Volume III · Part II · Chapter 18
Sweeteners and Salts
The Ayurvedic Kitchen
About 1 min read
| Sweetener | Virya | Dosha | Use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mishri (rock sugar) | Cooling | ↓P ↓V | Summer sweets, thandai, fennel mukhwas | Considered the gentlest sugar |
| Jaggery (old, chemical-free) | Heating | ↓V | Winter sweets, kadha, panakam | Dark golden; bright yellow is sulphur-treated |
| Honey (raw) | Cooling (but Kapha-reducing) | ↓K | Warm (not hot) drinks; with ginger | Never heated; never in equal parts with ghee |
| Dates | Cooling | ↓V ↓P | Halwa, kheer, milk | Fibre and minerals with sweetness |
| Raisins (soaked) | Cooling | ↓V ↓P | Breakfast, kheer | Soak overnight |
| Refined white sugar | Cooling | ↑K | Avoided where possible | — |
ICMR-NIN (2024) reminds us that jaggery, honey and sugar are all sugars; none is a health food. The Ayurvedic preference for mishri, old jaggery and honey is about their qualities — not permission for more. Added sugar for a guest should stay within about 20–25 g a day.
| Salt | Ayurvedic view | Use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock salt (saindhava) | The best salt: mildly cooling, tridoshic in small amounts | Fasting days; chaat; churnas | Low in iodine — not for every day |
| Iodised salt (samudra) | Heating; increases Pitta and Kapha | Everyday cooking | Iodine matters for thyroid health in older adults |
| Black salt (sauvarchala) | Digestive, light | Drinks, chaat, jaljeera | High sodium — small amounts |
| Total salt | — | ≤ 5 g per day (WHO); house recipes use ¾ tsp per 4 servings | No salt shakers on tables; lemon, herbs and roasted cumin give flavour |