. If one of those is involved, a doc is the person to talk to.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't expand your "taste boundaries" just that deliberately making yourself so miserable doesn't make sense to me. Especially if you're not also enjoying it in the moment.
If you are then it's worth considering the why behind being miserable.
Yeah I would try drinking something with the food as well then, and seeing if that helps it pass.
It's very common to consume a "helper" with spicy food. Again for myself sticking with Indian food, yogurt is a very common ingredient/side in order to help with the spiciness’ effect on the stomach
I would just try the oat milk with it first, but I can't find anything on that specifically. However, a study did find soy milk to do the trick: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/proteins-milk-not-just-fat-may-help-reduce-oral-burn-spicy-food
Basically anything that's high fat and high protein
I take a digestive enzyme with every meal for other reasons, but a nice side effect is that I can once again tolerate spicier foods, like I could when I was young. So that's one option. Of course, spicy foods are usually served with lots of proteins and fats, which will also help avoid future ring of fire consequences.
In general, though, if it's causing you too much upset, just dial it back. You body is communicating with you; it's best to listen. :)
Eat less spicy stuff more frequently and get used to it. buldak's curry flavor is really good as well, and plenty of those are milder
To a point you can just tough out the stomach burn. It's just nerves reacting so no cause for concern. i've eaten super hot stuff and had the burn in my intesties, I'd swear, but if you're going to the bathroom fine it's no problem.
You don't exactly digest capcaisin so it will come out wherever stuff does, poop, urine, sweat, saliva, so as you explore be ready for that to happen.
oat milk helps me more than cow milk apparently, but i only worry about getting my mouth moving like normal again of something is too bad.