18. Sweeteners and Salts

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