Know About Ayurvedic Concept of Good Health and Tastes
What is your favourite dish? And what is that one dish you don't like at all? You must be having answers in your hand. But wait! How do you realize the taste? What would you do if all the dishes in the world tasted the same? Quite boring, right?
The different tastes and flavors of the dishes make them unique, and we then can examine their taste. If all the words tasted the same, we wouldn't have to try out new cuisines. Moreover, we humans love food more than anything else. So, considering the situation, we are lucky enough to have different tastes on our plates.
Ayurveda
As per Ayurveda good health and tastes relates to six different types of taste: sweet, salty, sour, astringent, bitter, and pungent. According to it, whatever food we eat falls under these ayurveda six tastes chart. The 6 tastes in ayurveda come from the other five different elements, which are bhumi (earth), Jal (water), Agni (fire), Vayu (air), and Akash (sky).
Ayurveda good health and tastes suggests keeping a balance among these six rasas (taste) to have a healthy body. These 6 tastes in ayurveda not only define how the food would taste but also defines the health of your overall existence, from physical health to mental health. Your food has a lot more to do with your health than you probably can think of.
You might be astonished to know that there are mostly ten thousand taste buds in the mouth, and nearly eight thousand belong to our tongue. These taste buds are responsible for leaving a signal to the body when to leave appropriate enzymes essential to break down the food.
All in all, what matters is to have your plate decorated with all the six rasas to keep you fit and healthy.
Let's have a look at how these 6 good health and tastes in Ayurveda influence our body:-
Sweet Taste (Madhur Rasa): Sweet Rasa
Don't we all love sweets? But did you know that sweet is related to earth and water and is one of the 6 tastes in ayurveda? Sweet one of the 6 ayurvedic tastes is believed to be increasing Kapha dosha in the body while maintaining the balance of Vata dosha and pitta dosha. Being moist and cold, sweet balances the fires of pitta. It is also considered that sweet one of the the six tastes food, ayurveda is heavy and difficult to digest, which leads to a weak digestion system, low appetite, obesity, heaviness, and oversleeping. Hence, one needs to be sure about the number of sweets consumed in a day. While some people also believe that sweet one of the 6 tastes in ayurveda provide energy to the body and rejuvenate our skin and hair. But this should be consumed in limited quantities as per Ayurveda good health and six tastes chart.
Sour taste (Amla Rasa): Indian Goseberry
Did you know that bad offers numerous benefits to your health. The sour belongs to one of the six tastes food, ayurveda and comprises fire and earth. It increases pitta and Kapha dosha and keeps Vata dosha in balance. According to Ayurveda good health and tastes Sour is found in tomatoes, yogurt, alcohol, seafood, amla, etc. The work of sour rasa which is one of the 6 tastes in ayurveda is to keep your body warm and maintain your digestive system.
Sour one of the 6 ayurvedic tastes is believed to be liquid, oily, and hot. Hence, consuming it in excess quantity can lead to ulcers, hyperacidity, rejection, jealousy, etc. However, suppose one consumes this in an appropriate amount. In that case, sour rasa among the 6 tastes in ayurveda can provide benefits like creating a warming and energetic effect, healthy liver functioning, bile flow, and warms up the body and so is part of Ayurveda good health and six tastes chart.
Salty Taste (Lavana Rasa): Salty Rasa
Salty rasa is more like sour rasa and is another of the 6 tastes in ayurveda. It also increases the Kapha and pitta dosha and lowers the Vata dosha. Lavana rasa comprises fire and water. It is also hot, liquid, and hot. Sour taste one of the 6 tastes in ayurveda is also believed to warm up your body and improves the digestive system. Acting as an appetizer with antispasmodic properties, salty rasa one of the six tastes food, ayurveda can be of great health benefits as per texts of Ayurveda good health and tastes. However, if we consume too much salty rasa one of the 6 ayurvedic tastes, it can cause hypertension and water retention.
Pungent Taste (Ushna Rasa): Onion
Majorly found in tulsi, ginger, onion, chili, garlic, and many other food ingredients, Pungent according to Ayurveda good health and tastes helps to increase Vata and pitta while decreasing Kapha. It consists of fire and air. Ushna Rasa another of the 6 tastes in ayurveda can help to reduce fat, improve blood circulation, and bring enthusiasm.
However, if you consume these six tastes food, Ayurveda good health and tastes foods excessively, it can cause irritability, crankiness, anger, jealousy, insecurity, nausea, and heartburn. We have already discussed that the six rasas or the 6 ayurvedic tastes have a lot more to do with your health. Hence, not only physical but mental health also comes under the control of rasas or the 6 tastes chart in ayurveda.
Bitter Taste (Tikta Rasa): Bittergroud
Bitter taste is among the 6 tastes in ayurveda and comprises air, and it helps to increase Vata and decreases pitta dosha and Kapha dosha. It is found in foods like neem, spinach, and bitter gourd, which help support the digestive system, muscles, bring clarity, calm behavior, and self-awareness. The negative impact of bitter taste, one of the six tastes food, ayurveda can develop rejection, loneliness, betrayal, isolation, and disgust. Hence, Ayurveda good health and six tastes charts practioners advise their patients to keep track of what you eat and how much you eat.
Astringency Taste (Kashaya Rasa)
Astringent one of the 6 ayurvedic tastes comprises air and earth. The astringent foods is one of the six tastes food, ayurveda and is found in coffee, tea, pomegranate, figs, asparagus, and cauliflower. The maintained consumption of Astringency taste one of the 6 tastes in ayurveda helps cool the stomach, absorb nutrition, and have anti-inflammatory properties. However, Ayurveda good health and six tastes chart says rasa's adverse effects can build up feelings like fear, self-doubt, anxiety, panic heavier, etc.
Conclusion
According to Ayurveda, select your diet as per your age, weight, and current situation for a better effect. If you see a traditional Indian thali, you can analyze the different flavors and dishes that are part of our diet, like rice, salad, pickle, vegetable dishes, roti, etc. Any wrong combination with rasa or any less or more quantity difference of the 6 ayurvedic tastes can backfire us. Hence, keeping track of six tastes can bring good health and a happy mental state too.
Authored By: Ankita Agarwal
About Author: Ankita Agarwal is a Health & Wellness Coach from Siliguri, India
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