The benefits and harms of spicy food. Spicy foods

Many people do not like spicy food, as it causes a burning sensation in the mouth and discomfort in the stomach. Many people cannot eat spices for health reasons. But there are also a large number of lovers of spicy, peppery dishes. Such taste sensations give them real pleasure.

Experts differ on the benefits of such food. Some believe that consuming hot seasonings improves immunity and activates metabolic processes in the body. Others warn about the dangers of such food, as it can cause heartburn and increases the risk of developing gastritis and peptic ulcers.

So is spicy food dangerous or not for health? What are the benefits and harms from it? To answer this question, let's look at all the pros and cons:

The benefits of spicy food

People have been using hot, spicy seasonings since ancient times. Not a single kitchen in the world can do without them. They enrich the taste of dishes and increase appetite. When consumed in moderation, they can provide significant health benefits. At least that's what many nutritionists say.

For example, even the ancient Hindus successfully treated diseases with the help of spices. Until now, Indians know that cinnamon will relieve rheumatic and muscle pain and helps with arthritis. Coriander treats heartburn and helps cope with infectious diseases. Fennel promotes weight loss, ginger purifies the blood, and ginger tea is good to drink when you have a cold.

After conducting a series of experiments, in 2009, Thai scientists found that regular consumption of hot chili peppers reduces blood sugar levels. Even earlier, in 2006, Australian scientists discovered the same property of hot pepper. They published their research proving that consuming this seasoning reduces the risk of hyperinsulinemia. This condition is often a precursor to the development of type II diabetes.

In addition, hot pepper helps to improve the health of blood vessels, cleanses them of cholesterol deposits, increasing the lumen. This fiery seasoning contains capsaicin, a substance that destroys harmful bacteria that enter the human body along with food.

Eating hot spices warms up the body, increases the release of adrenaline, and lowers blood pressure. Their moderate consumption improves digestion and increases the secretion of gastric juice. This, in turn, activates blood circulation in the walls of the stomach and helps restore its mucous membrane.

Spicy food stimulates sweating during colds and alleviates the condition of a patient with a high fever. Spices help cleanse the nasal mucosa during a runny nose and help remove mucus when coughing.

Spicy food has a warming effect on the body and calms the nervous system. Therefore, its moderate use helps you fall asleep peacefully at night and get a good night's sleep.

It should be noted that hot, spicy foods increase the content of joy hormones - endorphin and serotonin. Therefore, eating dishes with spicy seasonings improves your mood and relieves stress. Such food can even dull not very strong painful sensations.

To whom is spicy food dangerous? What harm does it cause?

Despite the fact that spices and foods with a pungent taste can provide health benefits (if consumed in moderation), many experts believe that they are still more harmful. Therefore, it is recommended to consume them in minimal quantities, or even abandon them altogether.

The harm of spicy food is obvious. This is due to the fact that it causes heartburn in many people. Especially when a person consumes it often and a lot. To avoid this problem, you need to include spicy foods in your diet not all the time, but from time to time and only in small quantities.

Many of us know first-hand the benefits of such popular products in our country as onions and garlic. They are added to many dishes and are also used to treat a number of diseases. However, excessive use is fraught with more than just persistent bad breath. Excessive consumption of them increases the risk of pancreatic diseases. Therefore, raw onions, garlic and similar spicy-tasting foods can be eaten in small quantities.

You need to understand that each nationality has developed its own food culture over the centuries. It depends on the race, on the climate where a person lives, and is also related to his way of life. We are all different. Our preferences also depend on what our ancestors ate from time immemorial. This or that food may be useful for one person, but it is dangerous for another to eat it. For example, a passion for spicy seasonings poses little threat to a Chilean or Korean. And in a European, this can cause the development of gastritis, pancreatitis, and peptic ulcers.

In addition, sometimes doctors discover migratory glossitis in lovers of spicy, pungent and salty foods. This disease is expressed in constant irritation of the tongue receptors, which causes the patient to lose taste. This disease requires mandatory treatment and avoidance of your favorite spicy foods.

In conclusion, we note that any food acceptable to a given person should be present on his table; you should not give up your favorite foods.

