Page 36 - Ma 2023 Galveston Monthly
P. 36
cuisiNe | spicy
soMe like iT hoT!
sPicy foods are a hoT ToPic on The island
by esTher davis MCkenna
extra spicy Garlic butter crawfish from viet-cajun seafood
& pho House with sausage, corn, and potatoes.
ave you ever noticed that the spiciest foods If spicy foods fan the flames of your food cravings,
come from the hottest climates? It’s not then you may be in store for some health benefits
hsurprising, if you understand the science as well. Capsaicinoids, which include the compound
behind it. Eating a tongue-numbing meal can cool capsaicin, are the chemical components of peppers
you down as Mother Nature turns up the heat. To that create their spicy taste.
put it simply, eating spicy food makes you sweat. According to gastroenterologist Edwin McDonald,
Perspiration is the body’s way of cooling itself off. M.D., research over the past few years demonstrates
The droplets of liquid that form on the skin will then that capsaicinoids, and thus, spicy foods, possess
evaporate. It’s what scientists call thermoregulation– several health benefits.
and it’s how your body maintains a healthy core Spicy seasonings do more than tingle your tongue
temperature. and make your forehead damp. There is evidence
36 | GALVESTON MONTHLY | MAY 2023
