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| Much of the wisdom
of Ayurvedic nutrition rests on the tip of your tongue,
literally! According to Ayurveda, the sense of taste
is a natural guidemap towards proper nutrition. For
ages, humans relied largely upon taste to discover healthy
foods in nature and avoid toxicity. Our tastebuds do
much more than simply identify tastes; they unlock the
nutritive value of foods and provide the initial spark
to the entire digestive process.
Food speaks to us directly through taste. A juicy
pear may call out to us with a gentle message of delight,
while the flaming chili pepper cries out in warning.
As we tune into the tastes naturally desired by the
body, we tap into the body’s innate wisdom regarding
food and nutrition.
Ayurveda identifies 6 Tastes by which all foods can
be categorized: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent,
and Astringent. While the first four tastes are probably
recognizable, the last two may not seem familiar.
Pungent taste is hot and spicy as found in a chili
pepper, while Astringent taste is dry and light as
found in popcorn. |
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| Taste |
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Primary
Actions |
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Common
Sources |
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| Sweet |
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Builds tissues, calms nerves |
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Fruit, grains, natural sugars,
milk |
| Sour |
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Cleanses tissues, increases
absorption of minerals |
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Sour fruits, yogurt, fermented
foods |
| Salty |
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Improves taste to food, lubricates
tissues, stimulates digestion |
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Natural salts, sea vegetables |
| Bitter |
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Detoxifies and lightens tissues
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Dark leafy greens, herbs and
spices |
| Pungent |
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Stimulates digestion and metabolism
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Chili peppers, garlic, herbs
and spices |
| Astringent |
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Absorbs water, tightens tissues,
dries fats |
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Legumes, raw fruits and vegetables,
herbs |
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| 1) Include
all 6 Tastes in each meal The 6 Tastes
offer us a user-friendly guide map for how to nourish
ourselves. Rather than looking at nutritional labels
for X amount of protein or Y amount of carbohydrates,
the 6 Tastes naturally guide us towards our body’s
nutritional needs. Each taste feeds our mind, body,
senses, and spirit in its own unique way. From a modern
nutritional perspective, the 6 Tastes satisfy each
of the major dietary building blocks. Sweet foods,
for example, are rich in fats, proteins, carbohydrates,
and water, whereas Bitter and Astringent foods are
high in vitamins and minerals.
The brain sends the body signals when it requires
energy in the form of food. By incorporating all 6
Tastes into each meal, we ensure that these signals
are adequately met, thus avoiding food cravings or
the over-consumption of certain foods..
Including the 6 tastes in each meal doesn’t
need to be a daunting task. Adding a squeeze of lemon
to cooked dishes, for example, can quickly satisfy
the Sour taste, while adding a side salad will fulfill
the Bitter and Astringent tastes.
2) Allow your unique constitution to determine
the proportion of tastes you eat
The body naturally desires tastes that balance its
doshic makeup and shuns tastes of an aggravating nature.
In this sense, things are made pretty easy for us:
If we simply follow our natural inclinations, we are
led to the proper foods. Vata individuals, for example,
are naturally drawn to moist, grounding foods, while
Kapha individuals favor light, drying foods.
Ayurvedic nutrition recommends including all 6 tastes
in each meal, while favoring those tastes that bring
greater balance to your particular constitution. A
Pitta individual, for example, will favor cooling
foods and spices such as dark leafy greens and fennel,which
are high in Bitter and Astringent tastes, while requiring
a smaller quantity of the Pungent taste.
Balancing the Doshas Through Taste |
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Most
Balancing |
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Most
Aggravating |
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| Vata |
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Sweet, Sour, Salty |
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Bitter, Pungent, Astringent |
| Pitta |
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Sweet, Bitter, Astringent |
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Sour, Salty, Pungent |
| Kapha |
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Pungent, Bitter, Astringent
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Sweet, Sour, Salty |
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| In the
overview of the 6 Tastes below, “-” after
a doshic initial refers to a balancing (or decreasing)
effect on that particular dosha, while “+”
refers to an aggravating (or increasing) effect. |
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| Sweet
taste results from the combination of Water and
Earth and is heavy, moist, and cooling by nature.