However, in order not to harm your own health, not to suffer from heartburn, debilitating stomach pain, not to end up in the hospital with pancreatitis, do not get carried away with spices, hot, hot seasonings and foods. Just eat them little by little and limit their quantity when preparing dishes. Then they will not harm your health. On the contrary, you will truly enjoy their taste and aroma, and at the same time get the maximum benefit from their use.

Many studies show that using certain spices makes food healthier. In particular, this applies to those spices that are literally “fiery.” What's useful about them?

Improves the functioning of the digestive system. All spicy spices increase the secretion of gastric juice. This helps to improve the flow to the gastric walls and restore the mucosa. In addition, capsaicin, which is rich in hot peppers, destroys bacteria that enter the digestive tract with food.

Helps in the fight against colds. Hot spices increase sweating, reducing discomfort caused by the body. Spices also cleanse the nasal passages and help remove mucus from the bronchi.

Helps you fall asleep. The warming effect of spices helps you relax and fall asleep peacefully. And since lovers of spicy dishes are rarely overcrowded, a person gets enough sleep and wakes up in the morning refreshed and has breakfast.

They are filming. Spicy dishes increase the content of pleasure hormones - serotonin and endorphin. Such food calms, suppresses the effects of stress and can even relieve mild pain.

Arguments against spicy food

Experts, despite the obvious health benefits, advise eating hot spices with caution, and sometimes even recommend avoiding them altogether. What's the matter?

. Excessive amounts of spicy foods in the diet can cause gastritis - inflammation of the gastric mucosa. As a rule, it is caused by an infection, but constant irritation of the gastric walls by spicy foods can cause a weakening of the protective barrier.

. Hot and spicy foods increase the secretion of gastric juice and can cause the mass contained in the stomach to be thrown into the stomach. Most often this happens after heavy feasts.

Unpleasant “aroma” from the mouth. Spicy seasonings containing garlic and onions remain in the mouth for a long time bad smell.

Impaired sensitivity of taste buds. Regularly eating spicy foods can cause problems with your taste buds. This explains the addiction to the use of hot seasonings and the refusal of bland food, which begins to seem tasteless.

Know your limits

Regardless of the fact that spicy foods can be beneficial for health, they should not be overindulged. Remember that the unpleasant sensations experienced by a person in the process of tasting spicy food are a signal from the body that there has been a disruption in its normal functioning.

People with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or with increased sensitivity to spicy tastes should monitor the consumption of spicy seasonings most carefully. Learn to use spices in moderation to enjoy their taste and bring maximum health benefits.

There are contraindications, consult your doctor.

Spicy food differs from all other foods in that when eating it, a person feels a burning sensation in the mouth. Due to this fact, many myths have appeared around spicy food regarding the effect on health and figure. Some people use it to treat illnesses or lose weight, while others consider it very unhealthy and do not use it at all. Who is right?

Harm from spicy food

Most people consider spicy foods to be unhealthy. Why? The reason is probably that in many diets such foods are prohibited. In particular, they should not be used for gastritis or peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel pathologies, and chronic pancreatitis.

In fact, spicy food is extremely rarely harmful to a healthy person, only if it is consumed in excess. Possible harm from spicy food:

Spicy food stimulates the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which can be thrown into the esophagus (especially if the cardiac sphincter is insufficient).
Abdominal pain. Spicy food irritates the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.
Smell from the mouth. It is better not to eat some foods before going out in public.
Stool disorders. Spicy foods stimulate intestinal motility, and in some cases can cause diarrhea.

do not eat spicy foods on an empty stomach;
know when to stop;
Avoid spicy foods if you have a stomach ache or have diseases of the digestive system.

The benefits of spicy food

Although spicy foods are harmful for patients with gastritis or pancreatitis, they are beneficial for some people. Possible benefits of this food:

Stimulates digestion. Spicy food helps improve appetite, stimulates the production of digestive juices, improves digestion, and reduces the likelihood of dyspeptic symptoms after eating.
Prevention of constipation. Spicy foods irritate the intestinal walls, increasing peristalsis.
Antiplatelet action. Some spicy foods reduce blood clotting, which is useful for preventing heart disease in old age.
Antimicrobial action. Spicy foods often contain phytoncides, which reduce the likelihood of intestinal infection when eating foods contaminated with bacteria.

