Spicy Food: Everything You Should Know About 2021

Hated by many and loved by many others, this food does not usually leave anyone indifferent. Although it is delicious and typical gastronomy in many countries of the world, there are multiple arguments against and in favor of this type of diet.

Is spicy food good or bad?

Whether this food is good or bad, the answer is clear: depends. Many people think that these highly seasoned and spicy foods are harmful to our digestive system. However, recent studies have shown that it can protect the gastric mucosa and many other benefits.

Some seasonings from spicy food: chili, Pepper, turmeric, or curry, contain a capsaicin chemical. This substance is precisely what some people get gastric ailments like heartburn, an unpleasant burning that runs from the tongue to the stomach’s pit.

However, recent research has shown that, despite causing heartburn, capsaicin can help us kill our organism’s cancer cells.

Also, capsaicin is currently used as the main ingredient in many dermatological creams for its power to calm the pain in muscles, bones, and joints.

Another of the Powers attributed to spicy foods is their activating role in blood circulation. So much so that since ancient times spicy foods were used to improve digestion or to reduce inflammation after a blow or trauma.

Myths about spicy food

A widely publicized myth is that this food causes hemorrhoids. That is not true.  If a person has hemorrhoids, they should avoid intaking this food to aggravate the inflammation, but the spicy itself does not cause hemorrhoids.

Another prevalent belief is that this food can cause contractions in pregnant women. Still, the truth is that there are no scientific studies that prove the factor that suggests a relationship between the consumption of spicy foods and premature birth.

What can happen to people who suffer from gastritis or stomach acid? Many doctors recommend that their patients avoid spicy foods if they have symptoms of gastritis or stomach ulcers.

However, according to certain scientific studies, spicy food would not be the cause of gastritis.

On the contrary,  those who consume pepper and other spicy spices would be protecting their gastric mucosa and obtaining other benefits.

These are the benefits of eating spicy.

People who want to lose weight may also turn to this food as an excellent ally to speed up metabolism cause fat burning. This process occurs because, eating spicy food, we manage to increase our body heat and, therefore, we accelerate the calorie-burning process.

In addition to this, a recent study published by an Australian university points out that spicy food can help us reduce bad cholesterol that accumulates in our arteries and circulates through our blood.

Other foods that help lower bad cholesterol

Also, people prone to diabetes might find spicy food to reduce insulin demand and prevent this disease. On the other hand, many women in the state question whether it is harmful to eat spicy in pregnancy. We must know that it is one way to increase stomach acidity or digestive problems but has not been proven to affect the baby.

Finally, you have to highlight that this food has a high content of group E vitamins and antioxidants, which help us fight free radicals and delay cellular aging that the organism suffers from the passage of time.

Contraindications of spicy food to consider

Despite all these benefits, this food also has contraindications that could affect our health, especially that of a certain segment of the population discouraged from ingestion of these spicy foods, such as pregnant women, children, or people with food allergies various.

Spicy food is also contraindicated for people suffering from stomach ulcers, gastritis, irritable bowel, reflux, or any other ailment related to the digestive system.

Those who suffer from hemorrhoids may notice a worsening of their symptoms if they abuse spicy food on their regular diet. Even in pregnant women, the intake of spicy foods is usually discouraged because, in many cases, they experience negative effects during their consumption, such as acidity in the stomach and esophagus.

People susceptible to certain seasonings and spicy spices may also suffer skin irritation, redness, or itching, mainly due to capsaicin action.

Have you gone over the spicy cooking? Don’t worry. Discover the best ways to reduce excess heat and get some delicious recipes.