How to Adapt to Spicy Food

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff | Reader-Approved

Updated: March 28, 2019 | Reader-Approved

Spicy food is enjoyed the world over. In some countries, spicy foods are even fed to the very young to help acclimate their taste buds to the delicious heat. Eating spicy foods will open up a whole new world of culinary delights to those who dare to venture, but for those who haven't eaten many spicy foods, work is required to handle the hotter stuff. Follow a few simple guidelines to acclimate to the spicier food of the world.

Part 1 of 2:
Adjusting Your Eating Habits

  1. 1
    Start small. Begin eating foods that are only slightly spicier than what you are currently accustomed. For example, add more black pepper to your meal than you normally would, or garnish something with a few sprinklings of red pepper flakes.[1]
    • There are hot varieties of candies and other small snacks that can help inject a regular helping of heat into your day. Check your local Latin market for a good selection of spicy candies.[2]
  2. 2
    Eat slowly. Devouring an entire plate of peppers at once will not do you any favors when trying to acclimate to spicier foods. Doing so will more likely turn you off of spicy food altogether. Instead, add just a bit of spice to each meal over a long period of time. Savor the spice to get the full experience of the heat.[3]
    • Be patient. Don’t get discouraged if your palate doesn’t seem to be adjusting to the heat. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to months to get accustomed to the new level of spice.
  3. 3
    Learn the types of heat available. Not all types of heat in food are the same. The heat found in dishes with hot peppers are a much different experience than dishes that are heavy in garlic or wasabi. Education will help you branch out into hotter foods that are appropriate for your level of tolerance.
    • Some foods, such as garlic and radishes, have a natural spiciness to them that don’t stem from the heat-causing agents of chili peppers. These can be a great gateway into spicier foods, without necessarily packing the physical sensations that dishes featuring hotter substances possess. If you are just starting out, you might start with these foods, as they cannot physically damage your mouth with their oils.[4]
    • When cooking with peppers, look into each pepper's heat index rating (referred to as the Scoville Scale). Measure which peppers you can handle as a baseline, and move up from there. Go for broke! [5]
  4. 4
    Gradually increase the amount of spice in your food. As you adjust to the level of heat you can tolerate, increase the heat level of your meals. As you do so, you will open up a wide range of food options you might never have considered trying. You can achieve this in a variety of ways.
    • Increase the quantity of the spicy food you are eating. Eating larger quantities of spicy food at a faster rate increases the reaction your body will produce to the heat.
    • Add a hotter variety of the type of spice you enjoy. Many spicy foods come in a variety of heat levels, including chili peppers, onions and mustard.
    • Add foods that provide a different kind of heat. Mustard, horseradish and wasabi, for example, produce a shorter heat located in the nasal passages, rather than the mouth.[6]
    • Cut back on the bread and milk. Rather than fight the heat, allow it to work its course! The goal is to build your tolerance.
  5. 5
    Study up on different cuisine. Many different types of cuisine throughout the world utilize a few staple spices in their dishes. Become familiar with the go-to spices of each regional cuisine to prepare yourself for a particular level of heat.
    • Indian cuisine, for example, often employs a few specific peppers in a spice mixture called a masala. Most common in these masalas is the green finger chile. Chefs will often adjust the spice mixture of the masala, so ask ahead to gauge the spiciness featured in the masala.
    • Ethiopian food often contains a spice mixture called “berbere,” which features not only red chili peppers, but ginger, garlic and cloves. This mix of heat can create a much different (and hotter) experience than a dish featuring only capsaicin-based spices.[7]

Part 2 of 2:
Supplementing Your Food Choices

  1. 1
    Eat foods that help absorb heat. During your quest to improve your tolerance, keep a selection of foods nearby that absorb the oils that create the spicy sensation. These side dishes can help lower the overall heat experienced with the food while still helping your taste buds acclimate.
    • Starchy foods, including bread, crackers or potatoes, are a few examples of foods that can absorb capsaicin, the oil that causes the heat in spicy foods.[8]
  2. 2
    Eat dishes that mix heat with other flavors. A particularly hot spice or pepper can be diluted into a more tolerable state by mixing it into a dish with other strong flavors. Lime and cilantro, for example, both have cooling effects and can help counteract the spice. Medleys featuring a mix of vegetables or meat can also help dilute the spice.[9]
    • Sugar also helps dilute the heat associated with spicy foods. A spicy dish with a little sweet on the side will help create a well-rounded dish.[10]
  3. 3
    Keep a glass of milk nearby. Milk is a classic reliever of heat thanks to a compound called “casein” that binds with capsaicin and washes it away. If you are entering new territory in terms of heat, or simply need occasional relief in between bites, take a few sips of milk.[11]
    • Dairy, such as yogurt or sour cream, works similarly to milk when it comes to relieving heat, and can make for a great side item in many spicy dishes.

