Every year, our resistance to sweet temptations is put to the test at Christmas markets, company parties and family gatherings. Gingerbread, biscuits, stollen and cinnamon stars are irresistible to many and are as much a part of winter as the barbecue is to summer - often followed by a guilty conscience about weight gain or unnecessary health risks.
How beneficial or harmful are desserts from an Ayurvedic point of view?
We put the sweet temptations to the test.
The fact is:
The sweet taste (madhurarasa) is one of the six flavours of our food. All the flavours together (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and tart) provide our body with the properties of the five elements.
The two elements earth and water are represented by the sweet flavour. They are responsible for maintaining our body structure, moisturising and protecting us from external influences. Sweet is therefore the only flavour that really nourishes us.
Sweet is heavy, moist and cold - it increases Kapha and lowers Vata and Pitta. In Ayurveda, sweets are considered difficult to digest and are therefore often flavoured with hot spices such as ginger, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper. Excessive consumption of sweets leads to ama, sticky, undigested intermediate products that are detrimental to our health.
Now, sweet is not synonymous with sugary products from the confectionery industry. The naturally sweet flavour is found in cereal and dairy products, fruit, many types of vegetables, even in meat and finally in sweeteners such as cane sugar or honey.
From an Ayurvedic point of view, eating sweet is vital. Cereals, milk, fruit and vegetables are Ayurvedic staples that we eat every day. And desserts with natural ingredients are also beneficial in moderation.
However, a „dessert culture“ has never really developed in Ayurveda. It is primarily an expression of a one-sided food culture, as is often the case in Europe: sweet, sour and savoury are on the menu; spicy, bitter and tart are underrepresented.
The resulting imbalance of the elements causes us to crave sweets again and again, creating a vicious cycle that leads unchecked to obesity and diseases such as diabetes mellitus.
From a psychological point of view, the sweet flavour stands for security, peace, happiness and love. For some, it provides comfort in times of pain, loss or illness. Even if sweet food cannot serve as a substitute satisfaction for unsatisfied needs, it still influences our mood.
So don't chastise yourself unnecessarily, but simply keep an eye on moderation. Fragrant sweets are part of our Christmas culture, relax us and make us happy. In winter, our digestive power (agni) is strong and we can digest sweets better. And if your main diet is Ayurvedically balanced, a few small „sins“ won't matter.
With best wishes for your health,
Ralph Steuernagel
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