Reason why “Dessert” should be the “Starter”- Eating, the Ayurveda way!

Today I will be discussing about two aspects of healthy eating,

1. Ayurveda’s view on “Starter- Main course –Dessert”pattern.
2. How much should a person eat, what should the quantity of a meal be ? ideally

1.Dessert should ideally be a Starter!!!!

Ayurveda has laid down certain guidelines regarding the manner in which the food is to be consumed. According to ayurveda, the tastes or gustatory perception is six in number. It is termed as the “six rasa ( ~taste) theory”. The six rasas are Madhura (Sweet) Amla( Sour), lavana (salty), Katu (Acrid), Tikta (Bitter), and Kashaya (Astringent). Rasa /taste is one among the five components in a substance, which determine the action of a given substance on the body.

Ayurveda, believes that our food should essentially contain in it all the six tastes. Ayurveda, has recommended a certain order in which these six tastes(rasa) are to be consumed.

Madhura rasa ( food substances which are predominantly madhura~ sweet) is to be consumed at the beginning of a meal, followed by Amla-Lavana and your meal should end with the use of substances with Katu-tikta-kashaya rasa.

Now, which is madhura(~sweet) and which is not? Is something that needs to be known, for which you will have to visit a qualified ayurveda doctor. Because, all that is sweet is not essentially madhura and all that which do not give a sweet taste cannot be considered as not possessing madhura rasa.

The contrast !!

Now , why is there, such restriction and very importantly, this is in total contrast to the practise today of having desserts at the end of the meal which are predominantly sweet and sour.

Even in the not so distant past, a meal was being seen and practised as a sacred ritual (Atma Yajna) and food was revered as the life sustainer. Today, it has become merely a means to fill the belly and for gratification of taste buds. We eat whenever -wherever, whatever and whichever the way we feel like. Some eat out of boredom and some even don’t relish eating. It has become a monotonous routine.

Dessert as a Starter: But Why??

a. At the start of a meal, one has to eat those food articles which predominantly possess the madhura rasa/sweet taste. The food items like the ones that you have for desserts nowadays,(not the wine) mostly come under the madhura rasa category. Having said that, there are numerous other substances which have madhura rasa, you may wonder, rice and wheat are among the one s which also fall in the madhura category.

b.Followed by the madhura rasa, one has to consume food articles with amla (~sour).

Now, this is why, Fruits are advised to be consumed at the very beginning of the meal in Ayurveda, as most of the fruits ( as mentioned in ayurveda as coming under phala varga) principally have both madhura and amla rasas or madhura/amla rasas.

c.Next comes the lavana rasa (salty). Lavana is one such substance which is mentioned under “na ati upayunjeeta”( “Not to be used in excess” group), hence has to be used in small quantity. When used in excess or when used in wrong combinations could lead to serious health implications.

d.Your meal should ideally end with the food articles, which have katu/tikta and kashaya rasas. The best example of which is the use of butter milk, which predominantly has kashaya rasa.

The age-old practise

This type of meal pattern is followed in some south Indian households even today and in most of the households during feasts. Now, is this all just a part of some ritual ? or does it really mean something ?

Now, most you may wonder why such an elaborative pattern for a simple act like eating, when in reality, all that we eat is ultimately getting mixed in a sack called stomach. How, will this make some difference????

Every theory in ayurveda or for that matter ,any practise recommended in ayurveda has been designed, taking into consideration every aspect of human anatomy- physiology and pathology.

This order /pattern of consuming food articles with specified tastes, has everything to do with the fundamental components of the body mainly the “AGNI”(the fire element) and the “TRI DOSHAS”(Three humors- Vata-pitta-kapha) .

Every act of ours including what we eat and how we eat, leaves its imprint on the three dosha-three malas(end products of metabolism) –agni and the seven dhatus(tissues) which form the very substratum of the human body.

“Vayohoratribhuktanam te anta madhy adigaha kramaat”

When one is hungry ,

It is the vata, followed by pitta, that attain the dominance, hence to counter this physiological variation , madhura rasa which innately has the ability to counter the vata and pitta doshas is advised to be used in the beginning .

Amla rasa that is taken immediately after the madhura rasa, helps kindle the digestive fire. And as kapha takes the dominance towards the end of the meal, the katu tikta kashaya rasas are advised to be taken which counter the increased kapha, says Dalhana acharya.

Hence, based on the doshic dominance during various stages of the meal, the order or pattern has been designed.

The desserts predominantly contain both madhura and amla rasa and also the processing and preparation techniques that goes in preparing them, makes them very heavy to digest.

Not only this but eating fruits or even eating yoghurt in the end, is in total contrast to what ayurveda advocates. These food articles which are consumed for desserts (also wine) have madhura amla rasas which aggravate kapha greatly, resulting in various ailments of agni kapha etc,.

Help yourselves by helping your body..

The three doshas attain a transient spike during the meal in a particular order. Hence, in order to counter this transient spike in the doshas, the food articles possessing specific rasa are to be consumed in a definite order. It is only then, the digestion is facilitated.

So far I have explained the pattern of the food intake and the rationale behind it

2.”How much one should be eating” as per Ayurveda.

The food quantity is entirely individualistic and needs to be tailored to suit the individual needs and condition.

Ayurveda has laid down few simple way of identifying what quantity of food is right for you.

It is either LIGHT OR HEAVY..

Aurveda although classifies and recommends a food article based on its effect on the agni. It simply means, Any food article is either laghu (light) or guru(Heavy) for digestion. Laghu food articles, do not harm, even when consumed in excess ,will as much as eating guru ahara does.

The goodness of living countryside !!!!

For a modern man, identifying which is light and which is heavy oor whether the quantity is right itslef is difficult. This rustic knowledge used to be passed on from generations by practice, casual conversations amongst the family members.

UNLEARN !!

Now, we have come so far away from our roots, that we are on the verge of losing many such native knowledge, that are so simple but more precious than what we learn in schools and colleges. We must re-learn to listen, respect and respond to whispers of the body.

Below are few symptoms that will tell you whether you are eating right amount of food :

1. The food you have eaten or the quantity per se shouldn’t give you discomfort or feeling of fullness in your tummy.
2. It shoud not cause discomfort or tightness in your chest region. A kind of feeling as if the food eaten is actually pressing the cardiac area.
3. Tummy should feel pretty light, not heavy and full at all.
4. The quantity you have eaten should alleviate your hunger and thirst urges satisfactorily.
5. Food eaten shouldn’t interfere with your activities like sitting-standing- breathing — laughing and talking.
6. And the food eaten in the morning (that is the 1st meal time ) should get digested by evening (2nd meal time).