When the barbecue season is in full swing, we reach for spicy dishes.
This choice is actually very good, as hot spices cool the body by stimulating the sweat glands.
However, sometimes spicy foods cause unpleasant discomfort in the digestive system or simply seem too spicy.
So, is it worth having them on your plate? We will tell you whether spicy food is good for your health and how to reduce the spiciness of a dish.
Is spicy food healthy?
Capsaicin and other substances responsible for the pungent taste of spices make themselves known through an unpleasant burning sensation in the mouth, nose or stomach, Yulia Arkhipova revealed the details.
However, this does not mean that they are harmful to health and should be excluded from the diet. On the contrary! Nutritionists have no doubt that hot spices bring many health benefits.
Let's start with the properties of the aforementioned capsaicin, which is mainly found in cayenne pepper and various types of peppers (except sweet peppers).
In addition to the fact that this chemical compound is responsible for the pungency of taste, it has an analgesic effect, relieves inflammation and helps reduce cholesterol levels.
However, the beneficial properties of spicy dishes do not end there. Their consumption additionally:
• prevents stomach ulcers;
• effectively satisfies appetite, helping to lose weight and prevent obesity;
• reduces the risk of cancer;
• provides valuable nutrients, an example of which is chili pepper, rich in iron, fiber and vitamins: E, A, B6, K.
A study conducted by researchers at the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, found a reduction in salt intake and blood pressure in 606 patients who consumed hot spices containing capsaicin.
Changing this eating habit could reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, the researchers note. In contrast, another study found that people who ate spicy foods six to seven days a week had a 14% lower risk of dying.
Spicy food? Yes, but in moderation and with health benefits
However, to maintain health, it is worth remembering that hot spices should be consumed in moderation.
This is especially true for hot sauces, which, in addition to being high in chili peppers, contain excessive amounts of sodium in their ingredients.
If you accidentally "overdo it" with these ingredients by eating very spicy foods, side effects such as abdominal pain and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa may occur.
In addition, spicy food will be beneficial to health if it is not fast food, but is part of a balanced diet.
So, when adding hot spices to your meals, consider the nutrient-dense ingredients recommended by the National Institutes of Health, such as grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits.
Spicy Food Isn't For Everyone. Who Should Avoid Spicy Foods
However, spicy food – despite its beneficial properties – is not suitable for everyone. Researchers have shown, for example, that the presence of spices and salt in the diet contributes to the development of acne. Therefore, these ingredients can worsen the condition of problematic and eczema-prone skin.
However, the most common negative effects are at the interface between spicy foods and the gut.
Experts warn that if you have conditions such as gastrointestinal reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, stomach ulcers, colitis or Crohn's disease, hot spices may worsen symptoms.
Spicy foods should also be consumed with caution by women expecting a child. Of course, the question of whether it is possible to eat spicy food during pregnancy does not concern the fetus.
In fact, no studies have shown that high amounts of spices negatively affect fetal development.
However, spicy foods during pregnancy (especially in the second and third trimesters) can cause bloating, gas, indigestion and reflux in the expectant mother, as well as increase heartburn and nausea.
How to tone down a dish's spiciness? Find out before you season it
Adding spices to food requires great care, especially if you suffer from eating too spicy foods or don't like the taste.
Therefore, following the principle: prevention is better than cure, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the spiciness scale before adding hot spices.
This is the so-called Scoville scale, which determines the capsaicin content (SHU) in a particular product (mainly in peppers).
Peppers contain relatively small amounts of this substance (100-500 SHU). For comparison, jalapeño peppers or Tabasco hot sauces contain between 2,500 and 8,000 SHU, and the hottest chili pepper X - 3,180,000.
This knowledge can help you adjust the correct portion of an ingredient or replace it with a less pungent spice.
How to Reduce the Spicyness of a Dish? Use These Ingredients
However, if you accidentally make a dish too spicy, nothing is lost. After all, there are plenty of tried and tested ways to tone down the heat of a dish.
Add more ingredients
The easiest way to make food less spicy is to simply increase its volume. The easiest way to do this is to add water. However, in some cases, this can make the dish too runny.
Therefore, in such a situation, it is worth having frozen vegetables on hand, which are a universal addition to many dishes.
For example, a spring vegetable assortment will prove a tasty ingredient in an over-salted soup or rice with too much curry and chili.
Add dairy products to spicy dishes
Another popular way to reduce the spiciness of a dish is to add dairy products (especially milk) to it.
The casein it contains dissolves capsaicin, reducing the sensation of spiciness. So if you make overly hot sauces, Mexican dishes or soups, don’t worry. Just add a little milk, natural yogurt or cream.
Sprinkle lemon on spicy foods
Excess capsaicin in a dish can also be dealt with by using an acidic ingredient.
The best thing to do is to put a few drops of lemon juice on spicy food and the spiciness level should be reduced.
An equally effective idea would be to add lemon tomato puree to the dish or replace lemon juice with vinegar. Both ingredients can be used in almost any recipe without fear of ruining the dish.
Add nuts to spicy foods
Another indispensable neutralizer of spiciness is fat, which is found in abundance in grains and nuts. By enriching spicy dishes with, for example, peanut butter or tahini, you will deprive them of the unbearably hot taste.
Unfortunately, not all spicy dishes will go well with a strong nutty flavor. However, you can safely add nuts to Asian dishes and mix sesame paste into creamy soups (for example, pumpkin soup).
Add carrots
Too spicy vegetable dishes can also be saved by adding carrots to them.
Just throw it into a boiling dish, and in a few minutes the dish will absorb the spicy aroma.
The carrots should then be removed from the pan and used in another dish so that they do not go to waste.
For such emergencies, it is always worth having frozen baby carrots in stock. Cooking takes only a few minutes.
This will allow you to quickly and effortlessly moderate the spiciness of food and will become the basis for your next culinary experiments.
Neutralize the spiciness with a little sweetness
Excessive spiciness is also effectively neutralized by the sweetness of sugar or ketchup.
However, due to the low nutritional value of these ingredients, they are best used as a last resort or replaced with healthier alternatives.
Alternatively, you can use honey, cinnamon, sweet paprika and vanilla. These spices are especially loved by spicy Indian cuisine, so it is worth saving Asian dishes that use them.
If you happen to cook overly spicy dishes, do not refuse to use hot spices. After all, spicy dishes bring many health benefits.
And in case of culinary failure, you can easily neutralize the overly hot taste of soups or hot sauces.
Just try these proven ways to reduce the spiciness of your food, and you will be able to enjoy the healthy taste of your favorite dishes without having to re-cook them.
Earlier we wrote about who benefits from eating soup.
Expert: Arkhipova Julia
