Remedies for Stomach Pain After Eating Spicy Food
If you’ve ever been brave enough to season your food with Hornet Bomb or one of PexPeppers limited super hot sauces, then you are obviously a fan of heat and probably experienced the capsaicin stomach ache that follows. Most people don’t realize that the “spice” from chili peppers is actually a pain sensation. The capsaicin in the hot peppers triggers the body's pain receptors to release endorphins. These pleasure causing hormones may be exactly why some people can’t get enough spicy food.
Table of Contents
Why does my stomach hurt so much after eating spicy food?6 Home Remedies for Upset Stomach from Spicy Food
1. Bananas
2. Milk
3. Ginger
4. High Fat Foods
5. Lemonade
6. Mint
Want quick relief for stomach pain after eating too much spicy food?
What Medicine is Good for a Burning Stomach?
Time to Try These Remedies
Why does my stomach hurt so much after eating spicy food?
The endorphin rush mimics a mild high, and that makes your brain want to keep eating the spicy food. Your body ends up feeling the abdominal pain though. While capsaicin doesn't cause ulcers, it can irritate your stomach, cause cramps, and trigger other digestion issues like irritable bowel syndrome and GERD. Eating large amounts of spicy food may also cause bathroom issues. When the body senses harm, it tries to rush the spicy meal through your digestive tract, resulting in... diarrhea.
6 Home Remedies for Upset Stomach from Spicy Food
While the endorphin rush is great, how do you get rid of a burning stomach? You can get rid of a burning stomach by trying some home remedies with bland foods already in your kitchen. PexPeppers has done a little digging for you to help you neutralize your stomach acid after eating all that heat.
1. Bananas
Bananas are an alkaline food that helps neutralize acid in the stomach. When the banana hits your stomach it will coat the stomach lining and help soothe the burning sensation in the stomach.
2. Milk
Try a dairy product like full-fat milk, yogurt, sour cream, or ice cream to settle your stomach after eating spicy food. Milk contains casein that breaks down the capsaicin molecules found on nerve receptors.
3. Ginger
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory. It also has calming properties that ease the nerves when in pain. Make a glass of hot water with powdered or sliced ginger to sip on to reduce stomach cramps, heartburn, and indigestion.
4. High Fat Foods
Healthy fats from nuts or even olive oil can help to dissolve the oils in capsaicin and relieve the pain from spicy meals. We recommend trying a peanut butter sandwich to extinguish the fiery feeling from spicy food!
5. Lemonade
This one sounds like it could be counter intuitive since lime or lemon juice can irritate the stomach. An acidic beverage is actually one of the home remedies for an upset stomach because the pH levels will help to neutralize the oils in capsaicin. If you tend to have gastrointestinal issues with acidity, you may want to steer clear of this option and try the others first.
6. Mint
Zesty peppermint has long been used for indigestion because of the analgesic effect of menthol. Just like the spiciness of capsaicin is a mental trick, you can trick your brain to get relief from the cooling sensation of mint. Menthol lingers in the mouth too, so when you drink water after eating mint, you'll feel an icy chill again.
Want quick relief for stomach pain after eating too much spicy food?
Try a Peanut Butter-Banana-Yogurt Smoothie! You can combine these remedies into one to help ease stomach aches faster. Try adding those three ingredients, a little milk and a sweetener like honey to a blender. The fat content from the peanut butter, the casein from the dairy, and the alkaline banana will have your digestive system feeling relief in no time.
What Medicine is Good for a Burning Stomach?
If these options aren't helping, you can always turn to over-the-counter medications for acid reduction. We always keep omeprazole on hand when we're testing out new wing recipes. Do TUMS help after eating spicy food? TUMS will help any heartburn or acid reflux that may be triggered from eating something hot.
If your pain worsens and you are experiencing severe gastric distress, you should see a doctor. While spicy food can cause some pretty gnarly reactions in your gut and intestines, lasting debilitating pain may be an undiagnosed problem and you should see a gastroenterologist.