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Spicy Food: Does It Help You Eat Less?
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
Are you the kind of person who needs a drizzle of hot sauce, a topping of jalapeños, or always requests the spicy kick add-on to whatever you eat? As a health coach, I’ve heard tons of claims about spicy food, including that it can improve your metabolism and help you eat less.
People often ask me, “does eating spicy food have actual health benefits, or does the flavor (and heat!) just make us more aware of how much we’re eating?” In my opinion, it’s probably both!
When enjoying some chips and salsa or a curry, you’re more likely to take smaller, less frequent bites of your food so you’re not overloading your mouth with the burn every spice lover craves. Careful, though. If you go overboard with the spice, you might find yourself eating extra dairy or carbs to help ease your pain (water actually makes it worse).
But what’s the science? A lot of the research looks at spices like cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, peppers, and chilis. Some research suggests that these can decrease your appetite and slightly raise your energy expenditure (AKA your resting metabolism rate) by raising your core body temperature. If you already eat spicy food regularly, though, or eat it a lot over the long-term, you may…
