Nutrition and Cravings

It is time to look differently at the food you consume and how you eat it!

The 6 tastes of Ayurveda

In this blog (updates Mar 2024) you will learn the 6 tastes in Ayurveda and how learning about these tastes can help curb your cravings.

Although this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as learning and understanding the science and knowledge of Ayurvedic nutrition… it really is a good place to start!

Open your mind, ears and eyes, for a whole new way to see and experience food…ESPECIALLY if cravings tend to sabotage your healthy eating goals on a regular basis.

To start with; begin each day with an intention and an affirmation

Daily Intention; “Today, I feed my body good, wholesome food”

Daily Affirmations; “I deserve to feel good” and/or “My body deserves to be fed good, wholesome food”

Why start with the intention and affirmations?

Because…

• You need to WANT to feed your body good, wholesome food!
• It puts you in the willingness to change some habits if you currently are not feeding your body well – or maybe you just simply do not know how to feed your body properly but are willing to learn.
• It puts you in the energy of curiosity to be willing to look at yourself and food in a different way – maybe you think you are feeding your body good food yet… you are still not feeling good.
• Making friends with your body is an important step for positive change and knowing that it deserves to be fed well is a step in the right direction.
• It’s a check in. Helps you to align with the knowing that you deserve to feel good and want to feel good.

If these needs are not in alignment with your needs – then most likely Ayurveda nutrition and the 6 tastes won’t interest you and that is okay!

In all of my years of training and coaching others on achieving success in their wellness goals it always amazed me how many people didn’t actually believe they could or even deserved to feel better – in this belief, we sabotage ourselves in so many ways. I have also encountered many people who do not really want to feel better and often this is because they have gotten so used to feeling a certain way – that change of any kind seems foreign. They are willing to stay stuck in the shell of their aching, hurting, tired and stressed body – continuing to make choices that contribute to their physical pain – all because the journey to wellness seems daunting and scary or they refuse to give up their favorite foods or habits…again, this is okay. We are not all here on the same journey to well-being.

I honor and respect everyone and I honor and respect everyone’s choices. I accept and respect that not everyone’s needs are in alignment with the intention and affirmations above.

This is why starting with the intention and affirmations are important – if they align with what you want and how you want to feel…then keep on reading!

Ayurveda and the 6 taste

The 6 tastes are a simple way to ensure we are getting a balanced diet.

The 6 tastes are intended to balance our appetite by stimulating our sense of taste in just a way that leaves us feeling satisfied after we have eaten a meal.

When we do not eat a meal that has all of the 6 taste included, our body will often seek out more to eat to achieve satisfaction. The brain recognizes that something is missing and will continue to send signals to the body to eat more. We then may choose to continue to eat more (often unconsciously) trying to find that one thing that will make us feel satisfied.

The 6 tastes are designed to be the right mix of what it is our body is seeking to feel satisfied and balanced.

Cravings can be a thing of the past if you take some time to learn and understand these tastes and open your mind and taste buds to experimenting with them.

There is of course a complete Ayurvedic science behind finding the right balance for each of us – but learning about these tastes is a great start and a great way for each of us to bring some awareness into our current eating patterns and habits. Learning the 6 tastes and the benefits they hold for all of us AND how our body feels when we eat them will essentially lead us to finding our balance and empower us to make better choices.

What are the 6 tastes?

Sweet; Sour; Salty; Pungent; Bitter; Astringent

1. SWEET – these foods are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This taste is important for energy!

• Since sweet foods can range from candy to pasta – note that refined sugar like candy is NOT encouraged to choose, instead choose sweet foods that are balancing and nutritious.
• Choose fresh sweet fruits (peaches, pears, bananas, mangoes)
• Choose sweet veggies (artichokes, squash, yams, sweet potatoes)
• Choose fresh or organic dairy products.
• Choose good sources of monounsaturated fats ; olive oil, peanut oil, avocadoes and most nuts.
• All meats are in the sweet category. If you choose to eat meat – choose quality meats that have come from a reputable farm known for treating their animals with care. Meat quality starts at the farm level.
• Choose grains such as quinoa, rice, millet, and wheat berries.
• Limit your consumption of foods made with flour and partially hydrogenated oils such as breads, crackers, chips, and cookies.

