Sugar, honey and chocolate?

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam

I should have asked this the first time too, I know refined sugar is

probably out, and have given up sweets, but is honey ok? and although

I have given up chocolate bars,ect. I have found a brown rice "milk"

that has coco in it. It is very nice, and I do find that it helps me

relax and sleep, but I am craving it.

 

Is the rule of thumb just don't have anything you crave?

 

thanks so much

sat nam

TLee

[Guest guest]

I had holding off on answering this because I wanted to hear how some of

the other folks into Ayurveda would handle it. I don't know your

constitution and am not experienced enough to give a full consultation

over the net, although there are folks who can.

Here's what I understand and employ in my eating habits and some of

this should should help

We humans have Six Tastes astringent, bitter, pungent, salty, sour, and

sweet. This is much more than about how food tastes, as western

physiology and dietitians would have you believe. How much of each Dosha

(Vatta, Pitta, Kapha) our body produces depends primarily on which

tastes we consume. The Tastes influence the balance of the Doshas in the

our body. Like the Doshas they are derived from the Five Great Elements

(there are 24 Tatvas and five of them are Ether, Air, Fire, Water and

Earth).

Regular elimination of the Doshas is important because normal

metabolic processes continuously produce them. We can maintain a balance

among the Six Tastes as long as we don't persist in overusing one or

more of them. Any cravings for sweet foods may very well indicate that

we are not eating in a balanced. If we don't have all Six Tastes

satisfied in one sitting at least once a day, there is a chance that

after that meal, and maybe the rest of the day, we may be "wanting"

something. We didn't get "satiation", and now we are going to go for

what we know from past experience will feel nurturing. Hence, my

occasional cookie binge or that whole quart of Starbucks Moca Almond in

3 days, if I am disciplined. If I continue to not fulfill all Six Tastes

needs in one sitting, I will continue to crave the goodies. Yogiji says,

in his Saturnine way, that when we are craving ice cream to "eat a

chili". That's tough medicine but it is based in this principle.

My advice is to continue eating what tastes good to you but to get

some good info on the six tastes and work to balance the Doshas. Yoga is

a big help. Your cravings will just fall away. Eventually, a Yogi can

"produce" all six tastes within. This is important because our overall

sense of well being is dependent on it. For me, doing Japji give me the

Sweet and occasionally other tastes occur that I haven't yet been able

to cleanly label.....something near pungent or astringent.

 

Sat Nam,

Dharam

 

 

 

"Lee" <trevorslee> wrote:

> Sat Nam

> I should have asked this the first time too, I know refined sugar is

> probably out, and have given up sweets, but is honey ok? and although

> I have given up chocolate bars,ect. I have found a brown rice "milk"

> that has coco in it. It is very nice, and I do find that it helps me

> relax and sleep, but I am craving it.

>

> Is the rule of thumb just don't have anything you crave?

>

> thanks so much

> sat nam

> TLee