Who should avoid eating spicy food? Not everyone is suitable for eating chili peppers. Some people must know whether they are suitable or not. This is better for their health. Health issues must be a priority. You must know if you can handle spicy food.
Eating chili can be addictive
From a nutritional perspective, chili peppers are rich in vitamin C, carotene, B vitamins, dietary fiber, and various nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Their vitamin C content is exceptionally high, ranking among the top of all vegetables. Both vitamin C and beta-carotene are effective antioxidants, playing a significant role in preventing arteriosclerosis, lowering cholesterol, and scavenging free radicals. This means chili peppers are a very nutritious vegetable. Chili peppers have therapeutic effects, including warming the middle jiao to dispel cold, stimulating appetite and aiding digestion, promoting sweating to remove dampness, warming meridians to unblock collaterals, and alleviating pain. In particular, when one's appetite is poor and food intake has decreased, adding some chili to dishes can promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juices, increase amylase activity, and improve appetite and food intake. The capsaicin in chili stimulates sweat glands, accelerates metabolism and blood circulation, helps expel toxins from the body, and alleviates symptoms like aversion to cold. Therefore, people working outdoors or in low-lying, humid areas often eat chili to prevent and treat rheumatoid arthritis and chilblains. In terms of taste, capsaicin is a key factor in the addiction to eating chili. As long as the oral mucosa is not injured by the spiciness, taste cells become more sensitive upon contact with capsaicin, allowing one to better perceive the deliciousness of food.
8 types of people should avoid eating chili
1. People with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and those with high blood pressure, should avoid chili. The same applies to patients with chronic bronchitis, pulmonary heart disease, and pulmonary tuberculosis. Capsaicin can cause a sharp increase in circulating blood volume, accelerate the heart rate, and lead to tachycardia. A large dose in a short period can lead to acute heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Even if no acute event occurs, it can hinder the recovery of pre-existing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and pulmonary conditions.
2. Patients with chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, or esophagitis should avoid it. Due to the stimulation of capsaicin, the mucosa can become congested, swollen, and eroded, and gastrointestinal motility can increase sharply, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea. It also affects the recovery of digestive function.
3. Patients with chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis (gallstones), or chronic pancreatitis should avoid it. Capsaicin stimulates an increase in gastric acid secretion. Excess gastric acid can cause gallbladder contraction and spasm of the sphincter of Oddi, leading to difficulty in bile excretion. This can trigger cholecystitis, biliary colic, and pancreatitis.
4. Patients with hemorrhoids should avoid it. The stimulation from capsaicin can cause congestion and swelling of hemorrhoidal veins, worsening the condition and potentially leading to perianal abscesses. Additionally, chili can worsen constipation, further aggravating hemorrhoids.
5. Patients currently taking traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment should also avoid it, as consuming capsaicin can affect the efficacy of the treatment.
Even healthy people should not consume chili for long periods. According to relevant data, a significant proportion of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer have a long history of eating spicy food. In summary, although spicy food is delicious, it should be consumed in moderation.
6. Thin people should avoid eating chili. Thin individuals often experience symptoms like a dry throat, bitter taste in the mouth, and irritability. Eating chili not only aggravates these symptoms but can also lead to bleeding, allergies, and inflammation. In severe cases, it can cause infections such as carbuncles and sores.
7. Patients with kidney disease should avoid eating chili. Capsaicin is excreted through the kidneys and can damage renal parenchymal cells. In severe cases, it can lead to changes in kidney function, or even renal failure.
8. Patients with hyperthyroidism should avoid it. These patients already have a fast heart rate, and consuming chili can further accelerate it, making the symptoms more pronounced.
How to enjoy spicy food without harming your health
First, pay attention to cooking methods. It is best to choose dishes made with fresh chili peppers. Fresh chili is more nutritious and "less fiery" compared to dried chili, chili flakes, or chili powder. The spiciness of fresh chili is somewhat reduced after high-temperature stir-frying. If a dish already contains chili, avoid adding other "heaty" spices like Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, or cassia bark, as this creates a "double heat" effect and more easily leads to "internal heat" (上火). You can also mitigate this by soaking the chili in vinegar for a while before cooking, or by adding vinegar to the spicy dish.
Second, ingredient pairing is crucial. Pairing spicy food with "cooling" ingredients can have a "neutralizing" effect, clearing heat and reducing internal fire. Duck, fish, bitter melon, lotus root, water chestnut, tofu, and asparagus are all cooling ingredients that can clear heat, generate fluids, nourish yin, and reduce dryness, making them the perfect partners for spicy dishes.
Third, it is best to choose coarse grains as your staple food. Their high dietary fiber content can prevent constipation caused by gastrointestinal dryness and heat. Corn or sweet potatoes are good choices. Additionally, Job's tears (coix seed) can also reduce dryness; when cooked into a congee with lilies, its effect is even more pronounced.
Fourth, drink plenty of water or soup when eating spicy food. Spicy food can easily cause symptoms like a dry throat and chapped lips, so it is important to stay hydrated. Chrysanthemum tea and sour plum soup are excellent "fire extinguishers." Drinking a glass of yogurt or milk can not only relieve the spiciness but also help to clear heat.
In addition, it is best to eat more sour fruits after consuming spicy food. They contain tannins and dietary fiber, which can stimulate digestive juice secretion, accelerate gastrointestinal motility, and help to nourish yin and moisten dryness. Hawthorn, pomelo, citrus, apples, and pears are all good choices.