These tips will save you from the suffering caused by too spicy food.
The reaction of almost everyone to enchilarse with food is to drink a glass of water. It is a bad decision.
Here is why: chili contains a chemical compound called capsaicin which, when conjugated with a protein in your taste buds, is responsible for the burning sensation.
When this union occurs, your neurons send a pain signal to the brain to warn you that something spicy (and possibly dangerous) has entered your body, says Christopher Gulgas, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.
However, capsaicin has fatty qualities that do not dissolve in water, Gulgas explains. “So drinking a glass won’t take it out of your mouth.”
What can you do instead of this?
Chewing ice cubes can help you. Ice water will do nothing, but the cold will numb your tongue and at least take away some pain , Gulgas recommends.
The bread is better. Absorb liquids in your mouth, which will help remove capsaicin molecules from receptors in your taste buds.
However, your best option is by far the dairy, says Gulgas.
Casein, a protein contained in dairy products, binds to capsaicin and removes the components that cause burning out of your mouth, pushing them through your digestive system, helping your mouth to return to normal.
The effect intensifies with whole dairy, such as milk, yogurt and ice cream. This is because capsaicin can also bind to fat, so whole dairy will wash your mouth even faster, Gulgas concludes.
Extra spicy wings and ice cream? Do not talk more!