Things About... heart diseases, and respiratory THERE MAY BE TOO HOT diseases. Another study in 2017 by 3 MORE CALORIES 4 TO HANDLE the University of Vermont found THAN THE SPICE If you have gastritis, irritable bowel 5 Things About... a 13% lower risk of death among IS WORTH syndrome, acid reflux or stomach chilli lovers and lower rates of The nutrition and benefits of spicy ulcer, excessively spicy food can inflammatory disease. food can also be outweighed by make the problem worse. While the way that mala food is prepared. spicy foods do not cause ulcers or …TO AN EXTENT Many of such dishes are cooked refluxes, they can irritate the stomach 2 However, it is important to note in a sauce that contains a large and gut, increasing the severity of The hottest food trend that more research is needed to quantity of sugar, salt and oil. symptoms. Over-spicy foods can also has been, well, a hot confirm the benefits of spicy foods Compared to fresh chilli, this spicy cause diarrhoea in those not used to one. But go easy on such as mala. Many of the benefits sauce is a lot more calorie-laden — eating such dishes. Mala do not translate in realistic terms. a typical meal can easily exceed the the mala, especially For instance, spicy foods alone are recommended daily sodium intake. SPICE THINGS UP – if you are watching not significant sources of nutrients, In addition, the spicy sauce may not 5 IN MODERATION your weight or have a and have to be eaten in substantial be as healthful compared to fresh There are ways to spice up your meal amounts to confer meaningful chilli [refer to sidebar]. The China without going overboard. Use fresh sensitive tummy. benefits. And although there are Kadoorie Biobank study compared chillies and low-sodium soy sauce in In consultation with Ms Seow Vi Vien, qualitative reports suggesting that the disease rate of fresh chilli and moderation, or use mala spices in soup Dietitian, Nutrition & Dietetics, KTPH spicy foods may boost metabolism non-fresh chilli eaters, and found rather than in a sauce. You can also add and support weight loss, the that death due to cancer, diabetes a dash of hot sauce, or sprinkle chilli evidence to date is insufficient and heart disease was lower among flakes or ground cayenne pepper for a to warrant eating spicy food as a the group who predominantly ate lower-calorie option to sodium-, sugar- he addictive tingle and feasible way to lose weight. unprocessed chillies. and oil-laden sauces. burn of the Szechuan pepper can be found in T everything from hotpot Mala Xiang Guo Chilli sauce Fried sambal Fresh-cut to potato chips these days. While seasoning with oil with oil chilli the spice can add an intoxicating (per 100g) (per 100g) (per 100g) (per 100g) kick to your meal, Ms Seow Vi Vien, Dietitian, KTPH, highlights five important things to note even as you get your mala (煾扦) on. SPICY FOOD IS 1 GOOD FOR YOU… Spicy foods such as chillies are concentrated sources of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Capsaicin, the chemical compound that gives spicy food its punch, is also associated with small increases in temperature and metabolism. Calories Calories Calories Calories Some studies indicate a positive 670kcal 864kcal 280 40kcal correlation between spice-heavy kcal diets and longevity. A 2015 study Fat Fat Fat Fat by a group of researchers for 79g 75g 21.2g 0.4g China Kadoorie Biobank observed that spicy food consumption was Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium inversely associated with the risks 2,627mg 2,592mg 73mg 0mg of death due to cancer, ischaemic 24 | source: aha March - April 2020 | 25.