2. SOUR – the sour taste supports the digestive system, plus awakens the metabolism & appetite.

• Choose lemons, oranges, pineapples, grapefruit, tomatoes.
• Choose fermented foods in moderation.
• Limit (but no need to avoid) your consumption of pickles, green olives & salad dressings.

3. SALTY – adds flavor to food (increasing the appetite & therefore the metabolism). In proper dosage aids in digestion and lubrication of tissues. 

• The salty taste is in fish, soy sauce, tamari, seaweed, salty meats and is found in celery and of course table salt.
• We all need salt. It allows the body to hold onto important fluid. Too much salt intake attributes to high blood pressure so knowing this taste is essential but needs to be consumed in moderation is the key.

4. PUNGENT – spicy, hot, pungent taste stimulates your digestive fire and aids in detoxifying the body. The natural chemicals in hot spices are antibacterial.

• Pungent taste is found in chili peppers, onions, garlic, radishes, and mustard.
• Use pungent spices in your cooking; to name a few…black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, peppermint.

5. BITTER – bitter is better! We all need to add more bitter into our diets. Bitter foods are anti-inflammatory and medicinal – rich in phytonutrients & flavonoids. These foods help the body fight infections & diseases.

• Choose green and yellow vegetables
• Use bitter spices in your cooking; to name a few…cilantro, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, licorice, saffron, sage, chamomile and turmeric.
• Many medicinal herbs are bitter as well – Echinacea, aloe, and black cohosh (to name a few.)

6. ASTRINGENT – astringent foods have a healing and releasing effect on the body. These foods enhance healing of wounds and contain the fiber your body needs to release waste.

• Choose beans, lentils, mung beans, legumes and peas (soaking beans in water with a bay leaf helps alleviate gas and bloating often associated with eating beans)
• Choose tart fruits such as apples, cranberries, and pomegranates
• Choose asparagus, cucumbers, spinach, celery, and mushrooms
• Green tea, black tea and coffee

The key here is balance

When you are not aware of the affect from the food you are eating – a typical diet is usually heavy on the sweet, sour and salty side, creating imbalances in weight,  energy and leaves you susceptible to cravings. Eventually these imbalances in your body can lead to physical discomfort, pain, illness and  imbalances in your mind – so focusing on bringing the other 3 tastes into your daily meals will be beneficial.

ALL TASTES are required  –  do not avoid any one taste

Increase the pungent, bitter and astringent tastes and limit (but don’t avoid) the sweet, sour and salty taste.  The key is balance. Not incorporating all 6 tastes into your meals can lead to imbalances causing cravings – too much of any one taste can and will throw us out of balance as well. (Example; too much sweet taste can lead to weight gain. Too much pungent taste can lead to heart burn) so moderation and balance is the name of the game here.

Play with these foods & tastes in your meals. Look for color in your meals – specifically the colors of the rainbow. Be curious, try new spices, teas, foods and recipes and maybe even take an Ayurveda course.

Notice how you feel when you eat a meal with all the tastes included. Eat the meal slowly, see if you can taste all the flavors and then notice how you feel when you are finished eating.

Your body is deserving of good, wholesome food and finding balance in your choice making can be a fun way to experiment with the different tastes and flavors to feed your body right.

Feeling good, having more energy and less craving are just a few benefits of seeing and experimenting with food and the tastes in this way.

Give it a try! If nothing else – you will get some insights into understanding your body.

The human body is miraculous and incredibly intelligent. It’s time to tune into this intelligence and these 6 tastes can help you do just that.

REMEMBER – YOU ARE WORTH IT

You deserve to feel good. Your body deserves to be fed good food!

If you are interested in learning more about Ayurveda  – there are a lot of options available that may suit your lifestyle. Live on-line classes, recordings, in-person classes or private or small group Ayurveda coaching sessions with Leslie.

Contact me (Leslie) to find out which option is best for you at leslie@wellnessdefined.ca