The mythical benefits of spicy food, which are often described on the Internet, but in reality you will not get them:

vitaminization of the body;
strengthening immunity;
stimulation of lactation;
removal of toxins;
crushing gallstones;
normalization of the composition of intestinal microflora;
weight loss;
reduction of joint pain;
prevention of cancer and diabetes.

Spicy food for weight loss

Many people believe that spicy foods promote weight loss. This happens supposedly due to stimulation of metabolism. People have this misconception because spicy foods cause a burning sensation. Considering that heat production is always accompanied by energy expenditure, it seems that calorie expenditure actually increases.

In fact, spicy food does not cause your body tissues to warm up, and the sensation of heat it creates is false. It is not accompanied by a real increase in temperature, since it is caused not by increased heat production, but by irritation of receptors. This was confirmed by clinical studies that demonstrated the absence of the effect of spicy food on body weight in humans.

Moreover, this food group can prevent weight loss and even increase your weight. Spicy foods stimulate digestion and appetite. As a result, your diet may increase, which will result in an increase in body fat mass. When on a diet, it is better to refrain from eating large amounts of pepper, garlic, mustard and other similar foods to reduce the likelihood of a breakdown.

Spicy food diet

The opinion that spicy food stimulates the process of losing weight is so ingrained in people’s minds that the so-called “spicy diet” has appeared, supposedly allowing you to lose 5 kg in 7 days. It assumes the same menu for every day. An important feature of the diet is the need to add ground red pepper to all foods. In just a day you need to eat at least 1 heaped teaspoon.

Daily diet menu for spicy foods:

1 piece of bread (50 g);
250 g chicken;
half a boiled egg;
2 glasses of kefir;
a teaspoon with a mountain of honey;
half a kilogram of berries or fruits;
vegetables - without restrictions.

The diet supposedly owes its high effectiveness to the fact that it speeds up metabolism. In fact, you are unlikely to lose weight on it. Firstly, a week is not enough for this, even if you give up food altogether. Secondly, the diet cannot be called too meager.

Let's look at the numbers. Let's roughly calculate the calories:

chicken – 400 kcal;
half an egg – 30 kcal;
honey – 40 kcal;
fruits – 200 kcal;
kefir – 200 kcal;
bread – 130 kcal.

The total is about 1000 kcal per day. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s clearly not enough to lose weight by 5 kg per week, given that unlimited vegetables are included in this amount. Perhaps if pepper could really significantly speed up metabolism, the diet would be effective, but spicy food does not have such properties.

During pregnancy

It is not advisable to eat spicy food during pregnancy. It does not pose a threat to the baby, but causes significant discomfort to the woman. Pregnancy is often accompanied by heartburn. With spicy food, gastroesophageal reflux will intensify - it will become even more painful and burning.

But some women during pregnancy are drawn to garlic, mustard and pepper like a magnet. What to do in such cases? It depends on the condition of your gastrointestinal tract. If nothing hurts you and there is no heartburn, eat spicy food to your heart’s content. But in case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the presence of dyspeptic symptoms, it is better to keep your desires in check and abandon this group of products.

Conclusion

Spicy food may be harmful for some people, healthy for others, but for most it will be neutral - just another food group, no more, no less. Such food, contrary to popular belief, does not stimulate the process of losing weight. But spicy food improves appetite and prevents constipation, reduces blood clotting and destroys pathogenic microbes. It is worth remembering that these products irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, so people with chronic pancreatitis or erosive and ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract should avoid them.

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Spicy food is a frequent guest on the tables of many of us. At the same time, some consider such food to be extremely healthy, while others believe that it is very harmful to the body. In this case, you should not go to extremes - it is important not to forget that everything is good in moderation, because in moderation, spicy food can help the human body cope with a great variety of unpleasant conditions and even prevent the occurrence of quite dangerous ailments. What are the benefits of such food?