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • Question
    What happens if I drink too much liquid or milk and get full before I can finish the spicy food?
    Community Answer
    Then stop eating.
  • Question
    What if it hurts my stomach?
    Leyla Jeena
    Community Answer
    If the spicy food hurts your stomach, it is most likely that you ate the spicy food too quickly or that you ate too much. If this happens, drink milk or take a heartburn pill.
  • Question
    What are the different levels of spicy?
    Community Answer
    Spiciness is measured by the Scoville scale; a Jalapeño is around 3,500 Scoville whilst the hottest pepper in the world - the Carolina Reaper - is around 1,500,000.
  • Question
    Can hot and spicy foods harm my taste buds?
    Community Answer
    No, spicy foods do not do any damage to your taste buds. It only feels painful because a chemical in spicy foods binds to your pain receptors and creates a feeling of pain, despite no harm actually happening.
  • Question
    How do I adapt my body to spicy food?
    Community Answer
    Start putting hot sauce or jalapeños in your omelet. That how I did it, and now I eat habaneros like candy.
  • Question
    If my nose and eyes start running when I eat spicy food, can I gradually adapt them so that they don't do that?
    Community Answer
    Yes. It's common for that to happen when you first start eating spicy foods. It will get better over time the more you eat spicy foods.
  • Question
    What if I am lactose intolerant and can't have dairy?
    Community Answer
    Try lactose-free milk. It's milk with casein, but without the lactose.
  • Question
    Why can some people handle spicy food better than others?
    Community Answer
    People who have grown up eating spicy food have a higher tolerance for it. Long-term exposure to capsaicin — the compound present in chillis — depletes substance P, a neurotransmitter. This depletion increases your tolerance for spicy food. On the other hand, those who have not grown up eating spicy food will have a relatively low tolerance for it.
  • Question
    I don't have very spicy food often, yet when I do eat things with chili peppers in it, not only does my mouth burn, but my lips swell and sometimes blister. My throat will also hurt. Is this common? How do I stop it?!
    Community Answer
    Probably there's something in those food that you are allergic to. Try meeting with a doctor or dietician to find out what your food allergies are.
  • Question
    I have trouble breathing after eating spicy foods. What can I do to avoid this?
    Community Answer
    Don't eat too quickly when consuming spicy foods. The faster you eat them, the greater the reaction your body will have in response. Slow it down, eat plenty of starch, and drink plenty of milk. If indigestion caused by spicy food is causing your breathing problems, you may want to consult your doctor.
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      • Take note that the spiciest parts of hot peppers is their veins and the juices they give off. The actual flesh of the pepper is not very spicy.
      • Ice water is helpful for temporary relief, but will not actually wash away the capsaicin oils associated with the heat. [12]
      • If you can't have dairy, alternative kinds of milk (like soy or almond milk) are almost as good at washing away the spicy oils. So is fresh (as opposed to instant) coffee, even without milk. If you are lactose intolerant, you could try milk that is lactose-free. Another way to "wash down" the spicy oils is to eat something with a decent amount of salt.
      • If you don't like the heat of peppers, mustard has a hot, spicy flavour.
      • Remember nutmeg, cloves, anise, cinnamon, fennel and many other delicious spices can flavour "spicy" food. It's not all about chillies!


      • When headed to the bathroom, be sure to wash your hands after handling peppers.
      • If you fall attached to spicy foods, you may find yourself buying a lot more food, as peppers or hot sauces can get rather expensive over time. Watch your budget.
      • If you will be handling large quantities of hot peppers that will be cut or sliced open, such as when making Jalapeño poppers, be sure to wear latex or rubber gloves. The active ingredient in hot peppers can permeate through the skin and cause a severe burning sensation.
      • If you have any health issues and are concerned whether spicy food could affect them, consult your physician before consuming these types of food.[13]

      About This Article

      Co-Authored By:
      wikiHow Staff Editor
      26 votes - 89%
      Co-authors: 60
      Updated: March 28, 2019
      Views: 326,541
      Article SummaryX

      To adapt to spicy food, start by trying foods that are only a little spicier than what you’re used to. For example, add a few red pepper flakes to your meal or try a spicy candy. Then, gradually increase the amount of spice in your food either by adding more spice to your dishes or by eating larger quantities of the food. If you try something that’s still too spicy for you, eat starchy foods such as bread or potatoes to absorb some of the heat. For tips on what to drink when you’re trying to adapt to spicy food, read on!

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      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 326,541 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • KJ

        Katrina John

        Oct 17, 2017

        "My friends prank me a lot with pepper since I don't like spicy food, but this article helped me know how to get used to it. Now I am the one that pranks my friends, I act like it is spicy when I am actually enjoying the food."..." more
      • A


        Aug 15, 2017

        "I love Takis, but I had very few spices I tolerate. This actually helped me enjoy it even more and be able to eat more than I can without wanting to jump into a pool of milk."..." more
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        Oct 10, 2016

        "I always thought if I eat a lot of spicy food at once, I would become used to it. Now I understand that adjusting to spicy food is a gradual process."..." more
      • JL

        Julian Loana

        Oct 30, 2016

        "I am super bad at handling even something as easy as Takis, so now I keep a slice of bread by me to help it!"
      • YV

        Yash Vardhan

        Jun 17, 2017

        "I got used to eating chilies in just a few months. Thank you, wikiHow, and the author of this article."
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        Sammy Aryal

        Sep 20, 2017

        "This article helped me withstand spicier foods."
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