Snacks and sweets in Ayurveda

How many meals a day do you usually eat? Do you have enough with three main meals or do you need snacks in the morning or afternoon or just something sweet?

Am I allowed to have snacks between meals?

A balanced digestive fire Agni makes us strong and content.

First and foremost, it should be mentioned that your diet should be designed in such a way that you can draw maximum energy from it. Therefore, it is often sufficient to eat three main meals a day and nothing in between. Especially with a healthy breakfast you can give yourself an ideal start to the day. If we eat too much food too often, our body can never really Digestive fire Agni never burn properly. It also increases all the doshas and can lead to long-term problems such as allergies, digestive problems and fatigue.

Metabolism and digestion, however, have their very own dynamics in each person. In addition, Ayurveda does not believe in pure prohibitions and commandments. Thus, snacks can also do us good, nourish us and give us energy.

However, it is important to distinguish which snacks we reach for and what the real reason is.

When your craving for sweets becomes an addiction

There are also healthy foods that are suitable as snacks. But many of us intuitively tend to reach for something unhealthy. And is it really hunger that makes you eat between meals or simply the desire? The more often we indulge in snacks and the sweeter they are, the more it becomes a habit that can also end in a kind of addiction.

But when are you addicted to sweets? Actually, our intuition is a good sensor for when our cravings for snacks and unhealthy things take over. But in our society, we have forgotten to simply rely on our intuition. It is often disturbed by stress, sorrow or the like, and without giving it much thought, we reach for the next piece of chocolate.

How do you feel after breakfast, for example? Do you get hungry again more quickly after an extensive breakfast at the weekend than if you perhaps only have a cup of coffee or a small breakfast during the week?

How do you feel in the afternoon? Do you feel tired, unfocused and unmotivated and have the feeling that you urgently need something sweet or at least a coffee with sugar?

Can you stop snacking just like that? Can you manage to eat just one or two biscuits or a piece of chocolate or does it have to be the whole bar?

How does your eating behaviour change under stress? Are you one of those people who have to eat even more under pressure and then preferably carbohydrates and unhealthy food?

Is your favourite taste in food and drink sweet? Can't you imagine tea or coffee without sweetener or sugar?

Do you find that your mood often changes from one extreme to the other?

What are your personal answers to these questions? The more often you answer "yes", the higher the importance of sweets and unhealthy snacks in your life.

What healthy snacks you can treat yourself to

If your hunger just can't wait until the evening and you need a small meal in between, then other snacks are suitable depending on your constitutional type. If you are not sure which type you are, you can easily find out here.

Fruit and smoothies make for a healthy snack. © Nutriciously - unsplash.com

Vata

Sweet fruit or fruit smoothie, banana bread with sultanas, soup, oat bar, warm chai with milk or rice pudding, dates, almonds, ginger pieces, sesame brittle.

Pitta

Ripe fruit, dried mango, smoothies, dates, milk with ghee and rose water, mint tea, vegetables with hummus, oat bars.

Kapha

Vegetables with spicy hummus, sunflower seeds, corn soup, rye crackers or puffed rice with a spicy spread, light fruit, smoothies or dried fruit, pieces of ginger.

You should avoid the following foods depending on your constitution type:

  • Vata: Nuts and other dry, hard snacks
  • Pitta: Chips and other fatty, spicy foods
  • Kapha: bananas and sweet, rich foods

General nutrition tips and tips for losing weight, adapted to your dosha, can be found here.

Energy balls as a healthy or tasty snack between meals

Especially after lunch, or maybe when you're in a slump of whatever kind, you have a craving for chocolate. But if you think there simply can't be anything like it, then you've never tried energy balls. Why are they so great?

  • Firstly, as we all know, the eye eats with us and they look almost suspiciously like chocolate, don't they?
  • They are super easy to make yourself (or can otherwise be bought at almost any health food shop).
  • The recipe can easily be adapted to your own taste.
  • In an airtight tin, they stay fresh in the fridge for about one to two weeks.
  • they provide plenty of fibre, minerals, protein and healthy fatty acids.

Attention: Because of the dried fruit, Energy Balls contain a relatively large amount of sugar and thus calories. They should therefore be enjoyed in moderation, just like "real" chocolates. However, they are definitely healthier than the classic sweets that are usually consumed.

Recipe for our Ayurveda energy balls from Sonnhof

If you have ever been a guest at our Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof, you will certainly know our delicious Energy Balls. They are very easy to prepare and give you the necessary energy and strength, especially in the cold season.

The Ayurveda energy balls from our Sonnhof are perfect as a healthy snack.

Ingredients:

  • 50 g dates
  • 2 tsp sultanas
  • 50 g dried plums
  • 50 g figs
  • 1 tsp goji berries
  • 1 tsp basil seeds
  • 300 g grated coconut
  • Water
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • 1 pinch vanilla

Preparation:

  • Cut the dried fruit into small pieces and soak for about 12 hours.
  • Then season the dried fruit with cardamom and vanilla and chop. Depending on the consistency, coconut flakes can be added as desired.
  • Form small balls and roll them in the coconut flakes.
  • Then leave to rest for a few hours and enjoy.

Conclusion

The Ayurvedic philosophy is not based on prohibitions and commandments and regards each person as an individual. Health is always the top priority in Ayurveda. It is important for you to find out which constitutional type you are and what your body, but also your mind and soul need. And many foods that are not very healthy unfortunately often taste delicious, we are well aware of that. However, you should try to eat sweets only in moderation, not as compensation for a problem, and in a healthy way.

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