Reducing inflammation and pain

Many people who have ever experienced muscle pain or debilitating joint pain have probably resorted more than once to the help of all kinds of ointments and balms containing capsaicin. And you shouldn’t be surprised by this - the capsaicin contained in hot peppers is truly a powerful tool for blocking pain! Significantly reducing the intensity of pain, it simultaneously promotes the production of collagenase and prostaglandins, endowed with the ability not only to relieve pain, but also to relieve any manifestations of inflammatory processes. Capsaicin acts in approximately the same way in spicy foods, so you should not give up the idea of flavoring this or that food with a small amount of hot pepper.
However, not only red pepper, but also black pepper, which contains an equally valuable substance called piperine, helps to cope with inflammatory processes in the body. In addition to the fact that this same piperine copes excellently with inflammation, it also suppresses the activity of a gene directly associated with the development of cancer and arthritis. It also quickly suppresses the perception of pain!
Ginger root also boasts pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. It not only perfectly soothes arthritis pain, but is also incredibly effective for nausea, diarrhea or vomiting. In addition, cardamom and turmeric are widely used to reduce inflammation.

Help prevent cancer

Ginger, black and red pepper, as well as turmeric and a number of other spices are endowed with a powerful antioxidant effect. It’s no wonder that Indians get cancer much less often than Europeans. And even though many Indians smoke a lot, their incidence of lung cancer is eight times lower than that of most other countries! But all this is due to the fact that the Indian diet is literally replete with all kinds of spices!

Limiting salt intake

People who regularly eat spicy foods consume much less salt than their counterparts who do not like such dishes at all. And this is understandable: mustard, ginger, as well as pepper or garlic can become excellent salt substitutes, giving various dishes a unique taste!

Help with weight loss

Spicy food will serve well for everyone who wants to lose weight, because it is the best assistant in accelerating the metabolic processes occurring in the body. Cayenne pepper has proven itself especially well in such an important matter - it is the one that can most often be seen as part of diets for cleansing and weight loss. People whose diet regularly includes this valuable product are much less likely to be overweight or obese. Moreover, it is simply not possible to eat too much spicy food, and this in turn allows you to much better control the volume of calories absorbed. And even despite the fact that spicy foods increase appetite, fans of spicy food almost never overeat!

Reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases

One of the main causes of various cardiovascular diseases is the gradual accumulation of plaque on the walls of the arteries, which inevitably entails significant difficulties in the movement of blood throughout the human body. To avoid such troubles, it is recommended to include chilli peppers in your diet - the capsaicin they contain will greatly improve the condition of blood vessels and reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol. Moreover, experts from Hong Kong have found that spicy food is an excellent preventative against a great variety of cardiovascular diseases. It helps not only strengthen the walls of blood vessels, but also significantly reduce blood pressure!

Relief from depression, anxiety and headaches

Pepper is a truly unique medicine for headaches and migraines. In addition, dishes seasoned with it are an excellent help in the fight against depression and are endowed with the ability to elevate mood, because the capsaicin contained in delicious peppers significantly increases the level of endorphins, serotonins and other hormones responsible for a good mood.

Healthy and sound sleep

Spicy dishes are also an excellent prevention of insomnia - their pleasant warming effect helps you relax quickly and fall asleep very quickly. However, in the morning, a person who consumes such foods will wake up cheerful and rested, because he will get a great night’s sleep!

Digestive system protection

Many people try to avoid spicy foods, believing that they are the cause of heartburn or ulcers, but in reality this is completely wrong - moderate consumption of spicy foods brings exceptional benefits to the digestive system. Moreover, one of the latest Asian studies says that people who refuse dishes containing capsaicin are attacked by peptic ulcers three times more often than lovers of spicy foods.
Spicy food perfectly stimulates the production of gastric juice, which greatly contributes to the gradual restoration of the vulnerable mucous membranes of the stomach and improves blood flow to its walls. Capsaicin is also an excellent fighter against bacteria entering the digestive tract along with food!

Fighting colds

By effectively stimulating the sweating process, spicy foods significantly reduce the discomfort caused by increased temperature. But their beneficial effect on the body does not end there - among other things, they contribute to better removal of accumulated mucus from the bronchi and faster relief of nasal congestion.

