How can I train myself to eat spicy food?

Question

I'm a malaysian in malaysia, where half the food at half the time is spicy... i have tried spicy food but what usually follows is perpetual sweating,burned tongue,tonnes of embarassment and endless tissue wiping and water drinking.

So is there any possible way i can train myself to getting used to having spicy food? Thanks.

:D

Answer 1

Start with eating the less spicy food regularly the more you eat it, the more you will get used to it.. then switch to the spicier stuff and you will get used to that too...

the sweating is common...

oh and a tip, don't drink too much water.. just eat plain white rice.. it takes most of the sting out... THEN drink water...

Answer 2

I'm late to the game, but I've been conditioning myself to eat spicy foods over the past couple of months, and I will say for sure that persistence works wonders. My method is a combination of slow, steady conditioning with occasional instances of what I call "shock therapy." (Where I will OCCASIONALLY eat one uncomfortably hot dish)

I started off making sure to eat mild/medium spicy foods or sauces at least 3-5 times a week. (Stuff that would rate somewhere between 200-1,000 on the Scoville Scale) I kept going until I not only was comfortable with it, but I was able to savor the spiciness and take notice of all of the subtle notes and flavors that come with the spicy foods. I would occasionally also eat foods or sauces that were extremely hot. (Such as food with a small amount of Ghost Pepper sauce I have that rates at 500,000 Scoville Units) Although that was only 1-2 times a month.

I've now gotten to the point that I can fairly comfortably eat fresh Jalapenos straight without cooking or de-seeding them (whereas they used to absolutely kill me before I started "training" myself), with only temporary minor discomfort. I try to eat at least 3 meals that are fairly spicy each week, and usually eat a fresh Jalapeno almost every day to keep my mouth and body used to ingesting hot foods.

My goal is to be able to comfortably eat and stomach Habanero peppers in the future. But it will take time.

The key is persistence. You're going to want to go slow, but still be fairly consistent with having spicy foods or sauces on a regular basis.

Answer 3

do you really want to do this. I myself don't care for spicy food., mostly because anything that just burns and is uncomfortable to the palate is not for me. You say half the food is spicy, so just eat the other half, really I'm not trying to be funny. I love Mexican food but I always ask for mild sauce. So don't be embarrassed. Just ask what is the least spicy on menu.

Answer 4

You can train yourself to get used to eating spicy food by eating it regularly but sorry to say, it might not stop the perpetual sweating and endless tissue wiping. My husband loves spicy food, eats it all the time and have been eating them since childhood but he still drips sweat everytime he eats them.

Answer 5

Definitely. The key is to start off SLOWLY, with only foods that are mildly spicy. Over time as you can tolerate mild, then graduate to a little spicier, then increase the heat level to what you can tolerate. Do not get too hot with the food to start off with, or it will turn you off from even wanting spicy food.

Answer 6

Start with less spicy and continue with more spices and it will get you in the habit of easily eating spicy food without even thinking about it.

Some spices cure the cancers and more research is under way.

Answer 7

I have a relationship where I love the hot and spicy my better half cannot handle it. With the exception of Chili, we make a meal and and I add the heat after it's made to my plate. Chili, we make two pots, his and hers. Mine is very hot, hers is more like a stew, I insist Chopped burger, tomatoes and chilli make mine, she adds mushrooms, celery and no where hear as much chili powder than I do. She adds some after meat is cooked, mine has to cooked with the meat. I time cook mine as I put enough chili powder in to turn the meat red.

Answer 8

the best way is to eat spicy food all the time.

Answer 9

just keep eating it. you'll build up a tolerance.