Spicy Food

[Zanarkand]

Do you like it or not?
Personally, I like it. This time however I took it too far. I am off work today due to a binge of spicy food last night.
I am regretting that today. However I should have known. I had a plate of pasta topped (OK smothered) in Bhut
Jolokia powder. Also known as Ghost Chili. It is literally the hottest food in the world (spice wise) and I just had
to try it. It won't bother me, I said. After all, I eat jalapeno sandwhiches. (bread, mustard, 30 jalapenos) I eat
hot dogs with 5 habeneros each. Anything spicy, I can't get enough. So, the chance came up to try the hottest
thing on Earth, I jumped in. Yeah it was hot. And the heat grows over time. But I could handle it. Late last night
I began to feel a slight ache in my stomach. Today I am breaking out in sweat spells, bad stomach pains, and have
been "expelling things from my system" pretty much every 2 minutes. Pepto Bismol, Pro biotics, Prilosec have not
helped. Looks like Z finally met his match. And then some.
In the Videos at YouTube where people try the Ghost Chili, they never mention all these after effects. I would have
eaten it anyway, since I tell myself there is nothing too hot for me.

What sort of spicy foods do you all enjoy?

[Steve T Power]

While i'm generally not a fan of "stunt eating", some of the hot stuff has a flavor that i love. Chipotle, habanero, and dried red hot peppers (like what you sprinkle on pizza) are yummy stuff.

[Zanarkand]

Red Pepper flakes. Love that stuff. I put it on lots of things.

[Dunnyman]

Give me the milder spicy stuff, Jalapeno, green and red chilis, and I'm happy, although there's a place in Seattle that offers a Atomic (Habanero spiced) Fried Catfish that is wonderful, despite being incredibly hot. Very yummy, but don't eat there before embarking on a long car ride with others in bad weather, unless you really, really hate the other people. I'd enjoy Indian food more if they could make it less likely to scorch my stomach lining. Mexican food and Thai is just about right on spiciness.

[mavrach]

I have a higher spice tolerance than the average caucasian, but nothing freakish. I do like to test my boundaries and build my tolerances. I have a thai place that I frequent (just came back from there actually), which I love. Today I pushed it a little far and stated to get a bit light headed. Next time I will be stronger!!!

[BrettCullum]

Man, I love spicy food. I would probably try the ghost chilli too. But somehow I know my limits, and usually stick to them. But bring it all on - Mexican, Indian, Thai, jalapenos and habaneros. I have no issues with any of it. It increases your metabolism and triggers endorphins. So you will be skinny and happy! Unfortunately you found out the hard way how effectively it can clean your system out. But just imagine, you are now cleansed inside and out. You are now free to eat more hot stuff!

[Future Man]

I have to put hot sauce on virtually everything. Usually just tabasco. I love sport peppers (hard for me to find, I pick them up at a Chicago style eatery) and jalapeno. I don't go in for the super hot exotic stuff because I am a litle worried about what that could do to one's innards.

[Dunnyman]

Man, I love spicy food. I would probably try the ghost chilli too. But somehow I know my limits, and usually stick to them. But bring it all on - Mexican, Indian, Thai, jalapenos and habaneros. I have no issues with any of it. It increases your metabolism and triggers endorphins. So you will be skinny and happy! Unfortunately you found out the hard way how effectively it can clean your system out. But just imagine, you are now cleansed inside and out. You are now free to eat more hot stuff!

Brett, can you give me some more info or some pointers on the metabolism part? I had never heard that, and as a sorta chunky guy, I can definitely stand the heat of the hotter stuff if it's going to help me out in other ways.

[Zanarkand]

Brett is right, spicy foods do trigger things to change your mood. I don't know if spice can help shrink your waistline, if it does, I was simply not aware of it. But as you know, be mindful of your limits. Me diving into the hottest thing on Earth overdosing as it were, on my first try....not a good move.

[chris_mcclinch]

Dunny,

The capsaicin-weight loss thing is mostly theory at this point. There have been some promising animal studies, but not much on humans. It might have an effect, but I'd look at it as a potential progress accelerator, not a progress starter. As in, if you're already eating right and seeing fat loss, adding capsaicin might improve things, but if you're eating a standard American diet, adding chili peppers to it won't do a damn thing.

[Dan Mancini]

As in, if you're already eating right and seeing fat loss, adding capsaicin might improve things, but if you're eating a standard American diet, adding chili peppers to it won't do a damn thing.

Chris, why do you refuse to believe that there are such things as quick fixes and instant gratification? Why? WHY?!? Why do you hate America? Are you or have you ever been a member of the communist party?

[chris_mcclinch]

As in, if you're already eating right and seeing fat loss, adding capsaicin might improve things, but if you're eating a standard American diet, adding chili peppers to it won't do a damn thing.

Chris, why do you refuse to believe that there are such things as quick fixes and instant gratification? Why? WHY?!? Why do you hate America? Are you or have you ever been a member of the communist party?

Because I'm a great trainer and a lousy entrepreneur. Quick fixes exist, though. Give Greg 45 workouts with me (90 days) and 100% compliance with a diet I lay out for him, and I can promise him a transformed physique in three months.

[Dan Mancini]

As in, if you're already eating right and seeing fat loss, adding capsaicin might improve things, but if you're eating a standard American diet, adding chili peppers to it won't do a damn thing.

Chris, why do you refuse to believe that there are such things as quick fixes and instant gratification? Why? WHY?!? Why do you hate America? Are you or have you ever been a member of the communist party?

Because I'm a great trainer and a lousy entrepreneur. Quick fixes exist, though. Give Greg 45 workouts with me (90 days) and 100% compliance with a diet I lay out for him, and I can promise him a transformed physique in three months.

Killjoy. This is the US of A, Chris, where chalupas and washboard abs are both essential elements of our purfuit of happiness (it says so in the Bill of Rights...somewhere).

[chris_mcclinch]

As in, if you're already eating right and seeing fat loss, adding capsaicin might improve things, but if you're eating a standard American diet, adding chili peppers to it won't do a damn thing.

Chris, why do you refuse to believe that there are such things as quick fixes and instant gratification? Why? WHY?!? Why do you hate America? Are you or have you ever been a member of the communist party?

Because I'm a great trainer and a lousy entrepreneur. Quick fixes exist, though. Give Greg 45 workouts with me (90 days) and 100% compliance with a diet I lay out for him, and I can promise him a transformed physique in three months.

Killjoy. This is the US of A, Chris, where chalupas and washboard abs are both essential elements of our purfuit of happiness (it says so in the Bill of Rights...somewhere).

Tell me about it. It is possible to eat chalupas and have washboard abs, but not everybody has the time or motivation to work out with the intensity and frequency of an NBA player.

[barnaclelapse]

I love spicy foods, but I've never really understood the whole idea of eating something just because it's spicy.

To me, there's gotta be a bunch of other awesome stuff going on.