In the West, sugary foods are most commonly associated
with this taste. Sweet taste is also found in
milk and milk products (like butter, ghee, and
cream), most grains (especially wheat, rice, and
barley), many legumes (like beans and lentils),
sweet fruits (such as bananas and mangos), and
certain cooked vegetables (such as carrots, sweet
potatoes, and beets).
Sweet taste naturally increases bulk, moisture,
and weight in the body. For this reason, it
is excellent for building the body’s seven
vital tissues (called dhatus) of plasma,
blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow, and reproductive
fluids. Sweet taste also increases saliva, soothes
mucous membranes and burning sensations, relieves
thirst, and has beneficial effects on the skin,
hair, and voice. |
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| Sour
Taste is composed of Earth and Fire and is hot,
light, and moist by nature. It is commonly found
in citrus fruits (such as lemon and limes), sour
milk products (like yogurt, cheese, and sour cream),
and fermented substances (including wine, vinegar,
pickles, sauerkraut, and soy sauce). Used in moderation,
Sour taste stimulates digestion, helps circulation
and elimination, energizes the body, strengthens
the heart, relieves thirst, maintains acidity,
sharpens the senses, and helps extract minerals
such as iron from food. It also nourishes all
the vital tissues (dhatus) except the reproductive
tissues (the exception being yogurt, which nourishes
all the tissues). |
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| Salty
taste is composed of Fire and Water and is hot,
heavy, and moist by nature. It is found in any
salt (such as sea salt and rock salt), sea vegetables
(like seaweed and kelp), and foods to which large
amounts of salt are added (like nuts, chips, and
pickles). Due to its drying quality in the mouth,
it may seem counterintuitive to think of Salty
taste as moistening. The element of Water in its
composition, however, relates to its water retaining
quality. Salty taste falls somewhere between Sweet
and Sour tastes with regard to its heavy and moist
qualities. While Sweet taste stimulates the greatest
water retention and weight gain in the body, Salty
taste will have similar effects when used in excess
by any of the doshas.
In moderation, Salty taste improves the flavor
of food, improves digestion, lubricates tissues,
liquefies mucous, maintains mineral balance,
aids in the elimination of wastes, and calms
the nerves. Due to its tendency to attract water,
it also improves the radiance of the skin and
promotes overall growth in the body.
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| Pungent
taste derives from the elements of Fire and Air
and is hot, dry, and light. It is the hottest
of all the 6 Tastes and is found in certain vegetables
(such as chili peppers, garlic, and onions), and
in spices (like black pepper, ginger, and cayenne).
In small amounts, Pungent taste stimulates digestion,
clears the sinuses, promotes sweating and detoxification,
dispels gas, aids circulation, improves metabolism,
and relieves muscle pain. |
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| Bitter
taste is composed of Air and Ether and is light,
cooling, and dry by nature. It is found in green
leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, and green
cabbage), other vegetables (including zucchini
and eggplant), herbs and spices (like turmeric,
fenugreek, and dandelion root), coffee, tea, and
certain fruits (such as grapefruits, olives, and
bitter melon). While Bitter taste is often not
appealing alone, it stimulates the appetite and
helps bring out the flavor of the other tastes.
Bitter taste is a powerful detoxifying agent,
and has antibiotic, anti-parasitic, and antiseptic
qualities. It is also helpful in reducing weight,
water retention, skin rashes, fever, burning sensations
and nausea. |
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| Astringent
taste results from the combination of Air and
Earth and is dry, cooling, and heavy by nature.
It is the least common of all the 6 Tastes and
can be found in legumes (such as beans and lentils),
fruits (including cranberries, pomegranates, pears,
and dried fruit), vegetables (such as, broccoli,
cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus and turnip),
grains (such as rye, buckwheat, and quinoa), spices
and herbs (including turmeric and marjoram), coffee,
and tea. Astringent taste is not as cold as Bitter
taste but has a greater cooling effect on the
body than Sweet taste.
Astringent taste is classified more in relation
to its effect on the tongue than its actual
taste. It creates a puckering sensation in the
mouth (such as cranberries) or a dry, chalky
feeling (such as many beans). Foods like broccoli
or cauliflower have a mildly Astringent taste
that is less detectable. Dry foods such as crackers
and chips, most raw vegetables, and the skins
of fruits also have Astringent qualities.
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