Spicy food...

Ah, spicy food. Is there anything better than a spicy meal, especially when it's homemade? There is no one around to tell you that it's too hot, no overly-cautious cook afraid to add too much piquant, and no one to watch as you sweat bullets and gulp down your molten concoction just the way you like it.

One can experience stomach problems and other conditions if a meal is a bit too zesty. Furthermore, constantly eating hot food can have permanent negative effects on the body. Here's what you need to know about the negative impact spicy food can have.

PEPPER THIS, PEPPER THAT
A little bit of pepper here and there won't hurt you; most of us add it to our meals not for the sake of making food hotter, but for the aroma. Having said that, let us establish what I mean by spicy food. Here is a small sample list of foods and ingredients that can be too spicy for our own good.

Garlic
Granted, garlic is amazing. Eating one or two cloves of garlic might turn a few heads, but it won't make you see talking coyotes. It is one of the healthiest foods out there, but some people just can't get enough of this good thing. Consuming more than three cloves in one sitting can make one feel a little something brewing in the belly.

Hot chili (jalapeno) peppers
The epitome of hot food, chili peppers have long been used in spicy meals. Indian, Creole and Cajun cuisine rely heavily on jalapenos for chili sauce. Eat one of those little things raw (notice how the smaller they are, the hotter they get) and you'll feel the burn all the way to your ears, literally.

The simple fact that hot peppers are so potent makes me wonder if humans were ever meant to eat them raw. They make a great ingredient, but in my opinion, they shouldn't be eaten on a regular basis.

Horseradish
A popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, this little beige or green root (depending in which part of the world you are in) can pack a wallop and is often overused. Japanese horseradish, or wasabi, is green and used as dip for sushi.

The funny thing about grated horseradish is that it always seems to catch people off-guard. We all know it burns and know it will unclog sinuses for what seems like a million years, but people still always take that extra ounce that puts them over the edge. Some cultures, like the Japanese, enjoy its punch, but horseradish is another spicy culprit to watch out for.

Ginger
Despite its pleasant name, ginger is often misused. Most recipes do not use it enough to make the ingredient harmful, but dried sweet ginger, especially when it's eaten like candy, falls in the category of harmful spicy foods.