Dessert / Sweet Dish after Meal - Why?

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People often go for sweet dessert after having meal. There are various reasons why people do so. Every civilization and every country follow this tradition in one or other way. Different types of sweet dishes are used in different countries as per taste and availability of food items. The question is why do we have dessert after meal ? There are various social and scientific reasons behind this tradition.

Here are a few social reasons. Some of them might make you feel surprised.

  • Sweet Dish in the end is a reason for kids to finish their meal first, else they will not get it. It makes kids to eat the meal which is necessary to keep them healthy.
  • If any body in the family don't like the main course and he/she didn't eat enough then sweet dish will be a thing to fill their appetite. 
  • There are 5 types of flavors sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umame. All of them are necessary for healthy body and complete nutrition. Mostly sweet is not a part of main course and hence its necessary in the end as a sweet dish.


Now lets come to scientific people, here are a few reasons for you.

  • One of the most famous scientific explanation is that our body spends a lot of energy to digest the food that we eat. Thats why we feel sleepy after a heavy meal. Its due to low energy level just after having meal as most of our energy is consumed in digestion. In such a situation a sweet dish can add fresh energy as sweet get converted into glucose instantly. 
  • Some scientific studies found that sugar enhances the absorption of some amino acids(especially tryptophan) in our food. It indirectly increases the level of a feel-good compound in our body known as serotin. So in simple language you can say that sweet dish in the end will create a feel good feeling in your body.
  • According to a study done by National Institute of Health, sometimes heavy metals in our meal can result in a condition called postprandial, a state of low blood sugar. Sweet Food in the end is one of the best ways to get relief from low blood sugar.


I hope that these explanations will answer your query that why most of us need something sweet just after having lunch or dinner. Our body only asks of those things which are really necessary for it. We just need to listen to its demands. However it might not be true in every case. For example a diabetic person should control his desire for sweet.

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