Spicy food tantalizes the taste buds in a way sweet or sour foods often can’t, but working past its somewhat painful nature to enjoy it can be difficult with a low spice tolerance.

While your spice tolerance depends on a few factors, including genetics, you can gradually increase it. To do so, start slowly and kick up the spice levels bit by bit.

The Scoville scale, which assesses the quantity of heat-causing capsaicin within a pepper, can help you judge your tolerance level. Begin with foods ranking low on the scale.

Start by infusing your food with things at the bottom of the scale — like sweet peppers, poblano peppers, and paprika, and less spicy hot sauces like Frank’s Red Hot and Valentina.

Jalapeño and serrano peppers, Tabasco and Sriracha sauce, and cayenne spice all fall in the medium zone of hotness. You can mix these into a variety of recipes as well.

Keep spiking your food with spicier peppers and sauces consistently, and push yourself occasionally by indulging in something that you think might be too spicy for you.

It’s also important to take care of your palate with foods that counteract the pain of too much spice. Use plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, cilantro, and lime to ease a spice burn.