I’VE HEARD THAT... eating spicy foods helps beat the heat

And that’s the truth. Have you ever wondered why people in Central and South America, India, Africa, South East Asia and the Caribbean eat hot and spicy foods? The reason is that spicy foods make you sweat, which in turn helps you cool down faster.

Cooling down with something cold isn’t very effective because your internal temperature is cooled too rapidly, and your body ends up compensating by raising your temperature.

Eating spicy foods works differently — it raises your internal temperature to match the temperature outside. Your blood circulation increases, you start sweating and once your sweat has evaporated, you’ve cooled off.

Even though eating spicy foods on a hot day isn’t the most pleasant idea for many people, it may be worth doing – sweating it out does help you to lower your body temperature.