Got done with a hearty meal? But there is something missing. What is it? What is it that still feels incomplete? You dished into a plateful of biryani yet your eyes are on a lookout of something that would conclude the amazing meal experience. A bowlful of Phirni or piping hot jalebi and rabrishould do the trick you think? Well, you are not alone. In any good meal experience, desserts play a crucial role. Since our childhood we have been conditioned to wait for the desserts till the end. And we don’t seem to mind the idea either. After all ‘saving the best for the last’ is something that keeps us hooked till the very end. But did you know that according to Ayurveda, the idea of ending the meal with something sweet may wreak havoc on your tummy. In fact, one should start their meal with something sweet and end with astringent or spicy, notes Ayurveda. Puzzled? Read on to know the reason behind this unusual order of having your meal.
According to Ayurvedic Expert Dhanvantri Tyagi, “Not just our food, the order and pattern in which we take our food also has a deep link with our digestive system. Ayurveda suggests that we should start with something “meetha”, as something sweet takes the longest to digest. Next in line should be sour and last should be something spicy. Eating the sweet item first enables the flow of digestive secretions. By pushing the sweets to the last, you would slow down your digestion.”Sure, your refined white sugars can spark an energy crash, and ice cream might be as addictive as crack. But the sweet stuff has some virtues—for your heart, diet goals, and even libido. Here are the top five ways eating dessert can actually do your body good.A few bites of chocolate each day could decrease the risk of stroke down the line. In a study from Neurology, 37,000 Swedish men aged 45 to 79 recorded their diet over the course of 10 years. Those who ate the most chocolate (62.9 grams per week in this case) were 17 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke than those who nixed the treat entirely. “The key message to take away here is that these studies focus on the intake of dark chocolate,” says Heather Calcote, a registered dietician and a program manager at Corporate Wellness Solutions. “Typically this is marked on the package by something containing 65 to 70% cocoa or more. Note that some brands that sell dark chocolate often include milk in their mix. Check ingredient lists and either stick with cocoa powder or selectively choose your dark chocolate.” Another excuse to buy a candy bar: The same flavanoids that lower the risk of stroke reduce blood pressure, albeit slightly.“Pumpkin pie typically only has about 300 calories per slice, with a hefty dose of Vitamin A, and some fiber, calcium and iron,” Calcote says.
Eating the sweet item first enables the flow of secretionsHaving a bite or two of sweet or a chunk or gur(jaggery) sweet right at the start of your meal is also said to activate the taste buds. Having them right at the end can put off the digestive fire. It may cause fermentation and indigestion due to the acidic secretions. This could also trigger gas formation and bloating.
To counter these effects, Ayurveda suggests that one must start with something sweet at the outset, followed by something sour and salty in the middle, and finally something spicy or astringent. Having spicy food in the end helps douse the Kapha dosh(earth), while something sugary at the start takes care of the Vayu(wind) imbalance.
