Hurts So Good: The Science of Why Spicy Foods Cool You Down
Pretty much every culinary tradition has some type of love affair with spicy flavors. From mild flirtation (a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes on pasta) to full-blown obsession (Szechuan food, anyone?), foodies across the globe can be found adding pops of heat to their dishes. Much like umami and acidity, spice can add an entirely new dimension to food; it also provides physical sensations, ranging from pleasant tingle to mild burn to face-melting, five-alarm fire.
There is another curious component of this flavor profile: Though we describe the taste as “hot,” spicy foods have the remarkable ability to cool us down. That’s why, counterintuitive as it may be, you’ll find some of the spiciest food in the world’s warmest climates. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but we’re here to break it down for you, science-style. Don’t worry — we’re a lot nicer than your AP Chem teacher!
First things first: When we’re talking about spicy foods, we’re almost always talking about chili peppers. There are other ingredients that can bring some heat, like ginger root, wasabi, and horseradish, but for the purposes of our chat today, let’s focus on peppers.
The main culprit that makes some peppers hot is an organic compound called capsaicin. Capsaicin can be found in the fruit of pepper plants, and is mostly concentrated in the membranes that surround the seeds. This is why recipes often suggest de-seeding jalapeños or habaneros before adding them to the dish.
Different peppers contain different levels of capsaicin, and this is measured using the Scoville heat units (SHU), the scale of which goes from zero to about 16 million. These are named after the scientist Wilbur Scoville who invented this system in 1912. A regular bell pepper, for example, contains zero SHU; a jalapeño contains between 5,000 and 50,000; and a Scotch Bonnet pepper contains between 100,000 and 350,000 SHU. If you’ve ever seen or used super-spicy hot sauces, they likely contain more powerful peppers, like Ghost Peppers or Carolina Reaper peppers, which hit hard at 1 million and 2.2 million SHU, respectively!
When you eat food with hot peppers in it, capsaicin stimulates both pain signals in the body and neurotransmitters in the brain. Once these signals subside, that feeling is over. But during the period, the capsaicin activates heat receptors in your skin which tell the nervous system that your body is getting warmer (even though in reality, it’s not). In response to this message, your body begins sweating.
Just like during a tough workout or a steamy day, sweat is the body’s way of cooling itself down. As sweat evaporates from the surface of the skin, your sweat evaporates and you experience a subtle, but effective, cooling sensation.
If you like to dabble in powerfully piquant peppers, try ZENB Quick Thai-Style Rotini which calls for Thai bird chilies: small, red or green chili peppers often used in Southeast Asian cuisine. Thai bird's eye chilis can measures between 50,000 and 100,000 SHU, making them hotter than jalapeños but less hot than habaneros.
Or, if you want to enjoy a milder heat in your cooking, try these ZENB recipes: Sweet & Spicy Thai-Style ZENB Agile Skillet, Spicy Spaghetti with Grilled Lobster and Lemon, or Chipotle-Spiced ZENB Pumpkin Penne Pasta. Or opt for a dish that incorporates ingredients like creamy cheese to balance out the spice, like in this Spicy Green Onion Fried ZENB Spaghetti with Ricotta recipe.
That’s just the beginning of our amazing recipe collection; explore our over 150 plant-powered dishes to find healthy, balanced meals, snacks, and even desserts! For more ZENB goodness, check out our video series, ZENB Academy and Chef Ballers, catch up on fun, informative articles on our blog, and follow ZENB on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for advice and inspiration for how to live a balanced lifestyle.
