Thai Food Is Getting To Me

[tomahawk]

I really love spicy food and have eaten all my life with very little problems. However, I have lately been eating a lot of chilis and other spicy stuff and have had upset stomach and diarrhea off and on for a few days now. I have tried to lay off spicy food somewhat for past day but still have problems. Could it be that I have lost my tolerance for spicy stuff. If you quit spicy food for awhile do you get back this tolerance. It is also possible that the problem is something else like vegetables washed in bad water or something else I ate. Has anyone else had this experiece? Thank you.

[fullwhenempty]

If it's only an isolated incident, it's likely to resolve on its own in a day or two. If your symptoms persist, according to the system of Elements (doshas)... air, earth, fire and water, used in Thai Traditional Medicine and it's root Ayurveda, you may have created an imbalance.

If you are already a 'Fire' type, you will ordinarily tend towards heat in the body. An excess of heat can manifest as anger, criticism, ulcers, skin eruptions, acidity, diarrhea, excess sweating and more. Eating chillies is like pouring fuel on a fire. Basically you need to do the opposite of what you are doing, which is really just common sense. If you are too hot, cool down. If too fat, reduce. Too thin, increase. Too dry, hydrate and lubricate. Too 'watery', dry out.

Try eating more cooling foods like cucumber, yoghurt, dark green vegetables and cut out pungent foods like chillies and hot spices until balance is restored. Then you can re-introduce them but in moderation.

[tim armstrong]

If it's only an isolated incident, it's likely to resolve on its own in a day or two. If your symptoms persist, according to the system of Elements (doshas)... air, earth, fire and water, used in Thai Traditional Medicine and it's root Ayurveda, you may have created an imbalance.

If you are already a 'Fire' type, you will ordinarily tend towards heat in the body. An excess of heat can manifest as anger, criticism, ulcers, skin eruptions, acidity, diarrhea, excess sweating and more. Eating chillies is like pouring fuel on a fire. Basically you need to do the opposite of what you are doing, which is really just common sense. If you are too hot, cool down. If too fat, reduce. Too thin, increase. Too dry, hydrate and lubricate. Too 'watery', dry out.

Try eating more cooling foods like cucumber, yoghurt, dark green vegetables and cut out pungent foods like chillies and hot spices until balance is restored. Then you can re-introduce them but in moderation.

Agree with all that, especially the yoghurt. Its a good idea to have one as a regular part of your diet, but not other dairy, if you are eating thai food most of the time. It does seem to restore the balance. Obvious but true - we westerners are designed for a western diet, Thais for a different diet. Yes we can adapt and have done so through travel etc. But thais have not adapted very well to other cuisines, and when they prepare western food, generally don't do it well because they struggle with the basic concepts. My wife who is an excellent cook produced the perfect spaghetti bolognaise after one lesson, with a western chef. But 6 months on I notice she now has to put some chilli in it, and won't hear my objections.

I love Indian food because its prepared slowly and the chilli is absorbed. But here is a different story.

[tomahawk]

Thanks for replies. I will try your suggestions. Just ate phat krapow and so will soon see if I have recovered. I do not eat much dairy stuff but also no yogurt so I will try some and see if it helps. I think perhaps the large quantities of tea and coffee I drink could be part of problem.

[tim armstrong]

Thanks for replies. I will try your suggestions. Just ate phat krapow and so will soon see if I have recovered. I do not eat much dairy stuff but also no yogurt so I will try some and see if it helps. I think perhaps the large quantities of tea and coffee I drink could be part of problem.

Aha! truth will out. The tea and coffee drinking habits are much under discussed methinks. If you have a very busy or very boring day its so subtle to just keep on drinking endless cups of coffee. IT will stuff up your whole system. I once managed a place that dealt with a small number of very disturbed people. Consequently we had many formal meetings and crisis management situations. At each one we would all have a coffee. Over a 12 hour day, including mealbreaks, we were consuming about 10-14 coffees or teas each, and wondering why we were just a bit irritable with each other, and not sleeping well. When we finally discovered that someone else was not stealing the catering size coffee tins, but it was our own habits, life changed, and our health and work relationships improved significantly.

Coffee addiction is real and much underestimated. Try and have one glass of water for every other coffee and see what effect it has on your health. If you are a heavy 'drinker' you may be surprised by the change.

[fullwhenempty]

Thanks for replies. I will try your suggestions. Just ate phat krapow and so will soon see if I have recovered. I do not eat much dairy stuff but also no yogurt so I will try some and see if it helps. I think perhaps the large quantities of tea and coffee I drink could be part of problem.

I think you have misunderstood. Pad Kaprow contains Basil, Garlic , Spring Onions and Chillies! All of which have a heating effect!

Not so sure that it's caffeine causing upset stomach and diarrhea but it's a good idea to reduce it. Watch for those withdrawal headaches!

[tropo]

Thanks for replies. I will try your suggestions. Just ate phat krapow and so will soon see if I have recovered. I do not eat much dairy stuff but also no yogurt so I will try some and see if it helps. I think perhaps the large quantities of tea and coffee I drink could be part of problem.

Aha! truth will out. The tea and coffee drinking habits are much under discussed methinks. If you have a very busy or very boring day its so subtle to just keep on drinking endless cups of coffee. IT will stuff up your whole system. I once managed a place that dealt with a small number of very disturbed people. Consequently we had many formal meetings and crisis management situations. At each one we would all have a coffee. Over a 12 hour day, including mealbreaks, we were consuming about 10-14 coffees or teas each, and wondering why we were just a bit irritable with each other, and not sleeping well. When we finally discovered that someone else was not stealing the catering size coffee tins, but it was our own habits, life changed, and our health and work relationships improved significantly.

Coffee addiction is real and much underestimated. Try and have one glass of water for every other coffee and see what effect it has on your health. If you are a heavy 'drinker' you may be surprised by the change.

So the OP has a caffeine addiction? He also has a chili addiction.

Peppers contain capsaicin, a natural chemical that sends a burning sensation from the nerve endings in the mouth to the brain. the body defends itself against this pain sensation by secreting endorphins, natural painkillers that cause a physical "rush" - a high that keeps us coming back for more.

[jts-khorat]

If the diarrhea-like symptoms persist and come back every time you eat chili, you will have most certainly inflammations in the bowel. They could be a direct reaction to the chili, but also that the chili increases an already existing inflammation.

Reasons for that can be manifold. In my case the inflammations came from something totally unrelated to the chili: it was worms (too much Isaan food I guess)!

There is a very cheap medicine sold here over the counter called Fugacar (?), around THB 30. If there were worms, they will be dissolved in your bowel, so contrary to what one might read on the internet, no wormy masses coming out at the end. Totally uncomplicated, the tablet even had a fruity flavor.

I do know many foreigners living upcountry who have one of those every 2-3 months, just in case.

In case the inflammation has another reason, at least you have excluded this possibility in a quick and cheap way.

[Tolley]

Stop eating really spicy dishes for a few days and start scoffing down a few yakults a day.

Top that up with some fresh papaya and i reckon your problems will go away.