Has chili something to do with those whistle-bait Thai waistlines?

With most Thais having a regular dose of chili from morning till evening, is it any wonder they smile a lot and enjoy life to the hilt?

If you are a first-timer in Bangkok, one thing that will strike you most is the whistle-bait waistlines of Thai women. In general, young Thai women are beautifully slim and you’ll wonder if they ever eat at all. But they do. Thais, particularly women, have hearty appetites. And rice, known to be a fat-generating diet, is their staple. They have rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with fruits, sweets and other food in between. So, if they are not going to the midriff, where do all those food go?

The secret is probably in the red-hot chili, which they eat by the tons. A recent article in the Reader’s Digest says the capsaicin in the chili is known to be an efficient fat-burner. If course, the chili has been known to be good for the heart, and the respiratory and digestive systems. The “chili-vorous” Thais have chili in almost every dish. Where most people use salt for their boiled egg, for example, the Thais prefer chili. Quite strange, but who can fault them if it’s doing a lot of good to their bodies-er… their figures.

Nobody has probably done a research on it, but chili must have something to do with that much vaunted Thai smile and the highspiritedness of the Thai people. Capsaicin is also said to be a moodlifting chemical that can cheer you up for hours (hence the phrase “chili-buzz”). With most Thais having a regular dose of chili from morning till evening, is it any wonder they smile a lot and enjoy life to the hilt?

Source: What’s on Samui, July 2001