Here's what Ayurveda has to say…⁠
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For last night’s July 4th celebration, I exceptionally made a meringue-based dessert called a Pavlova (check out my stories if you don’t know what it is!). It was delicious but also packed with white sugar and I’m now feeling dull and groggy - here is why: ⁠
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🍭 White refined sugars are considered stale, over-stimulating and heating. They are not only addictive but also difficult to digest so can create imbalances and waste in the body (reminder: toxins are considered to be the root cause of all disease). ⁠
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🍭 Refined sugars aggravate all Mind-Body Types. Leading to mental agitation and physical exhaustion for AIR types but also fluid retention, weight gain, mental dullness for EARTH individuals. For FIRE constitutions, they also weaken the pancreas and the liver.⁠
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🍯 Yet, even sugar (natural and unprocessed vs. refined!) has its place in Ayurveda. Ayurveda dictates that there are six tastes, sweet being one of them. The sweet taste is considered one of the most vital, and this comes as a surprise to many. Eating sweet foods is important because they nourish tissues, and improve the immune system. We certainly don’t recommend eliminating them. There is also more to ‘sugar’ than you may think. The Ayurveda diet classes many things as naturally sweet food, including fruit, honey, milk, rice, wheat, dates, chicken and other grains, as well as refined white sugar.⁠
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The difference between some natural sweeteners:⁠
🍯 Honey: sweet and astringent, heating, scrapes ‘fat’ in our digestive tract - is the only sweetener recommended for EARTH types.⁠
🍯 Maple syrup: sweet & bitter, cooling. Most appropriate for FIRE folks.⁠
🍯 Jaggery: sweet and cooling, heavy, strengthening - great for AIR types⁠
🍯 Raw cane sugar: sweet, cooling, increases fat - appropriate for AIR & FIRE individuals.⁠
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If you do wish to consume natural sugars in moderation, some sugar regulating foods include are:⁠
🍯cinnamon (regulates blood sugar levels)⁠
🍯ghee (slows down the metabolising of sugar)⁠
🍯spices (also slows the metabolism of sugar)⁠