How Sweet Is The Effect of Sweeteners?

Madhura Rasa, or the sweet taste, is introduced to the body since birth, as babies of all mammals enjoy breast milk, which is predominantly sweet. Sweet-tasting foods promote tissue growth and provide energy and longevity when consumed in moderation. They benefit the health of the skin, senses, and reproductive system due to their heavy, wet, cooling, and soothing qualities. They also relieve thirst and burning sensation in the body.

However, when overused by itself (in the form of pure sugar) or in excess, the sweet taste may lead to obesity, laziness, excessive sleep, heaviness, loss of appetite for other tastes, difficulty breathing, weak digestion, low immunity, water retention, imbalanced blood sugar levels, fatty liver, mental disorders, impaired vision, and diabetes.

Generally, the sweet taste is good for balancing Vata and Pitta, while it aggravates Kapha. But in excess, sugar can knock all three Doshas out of balance. The bitter and pungent tastes counterbalance sweetness; therefore, adding spices to your sweets, or having herbal teas prepared using bitter herbs like dandelion, nettles, turmeric, or even coffee along with sweets, helps reduce the damaging effects of sugar.

Sweet taste is found in foods that contain sugar and starches. Typical sweet plants include sugarcane, almonds, vanilla, dates, licorice root, wheat, anise, raisins, and figs. Milk, rice, meat, chicken, eggs, and honey are also considered sweet.

Ayurveda’s View On The Common Sweeteners

The wort and least recommended sweeteners:

Refined White Sugar

White sugar is highly processed and has Tamasic properties. It promotes the accumulation of toxins, pollutes the blood, and creates inflammation and addiction if taken in isolation or excess. Sugar interrupts the body’s ability to metabolize sugar and fat and compromises the liver and pancreas. It weakens the immune system and makes us susceptible to many diseases. Generally, avoiding it and using other wholesome and less processed forms of sugar is better.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is just white sugar with some molasses added to it. It is sweet and has a slightly cooling effect on the body. Brown sugar has a high glycemic index, just as high as regular white sugar.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS is highly refined, bleached, and has an addictive quality. It is toxic to the body and causes obesity and other health problems. Avoid it completely.

Agave Nectar

Although Agave is made of a plant, it is not a healthy sweetener (despite being marketed as such). It has a very high glycemic index, as high as that of HFCS, and tastes sweeter than any other sweetener, causing an addictive effect on the brain. Avoid using it as much as possible.

The best and most recommended sweeteners:

Fruit Sugar

Yes, fruit contains sugar, some more than others, and it has a similar effect on the body and brain as regular sugar. However, fruit in its wholesome form contains water, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and its sweetness is most likely combined with other tastes, perhaps sour or astringent. These factors are what make fruit healthier for consumption than straight-up sugar. However, it should still be eaten in small amounts, preferably on its own, on an empty stomach, or before meals. Apples, berries, lemons, limes, and pears contain the least sugar, while dates, mangoes, and bananas have the most sugar.

Honey

Raw, high-quality honey is very Sattvic in nature. It is sweet, astringent, and pungent in taste and has a warming effect on the body. It takes on some of the properties of the flowers from which it is collected. It is suitable for all Doshas but can aggravate Pitta if taken in excess, especially during summer. Honey is the best sweetener for Kapha. It helps discharge phlegm, increases immunity, and promotes Ojas (vitality).

Honey should never be heated! Heating, cooking, and baking using honey turn its molecular structure similar to glue, which then binds to mucus membranes in the digestive tract, further producing toxins and fat accumulation. Besides that, honey’s medicinal properties and essential enzymes are lost when heated above 40 degrees C. Always use honey in its raw state, preferably aged, unheated, or added to warm beverages after cooling off. It is still considered a potent sugar, with addictive and unhealthy side effects when taken excessively and incorrectly.

Jaggery (Gur)

Jaggery is a natural, unrefined form of sugar, rich in minerals and vitamins, including iron. It is sweet and slightly bitter and is considered heavy and warming. Used moderately, it can be suitable for all Doshas. In excess, however, it can aggravate Pitta and Kapha.

Blackstrap Molasses

Molasses is sweet, bitter, and slightly warming. It balances Vata but aggravates Pitta and Kapha. Molasses is rich in iron, an excellent blood builder, and strengthens the heart muscles. It is very nutritious and helpful for women during pregnancy or postpartum and for treating anemia.

Rock Sugar

Rock sugar is made from sugarcane and has similar effects on the body. It has a very cooling effect on the body; therefore, it is used in Ayurveda to treat heartburn, hyperacidity, and excess heat.

Maple Syrup

Pure maple is considered sweet and cooling. It is one of the best natural sugar forms, especially for Pitta Dosha.

Coconut Palm Sugar

Produced from the coconut palm tree flower, coconut sugar is considered cooling and has high mineral content. It is suitable for balancing Pitta and Vata and can be consumed in small amounts by Kapha.

Stevia Leaf

Stevia is a natural plant (also known as the ‘sweet leaf plant’), sweet and bitter in taste, and has a cooling effect on the body. It is 300 times sweeter than white sugar but does not raise blood sugar levels, perhaps due to its bitterness. Used in its natural form, stevia can be a good sweetener to use by all three Doshas. Buy the dried leaves and grind them into a powder using a spice grinder, or steep it in hot water and use the liquid.