Do not drink water when eating spicy food.

Instead of drinking water, drink a glass of milk when you eat spicy food to reduce the burning sensation in your mouth.

Photo: Boldsky.

Vietnamese people like spicy food, but have the wrong habit of drinking water immediately after eating spicy food. Most people think that drinking cold water will reduce the spiciness, stop the burning sensation on their tongue and get rid of the spicy feeling in their mouth. However, studies have proven that this is a misconception.

Here are reasons why you should not drink water after eating spicy food.

What makes the spicy sensation?

The chemical that causes the burning sensation in your mouth is capsaicin. Capsaicin binds to receptors on the tongue cells that detect temperature and cells that send pain messages. In fact, when you eat spicy foods regularly, the burning sensation on your tongue will not be as strong because the receptors no longer react strongly to the compounds. This phenomenon is called "capsaicin desensitization".

Water does not reduce spiciness

Research shows that capsaicin is a non-polar molecule, which only dissolves in other non-polar substances. Meanwhile, water is a polar molecule, which cannot soothe the burning sensation in the mouth. This is why you should not drink water after eating spicy food.

Water spreads the spicy sensation

Instead of relieving the pain and stinging sensation, water can actually spread the stinging sensation to other parts of your mouth. This can leave you with a burning sensation all over your mouth and make you feel thirsty.

How to deal with spicy food

Using any non-polar liquid is the best way to relieve pain from spicy foods. Milk is considered a good option because it is non-polar in nature and can dissolve the capsaicin.

According to VNE