In Ayurveda the food we eat is considered an important factor in the maintenance of health. Aspects like the type of food that we take, its quantity, when, how & where we eat etc. should be taken into account. The purpose of eatings served only when proper food is eaten in the proper way.
Ayurveda Categorizes food & its effects on the Physical body & Doshas in terms of “RASA” or taste. It is not possible to equate the way Ayurveda sees food with the modern Nutrional understanding of Carbonydrates, Protein, Minerals & vitamins. The System of Ayurveda is completely different, it takes into account the subtle qualities present in food & not just the chemical components. Each Taste according to Ayurveda has a subtle Mental and emotional effect, it can have grounding or stimulating effect to the system or leave a feeling of well-being or inertia. Wisdom is to include a Balanced Meal of all the tastes in the correct Ratios which will have effect on all devils in the Body System.
IS TASTE VERY IMPORTANT?
To Understand Food from an ayurvedic Perspective the taste (RASA) in a food need to be considered. There are six original Tastes present in the universe.
SIX TASTES
- SWEET (SWADU)
- SOUR (AMLA)
- SALT (LAVANA)
- BITTER (TIKHA)
- PUNGENT (KATU)
- ASTRINGENT (KASHAYA)
Each Dosha Type has three of them as part of their nature & is nourished by the other three which are not its own nature. This maintains balance. Therefore to maintain proper functioning of health in the body and the diet, the taste present in the food needs to be taken into account. |
