Are there ways to prepare stomach for hot chili food?

Are there possible ways to prevent from being sick from spicy food, before and after, especially with consecutive meals ? I had problem when traveling in Thailand and Malaysia after accumulating meals, the point was also to try to appreciate cuisine without diluting too much (asking to put less heat etc.)

Thanks for all the advices.

You can try taking Pepcid AC about 45 minutes before your meal.

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I read the ingredient of Pepcid AC is Famotidine, will try to find something here. Thanks!!

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I have found that eating full-fat ice cream after is helpful. Some cuisines include yogurt accompaniments (Indian food–Raita) which can temper spice (so long as the accompaniment itself does not have too much spice!)

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Yoghurt with and after South Asian food would be a way to go, as a cooling agent against chilli. I’m assuming chilli is the spice you have an issue with, rather than the array of flavouring spices that you come across in many asian cuisines. Unfortunately, I’ve no advice to offer in respect of other cuisines which use chilli extensively but the question must crop up with East Asian food, and some Caribbean and, say, Mexican food.

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Exactly.

I don’t have trouble with hot & spicy. But when I do eat something that starts to upset my intestinal system I take activated charcoal pills. It is more gentle on my body than Imodium.

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Is the upset gastric or just in your mouth/nervous system? I am not sure you can do much about the first…

ETA: google says dairy may actually help with digestive upset, and sugar with mouth burning.

The other one is Zantac / ranitidine. I have family members who are prescribed to take it half an hour prior to meals - it coats your tummy.

I hope you have Imodium (loperamide), and there are digestive enzyme and charcoal tabs that help too.

I don’t know how prevalent yogurt and related items are - maybe the hotel has them for breakfast, or you can buy them at the grocery store?

My only real advice is that when I visit India, I’m very conscious of the progression of meals - no uncooked street food for a couple of days, no heavy/spicy food for consecutive meals, etc. I still react once or twice, but it’s manageable.

I also have no shame about asking for less heat - why torture myself, too much chilli only hampers my ability to taste other flavors.

ETA: I’m not afraid to be called a “spice wimp” when I’m there, because it’s all relative - and at the end of the day I want to enjoy my time time, not prove a point to family/friends/vendors/servers/chefs :rofl:

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I will echo Christina M’s question - GI issues or too hot for your mouth?
Agree w/ the Zantac (upper GI) and Immodium (lower GI) If you get a heavy, bloated feeling I find Phazyme to be effective.

If you can’t find those items, ginger tea is always a good option. Or peppermint tea.

If it’s your mouth, the only things I can recommend are dry mouth products.

Happy trails Naf, hope you have a great vacation with no stomach issues!

After multiple meals, the latter will become the former.

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I guess so! Our GI tract is just one long tube after all.

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2 trips, in Thailand, got upset gastric, in Malaysia, I got upset gastric.

Unfortuanetley, I have a problem with dairy at times, I’m fine with yogurt, but digestive upset with milk.

Thanks.

I guess I won’t try to finish the very spicy dishes, just taste a bit, and leave them behind.

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On a tangent, any extra food can be given away if it’s packed up (I don’t know the homeless/poverty situation there, but I do this in nyc too).

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This might help.

What do you mean by “sick”?

Irritated tongue/mouth, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, “indigestion”*, heartburn/reflux? They tend to have different causes. I don’t know that there is any direct effect of capsaicin that makes one “sick”.

“I guess I won’t try to finish the very spicy dishes, just taste a bit, and leave them behind.”

Yes! And ask for milder if that’s the problem.

Full fat dairy is a decent rescue. But it’s like a rescue inhaler. Avoid the "attack"if you can.

I literally have to turn the channel when some show is about tolerating pain from chilis. So not about enjoying or respecting food, and not my idea of entertainment.

*the hub and I love the pep to bismol commercial, but I don’t think it “prepares” you.

This one was news to me! Most of what I read found capsacin protective! Learn something new!

Why Eating Spicy Food Can Give You Diarrhea

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Practice.

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I have a similar issue too. My tongue can handle the heat and spicy, but sometime, my GI track cannot. Let’s say one time I ate really spicy food the night before an interview, and I was very lucky that the interview went well (if the interview had started just 30 min earlier, I won’t able to do well)

Back to your question, it really depends how the spicy foods irritate your body. If it is your stomach, then maybe something like Pepcid or Zantac can help. If it is elsewhere like further down, then I doubt these will help.

Sometime your body is telling you something and it is sensible to listen to it sometime.

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