[Bluey]

Hi there;

I am doing Cohen's and was doing very well until last week; my daughter was rushed to hospital 1600kms away and it pretty much threw my diet out the window.

I'm starting back on it tomorrow; but want to give it a boost. Someone said that chilies apparently work wonders. Now I am a major girl and don't like hot foods; so I'm wondering if I could just "skull" a chili in the morning with my yoghurt? Ie: cut it up into "tablet" size; put it on my spoon with my yoghurt and swallow it all without chewing it. Or does this defeat the purpose? Are u supposed to "feel the burn"?

Anyone have any idea or experience with this? I tried googling it but everything is just on about how good it is for you and cooking with it.

[tryhardforlife]

Yuck yogurt and a chili. Man put it in cold eggs ha.

[Bluey]

i dont eat eggs... so that wont work...

[Natasha1534]

From what I've heard it's the capsaicin in the chillies that helps you burn calories b/c the spice increases your body temperature slightly and burns more calories. Honestly, though, you could get the same benefits by working out a little bit longer and you wouldn't have to muddle through eating something you don't like.

[kaplods]

In theory, you may experience a small metabolic boost. Although there's also the theory that the flavor itself can helps reduce appetite (in which case bypassing the tastebuds could reduce some of the benefit).

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spicy food, but I have noticed that I'm much less likely to overeat spicy food. When I'm satisfied, the appeal disappears. Even if the food tastes great, I'm less likely to have the urge for "just one more bite," like i do with other foods. To me, itt seems harder to "mindlessly" eat when the food is spicy.

I do use chiles as a food and as a medicine, and I've even seen cayenne capsules in the vitamin aisle at Walmart or Walgreens. I've never bought the capsules, because I do like spicy food.

When I have brochitis or a bad cold, I drink cayenne lemonade (as much as I love spicy food, the cayenne lemonade isn't terribly pleasant, but nothing clears the sinuses faster), so I don't see anything wrong with trying the cayenne capsules or treating pieces of peppers like "pills."

That being said, I'm not sure the benefit justifies the cost and inconvenience. If you like spicy food, it's a win-win experiment, but I don't know that the effects are going to be dramatic enough for you to even be able to tell if it's working for you or not. Even though I love spicy food, I don't lose dramatically better during high-spice weeks.

I do see hot peppers as a tool that can help speed metabolism and control hunger. But of all the tools in my weight loss toolbox, I wouldn't put hot peppers at the top of the list. In fact, it's probably close to the bottom. Barely above drinking water super cold because it "might" burn a few extra calories than at room temperature (but I love my water as cold as possible, so too is no sacrifice. It's just something I'd do anyway).

[Bluey]

Natasha - cant exersice on the diet im on, like is said was looking for something to boost after the last week.

Kaplods - thats kinda what i figured, was just told it was the way too go.. i used to like hot and spicy foods until i had kids... became such a girly girl after them... oh well.....

Its all good i will stick with my normal stuff...

[kaplods]

If you used to like spicy food, it's probably not a like/dislike as much as a reduced tolerance.

When it comes to spice, heat-tolerance is related to how often you indulge. You build up tolerance, and it's a use-it-or-lose it thing.

I never liked spicy food until I dated a guy who loved spicy food. We'd split nachos, and he'd get all the jalapenos. The more often I ate it, the more I liked it and the hotter I liked it.

Now I'm married to a spice-wuss. My tolerance has declined because I don't make and therefore don't eat spicy food as often.

I still love it, I just have to buy the medium salsa instead of the hot (which I once considered barely hot at all).

You don't have to eat the food blazing hot to get the benefits of spices (and not just peppers. Tumeric, ginger, garlic and a lot of other spices are micronutrient powerhouses - filled with antioxidants and other micronutrients with all sorts of great health benefits).

Just add spices to your comfort level - enjoy them whenever, in whatever quantities you find pleasant.