Possible harm

Of course, spicy food can cause some harm to the body, but most often this only happens if it is consumed in moderation. Since such food promotes more active production of gastric juice, in too large quantities it can cause heartburn, in other words, the contents of a full stomach will simply begin to be slowly released into the esophagus. Heartburn is especially common as a consequence of heavy meals. In addition, excessive consumption of spicy foods can lead to inflammation of the gastric mucosa, or gastritis, because by constantly irritating its walls with various spices, a person thereby significantly reduces their protective barrier.
Fans of garlic and onions often encounter such a phenomenon as bad breath, which can sometimes be very difficult to get rid of, so you should not consume these products immediately before important events or business meetings. And overuse of spicy foods can easily lead to disruption of the taste buds, as a result of which bland food will generally begin to seem completely tasteless. However, the too pungent taste of spices can be neutralized - for example, with the help of lemon, which perfectly switches the taste buds from a bright pungent taste to a rich sour one. You can also always eat hot peppers with cooked rice, which will act as a sorbent, binding and neutralizing the capsaicin contained in the pepper.
Particular caution when consuming spicy foods should be exercised by people suffering from various gastrointestinal diseases or who are hypersensitive to such foods. These people need to learn how to dose such foods correctly and constantly monitor their condition while consuming them.

In general, you shouldn’t be afraid of spicy food, because it can really become an excellent assistant on the path to health and beauty, the most important thing is not to get carried away with it too much, and then, without a doubt, everything will be completely fine! It’s no wonder that humanity has been using various seasonings since ancient times, trying to extract maximum health benefits from them! Surely our ancestors certainly knew a lot about seasonings!

Photo: Bernd Juergens/Rusmediabank.ru, yelenayemchuk/Rusmediabank.ru, subbotina/Rusmediabank.ru, Volodymyr Melnyk/Rusmediabank.ru, siamphotos

The taste preferences of all people are quite different, but at the same time they can be classified. Among them it is easy to identify lovers of sweets, meat, fruits and other options. One of the popular flavors is spicy. But as hot as dishes with spicy additives are, the controversy surrounding their benefits or harm rages.

What makes food spicy?

Now we will surprise you very much, but we feel spicy, burning food with special receptors on our tongue - temperature ones. It is thanks to them that after mint there is a “draft in the mouth”, after menthol toothpaste or chewing gum there is also a feeling of coolness, and after a good portion of Asian dishes you will feel as if someone has lit a huge fire on your tongue. These receptors are sensitive to the substance capsaicin, which excites them and makes it possible to feel a burning or pungent taste. A striking example of its high content is cayenne pepper, chili or jalapeno, which is used in abundance in Mexican cuisine. But this substance acts not only on the tongue. The fact is that capsaicin causes not only a feeling of warmth or even heat, but also causes a strong rush of blood to the surface with which it interacts - be it the skin on the hand, the tongue or the stomach mucosa. And this last interaction raises a lot of fears and suspicions that spicy food may be unsafe.

What is the harm of spicy foods?

The first answer will be extremely simple - in the absence of a sense of proportion in the person eating. That is why further we will consider only those risks that can await us even with moderate consumption of savory foods.

Some believe that hot foods can cause diseases of the stomach and duodenum. However, this is only true for those cases when a person already has a disease in a non-acute stage or simply has not yet been identified. Therefore, they are not recommended for people with gastritis or ulcers, simply so as not to provoke inflammatory processes.

Another unpleasant effect of “fiery” food is heartburn. A strong rush of blood causes an increase in the secretion of gastric juice and its excess is thrown into the esophagus, causing an unpleasant burning sensation. But not all people are susceptible to this phenomenon.

And finally, dulling of the sense of taste, which occurs with regular and abundant consumption of spicy foods. But the harmful influence also has the other side of the coin.

The benefits of spicy food

It is due to its irritating property that spicy food attracts a large volume of blood to the location. Thanks to this, the condition of colds is alleviated, and sputum discharge is improved in case of bronchitis, acute respiratory infections and other conditions accompanied by cough.

Another stimulating effect promotes faster weight loss due to activation of cardio-vascular system, accelerating blood flow, removing toxins and excess fluids from tissues. The only condition is that the food should not be too salty, otherwise the salt will still provoke the persistence and even increase of edema.

In addition, scientists have concluded that spicy foods promote the production of serotonin, which can help improve mood. So a Mexican salad may well be a good alternative to a box of chocolates in case of mental pain.

So, to summarize: spicy food helps to activate the body, tones up, and helps fight excess weight for those people who do not have ulcers or gastritis. It can help fight colds and depression. However, it should not be abused, since such a diet cannot be the basis for correct or.