The Body's Reaction to Spicy Foods
Grade 7th Grade · Health · 40 min
What's Included
Learning Objective
I can describe how spicy foods affect the body.
Warm-Up Video
PBS Food · 6:40
Why Does Spicy Food Burn? The Painful Science of Capsaicin | Serving Up Science
Guided Notes
3 key concepts
- 1
The compound capsaicin, found in chili peppers, is responsible for the burning sensation we experience when eating spicy food.
- 2
The Scoville scale, created by Wilbur Scoville, measures a pepper's hotness in units ranging from 0 to 16 million.
- 3
Casein, a non-polar molecule found in milk and dairy products, can help extinguish the burn of capsaicin by dissolving and washing it away because 'like dissolves like'.
Practice Questions
7 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer
Exit Ticket
Quick comprehension check
“Describe two ways that spicy foods, specifically capsaicin, can affect your body.”
Complete Lesson Package
Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:
