Ayurveda expert on why you should avoid having tea with jaggery

Ayurveda expert Dr Rekha Radhamony says the combination of tea and jaggery could produce Ama or toxic waste that could affect digestion.

There is a recent trend of fitness enthusiasts replacing sugar with healthier alternatives like jaggery and honey as they are natural sweeteners and have additional health benefits that sugar doesn't offer. Many people like to start their day with tea sweetened by jaggery. According to Ayurveda, this is a faulty combination though. (Also read: Food combos that can be harmful for your health as per Ayurveda)

According to the ancient medicinal practice, viruddha ahara or bad food combinations may lead to poor agni or digestion and cause Ama or toxic waste that further affects digestion. While jaggery is loaded with benefits and contains vitamins, phosphorous, iron, magnesium and potassium, its combination with milk could be harmful.

"According to Ayurveda, the wrong combination of foods can cause Ama (toxic waste that affects digestion) in your system. In Ayurveda, every food has its own specific quality, taste, potency, post-digestive effect, and so on," says Ayurveda expert Dr Rekha Radhamony in her recent Instagram post.

Dr Radhamony says that jaggery is heating while milk is cooling and when you combine a hot potency food or 'ushna virya' with a cold potency food, due to the difference in virya, it is said to be incompatible.

Other food combos that are harmful for health as per Ayurveda are banana and milk, milk and fish, curd and cheese, honey and ghee. The wrong food combinations can cause a variety of health troubles from inflammation, skin disorders to autoimmune diseases.

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