Is it okay to consume sweets before every meal? An Ayurveda expert answers

When it comes to sweets, it's always been the after part of the meal. However, if we go by recent reports, it is actually best if you eat it before a meal, according to the Ayurveda. Recently, Ayurveda expert Dr Nitika Kohli posted on her Instagram about this complete new information and we are still digesting the fact. While there are mixed responses from people in her comment box, we asked Dr Rekha Radhamony, who has been practising Ayurveda for quite a long and is the 4th generation Ayurvedic Medicine Doctor, who juggles between India and Dubai for her work. She has a completely different opinion about the same. (Images courtesy: iStock)

Also Read: What did ancient Indians eat and the food practices they followed

As per Dr. Nitika’s Insta post, “Eating something sweet first enables the flow of digestive secretions and helps in better digestion. However, when you eat sweet last, it would slow down your digestion.” According to her, ending the meal with a sweet can trigger gas formation and bloating. Also, it can cause fermentation and indigestion due to the acidic secretions. Thus, it is always suggested by Ayurveda to eat sweets before a meal. Dr. Nitika also mentioned that “eating sweets as the first thing can activate the taste buds.” (Image courtesy: Instagram/@drnitikakohli)

According to the Ayurveda, sweet timing, and state of awareness during meals either increases ojas (vitality) or ama (toxicity). Her post says that “the following rules will serve as a guide for tapping into the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and using it to create health, vitality, and energy through sweets.”

According to Dr Rekha, Ayurveda says that “In Ayurveda, we always say that start your meal with a ‘Madhur Rasa’, which does not mean that one should eat a Gulab Jamun or a Rasgulla before a meal. Even rice and wheat have natural sugar. So, by ‘Madhur Rasa’, we don’t mean that indulge in sweets before a meal but have some healthy carbs like wheat, rice or even barley for that matter. The order of eating food should be in this way only, first the carbs, then the rest of the meal and always end the meal with an astringent like Chaach or Buttermilk, as it helps digest the meal. An astringent can help absorb the good nutrients of the meal while flushing out the bad toxins from your body.”

Well, jaggery is something that’s often recommended to end the meal with by the elders. But did you know even that is not right as per Ayurveda? If we ask the Ayurveda experts, they would say that have it after 30 minutes of a meal or an hour at max. Dr Rekha says, “During Onam Sadhya, we are often served a dish of jaggery and banana that’s actually sweet. Jaggery is one thing that cannot harm a person, but even that should be taken in moderation and not overdo.”

Well, it seems like there are different sets of principles that everyone follows and Ayurveda is no different. In fact, Dr. Rekha suggests having a spoon of fennel seeds with some mishri after every meal, as that is really helpful when it comes to the digestion of food.

What do you think about it, do let us know.