Every food we consume has multiple tastes and qualities which encompass medicinal value. Our taste buds are trained to recognize whether or not we enjoy the flavor of a food when it enters our mouth. Western food philosophy has taught us to count calories and look at the fat, carbohydrate and protein content of a food. However, this philosophy is limited. It does not account for the fact that each person is different and where one is abundant another is lacking. Therefore, the biological makeup of each food has a different balancing or aggravating affect depending on the person consuming that food.
Understanding the 6 different tastes and how each affects the body is a valuable element in our health journey. All 6 tastes have their place in our diet. The proportion of each, based on constitution, is critical to understand. If we can identify where we are balanced and where we may be lacking or abundant, we can give our vessel the nutrition it needs to function at its best.
The 6 tastes/rasas of Ayurveda are:
- Sweet
- Salty
- Sour
- pungent
- Bitter
- Astringent
Let’s explore each taste in more detail. This will help us understand how each one benefits the body when consumed correctly or tips the scales in the wrong direction when lacking or present in elevated quantities for our constitution.