When I was a kid, I was always told:
“Leave some space for dessert!” or “Do not eat sweets now or you will spoil your dinner…”
But as far as Ayurveda is concerned that is totally wrong.
In the ancient system of Ayurveda, every food, drink, spice or even herbs has a fundamental taste (rasa) as well as an aftertaste and post-digestive effect. Each meal should ideally contain all the six tastes whether in the form of solid food or a condiment.
The six rasas are:
- sweet,
- sour,
- salty,
- pungent
- bitter
- astringent
The order in which the tastes are usually mentioned actually shows the order and quantity we should consume them — that is, if we do want our digestive system to assimilate them.
Back to the sweet.
The sweet taste is made up of the elements of Earth and Water that is why the sweet rasa is heavy and moist with cooling post-digestive effect (virya) and sweet aftertaste (vipak). What does all this mean?
The heaviness and moisture of sweet food stabilize Vata and Pitta in our bodies which is very important for digestion. The sweetness directly affects the taste buds in the mouth and provokes salivation. It is the sweet taste that kick starts the secretion of all the necessary digestive juices and ferments. in fact, it is believed that if we leave the sweet for dessert, all digestion seriously slows down and what we have already eaten turns into toxins.
Even contemporary dieticians admit that having something sweet before mealtime and thus giving our blood some glucose to chew on, we will actually devour less quantity of food and won’t overeat.
After a good hearty meal, the desire for sweets disappears. Well, if you still crave sweets after a meal, the reasons could be either some imbalance in your organism or simply a habit.
Of course, I don’t mean you should wash down two pieces of chocolate cake or a bucket of ice-cream before meals. The same goes for a box of chocolates or a gallon of Coke. The sweet taste in Ayurveda is supplied by the natural sweetness in foods: fruits, dried fruits, honey, milk, cereals all naturally have a sweet taste.
A piece of seasonal fruit half an hour before meals is a rule, Italians start their meals with pasta or bruschettas, Mexicans love their corn chips with salsa…Maybe it isn’t just tradition as all traditions are based on wisdom.
And now if you think that you have the excuse to gobble your Snickers before your greens, think again. Sugar, whether white or brown, is not on the list, because any type of sugar is still cooling and does slow down digestion. Ayurveda says all cooling foods dampen your agni, the digestive fire. Here goes your favorite Monkey Chunky — it is cold and cooling and phlegm producing. This is just the opposite of good digestion and fast metabolism.
If you really cook with love for your family and friends, think twice before serving dessert, especially ice-cream. If you are a Vata or a Kapha person, it is best if you renounce ice-cream altogether because ice-cream requires very strong agni to be digested. Only healthy Pittas have that digestive strength and can do away with ice-cream once in a while.
And yes, you heard me, if you absolutely cannot live without your sweets, the least you can do is have them BEFORE your meal.
Potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins make good starters as does some flat unleavened bread with a vegetable dip. I am always in for some pita bread with hummus!
Somewhere along the lines of our development, we have made it a habit to receive sweets as a reward. We grow up to associate sweets with pleasure and thus are craving to get it. This is a slippery road to obsession as satisfaction is false and short-lived. If your food is wholesome you won’t need the artificial sweetness that your favorite muffins or brownies readily supply.
Try it. Have your dessert before the meal for a couple of weeks and see for yourself how your guts will feel. I can bet you will soon discover that you don’t need dessert at all and will tap into the joy and pleasure of natural, wholesome (and yes, sweet) foods.