Hot & Spicy Food - Know The Good & Bad!

Hot and spicy foods can numb your senses, quite literally! In every nook and corner, you will find people salivating over hot and spicy foods. For long, people were of the belief that such foods only harm your system, inviting unwanted health complications and disorders. Most parents try their best to keep their children away from such foods. But every cloud has a silver lining. Hot and spicy foods are not only about the cons.

Unfortunately, not many people are aware of the health benefits of hot and spicy foods. This article is an attempt to aware the readers of both the pros and cons of hot and spicy foods.
Health benefits associated with hot and spicy foods:

Hot and spicy foods, when consumed in moderation can work wonders for your system. Chillies, peppers, spices, the main ingredients which spice up a dish have many health benefits.

1. Endorphins are your feel-good hormones. Together with serotonin, the hormones help to keep stress, anxiety, and depression at bay. They are great mood enhancers. Chilli peppers tend to elevate the levels of both these hormones in the body, helping you to fight stress better. Capsaicin, an important active component of chilli peppers has many advantages.
   • It plays a pivotal role in lowering the flu symptoms.
   • It has anti-carcinogenic properties.
   • It comes as a relief for people suffering from stomach ulcers. Capsaicin effectively gets rid of the bacteria H.pylori, which causes stomach ulcer (in most cases).
   • It also helps in lowering and maintaining the blood cholesterol level.
   • If you have been struggling to lose weight, then capsaicin is what the doctors have just advised. It acts as a catalyst, accelerating the metabolism, thus enabling the body in rapid burning down of calories.
2. In general, having spices in your diet elevates the HCl secretion in the stomach, thereby improving the overall digestion process.
3. Research suggest spicy foods can bring about a remarkable improvement in the circulation process.
4. Spicy foods may be a blessing for your heart. As per research, spicy foods go a long way in lowering the cases of strokes or heart attacks.

An excess of anything is bad. With merits come the demerits.

1. Heartburn is common in people who eat very hot and spicy foods.
2. Very spicy foods can cause stomach problems, including a stomach upset, stomach pain, and in extreme cases, even diarrhea.
3. If you are a night owl by force (sleep does not come easily to you), spicy foods will only worsen the situation. Having hot and spicy foods for dinner, or just before retiring to bed is sure to doom your sleep.
4. Extremely spicy foods can cause inflammation of the lining of the stomach, resulting in Gastritis.
5. People who love eating very spicy foods are more likely to suffer from acid reflux problems. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ayurveda.