By Setareh Kiumarsi
Did you know that tahini is warm, moist, oily, and heavy?! If consumed in large quantities (more than 1–2 teaspoons) or without its balancing ingredients, it can be hard to digest, create undigested phlegm (mucus) in the digestive tract, and lead to skin issues such as acne, eczema, or rashes.
Many people think they’re eating a healthy breakfast by having tahini with grape molasses. For example, they mix one or two tablespoons of tahini with a lot of molasses and eat it with flatbread. But here’s the problem: tahini is oily and moist, molasses is also moist and phlegmatic, and bread is heavy and phlegmatic too.
Altogether, this creates a heavy, mucus-producing, and fattening breakfast especially unsuitable for people with Kapha imbalance (those prone to sluggish metabolism, phlegm, or excess weight).
Instead, for a single serving, mix 1–2 teaspoons of tahini with 2–3 teaspoons of honey, and add a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of rose powder.
Honey and spices are drying and light, which helps balance tahini’s heaviness, improve digestion, and act as its digestive correctors (anupanas).
For an even better option, you can add a spoonful of cooked and spiced apple purée (with cinnamon).
Tahini is warm and moist, while apples are cool and dry…so they balance each other perfectly. Spread the apple purée on a piece of whole-grain bread and drizzle the tahini-honey mix on top like a sauce.
During the warm seasons, avoid overeating tahini. But if you want to have it, replace honey with grape molasses instead.
For people who want to gain weight, or those with a Pitta (fire) dominance, the combination of tahini and molasses can actually make a good breakfast choice.
Please make sure to mention the author, “Setareh Kiumarsi,” if you share or republish this article, which was written with hope for everyone’s health and love.
