How's your tolerance for hot spicy foods? (diet, health, tomato)

[SATX56]

Pretty high... I've seen and tasted some salsa made from chiltepins that would kill most people!

[Bunjee]

I can go pretty hot, but there's not much point in heat for heat's sake. I'm grateful for the tolerance though (even if that's still relative). It allows me to eat different foods without being too afraid of the eye-watering effect.

I do wonder if you lose the tolerance. Has anyone here? I don't eat a lot of hot these days, but when I do there's no serious burn like when I was new to heat.

[ABQConvict]

If your chiles are too hot, milk is the drink to go for.

[nmnita]

Just read on another thread that someone seems to think spicy foods are bad for us. I love my hot, spicy everything, Asian, Mexican, buffalo wings, Indian foods, you name it and have never thought, as long as you don't overdo it and don't have digestive problems they are bad for you. In fact I have read more than once various peppers are good for us because they add flavor, helping us to cut back on salt.

How do you feel? Do you enjoy spicy foods, do you eat them often and do you think they are bad or good for us?

[arctic_gardener]

I'm assuming you're referring to spicy as in chili pepper spicy. Spicy foods are very good for you, except, as you said, if you have digestive issues. They stimulate the metabolism and increase endorphin levels.

If you're referring to non-chilli-pepper spicy, an even better case can be made for their health benefits. More indirectly, the use of spices can reduce how much fat, salt and sugar you need to make a dish taste good (another healthy ingredient that accomplishes the same thing is cooking wine).

[Ohiogirl81]

Bring it on!

How are spicy foods "bad" for us?

[TabulaRasa]

Outside of people who have ulcers that are easily irritated, acid reflux that is triggered by various spices (I have acid reflux, but spices aren't a problem...the grease in deep fried foods is a trigger and sometimes wine), or allergies to certain compouds, I can't think of any reason spices would pose a health threat.

[irlinit]

I love spicy food.. I don't think they pose much threat, although I am a bit of a wimp and cannot handle moderate spice.. I can handle normal chilis, though

[Prince_Frog]

Spicy food is good for you as long as it's not too spicy for your body. Eating food that is spicy helps speed up the metabolism which helps burn more calories, but if it's too hot for you, and your body starts sweating from the heat, it's actually not that good for you and you should dial the heat down a bit until your body adjust to the heat over time.

Generally speaking, spicy foods aren't bad for you, assuming you don't already have any internal problems like ulcers and such, and peppers are good for the heart. I don't know what you're reading, but I'm going to assume that they did no research and are wrong, since I just did a 3 minute google search and read and found nothing about spicy foods linked to developing disorders or other issues except for pre-existing internal issues.

Seriously, the hottest pepper I've ever eaten was habanero, and that 1 bowl of curry took me like 20 minutes and like 4 glasses of milk to take down, and what came out of the other end may have been just as bad.

[CSD610]

We do spicy but not overly spicy as far as the heat factor goes. We are mild to medium depending on what the dish is but we do not eat "hot" just to be eating "hot".
We like spice that enhances the dish not spice that overtakes the dish.
I don't think it is bad for anyone health wise outside of the possible throat and stomach irritation if one has acid reflux or ulcers.