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How to Soothe Your Stomach After Eating Hot Peppers
All too often, having a delicious meal with hot peppers comes back to haunt you in the form of indigestion or heartburn. Peppers can pack a punch both during and after consumption due to capsaicin, the compound that causes the burning feeling. Soothe your stomach after eating hot peppers by trying one of a number of over-the-counter remedies.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Remove any tight-fitting clothing. The Mayo Clinic says this puts pressure on your abdomen and can aggravate heartburn 1.
Foods to Neutralize Stomach Acid
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Try a calcium carbonate antacid if the cause of your upset stomach comes from heartburn. Follow the specific instructions on the packaging.
Take an over-the-counter acid reducer. Unlike antacids, these pills are not chewed but swallowed with water. While it’s best to take these medications before eating the hot peppers, they can still be effective afterwards.
Can You Eat Anything to Get Rid of Heartburn?
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Consume a dose of liquid stomach medication like bismuth subsalicylate for indigestion or general upset stomach after eating hot peppers.
Drink one-half cup of skim milk if you don’t want to rely on medication. Family Education recommends this method for people not sensitive or allergic to dairy. The basic property of the milk helps to neutralize acid caused by hot peppers.
Tips
Wait at least two hours before going to bed after your meal of hot peppers to reduce the chance of heartburn occurring. If you wake up in the middle of the night with stomach discomfort, elevate your head 6 to 9 inches with pillows. This helps to keep acid in the stomach and out of the esophagus, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Warnings
Do not try more than one medical remedy at a time.
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References
- Mayo Clinic: Heartburn
- Family Education: Treating Indigestion, Heartburn, and Ulcers
- Peppers, sweet, red, raw. FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published April 1, 2019.
- Pepper, sweet, green, raw. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published April 1, 2020.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals. Updated July 9, 2019.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Manganese fact sheet for health professionals. Updated September 6, 2019.
- Fiedor J, Burda K. Potential role of carotenoids as antioxidants in human health and disease. Nutrients. 2014;6(2):466-88. doi:10.3390/nu6020466
- Mozos I, Stoian D, Caraba A, Malainer C, Horbańczuk JO, Atanasov AG. Lycopene and Vascular Health. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:521. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00521
- Shotorbani N, Jamei R, Heidari R. Antioxidant activities of two sweet pepper Capsicum annuum L. varieties phenolic extracts and the effects of thermal treatment. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2013;3(1):25-34.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn about age-related macular degeneration. Updated July 18, 2018.
- Eisenhauer B, Natoli S, Liew G, Flood VM. Lutein and zeaxanthin--food sources, bioavailability and dietary variety in age-related macular degeneration protection. Nutrients. 2017;9(2). doi:10.3390/nu9020120
- Boyd K. Vitamins for AMD. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Updated May 21, 2018.
- Maioli C, Tagliabue L, Cioni F. Osteoporosis and mineral nutrition. A literature review. Progr Nutr. 2018;20(3):305-12. doi:10.23751/pn.v20i3.6861
- Nucera E, Rizzi A, Buonomo A, et al. The clinical meaning of positive latex sIgE in patients with food/pollen adverse reactions. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2012;25(2):445-53. doi:10.1177/039463201202500214
- Aghajanpour M, Nazer MR, Obeidavi Z, Akbari M, Ezati P, Kor NM. Functional foods and their role in cancer prevention and health promotion: a comprehensive review. Am J Cancer Res. 2017;7(4):740-769.
Tips
- Wait at least two hours before going to bed after your meal of hot peppers to reduce the chance of heartburn occurring.
- If you wake up in the middle of the night with stomach discomfort, elevate your head 6 to 9 inches with pillows. This helps to keep acid in the stomach and out of the esophagus, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Warnings
- Do not try more than one medical remedy at a time.
Writer Bio
Sarah Schreiber has been writing since 2004, with professional experience in the nonprofit and educational sectors as well as small business. She now focuses on writing about travel, education and interior decorating and has been published on Trazzler and various other websites. Schreiber received a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications.