Physiology of the 6 tastes

Ayurveda says that each taste, in excess, will adversely affect certain organs in the body. This is used as a cross-reference to the five-element view of health and balance, stated earlier.

Tastes	Organs
sweet	spleen (pancreas)
sour	liver
salty	kidneys
pungent	lungs
bitter	heart
astringent	colon

Sweet: Generally, food is sweet in taste, neutral in energy, and sweet in its post-digestive effect. It decreases Vayu and Pitta, and increases Kapha. It nourishes and maintains humors, dhatus, and malas (wastes).

Sour: Examples of sour tastes include sour fruits, tomatoes, and pickled vegetables. All tissues are nourished by sour tastes, except reproductive tissue (of the sour tastes, only yogurt nourishes all tissues).

Salty: Seafood or condiment. In moderation, salt strengthens all tissues. When used in excess, it depletes tissues.

Pungent: Spices and spicy vegetables do not offer much nutrition, but they stimulate digestion.

Bitter: Vegetables offer little nutrition. They are useful in clearing and cleansing digestive organs, and in aiding digestion, especially if taken before meals (for Pitta and Kapha dosha).

Astringent: This is mainly a secondary taste. Astringent foods, like green vegetables or unripe apples, provide minerals but do not build tissues.

          Ayurveda aims to remove the cause of an illness. Rather than ‘curing’ a specific disease, this science addresses the balance of the whole individual. Along with external causes it always considers the two levels of health: body and mind.

Quantity: A proper quantity of food is easily digested, promotes longevity without afflicting the doshas, and helps Apana Vayu. Food, when eaten, should fill one-third of the stomach size or capacity. Liquid, when taken after meals, also should fill one-third the stomach size. The time to drink liquids at mealtime varies with the individual. Heavy or obese persons should drink before meals. Underweight or thin persons should drink liquid after meals, and persons of normal weight should drink with their meals. The remaining one-third of space in the stomach helps digestion. The key is moderation and regularity. Vayu doshas need to eat every 3-4 hours. Pitta persons generally have good digestive fire. Kapha constitutions need to eat less. Ultimately, the stronger the digestive fire, the more one can eat. (Less food is better with a fever).

When Hungry: Eat only after the previous meal has been digested. Otherwise, the digestive product of the previous meal becomes mixed with the new food, instantly aggravating all the doshas. The digestive fire/enzymes have to act upon the food for some time in order to digest the food. Then, the body needs time to restore the digestive fire/enzymes for the future. If a person takes food before the digesting the pervious meal completely, the food will not digest properly. The undigested food is pushed along the GI tract by normal peristalsis, misbalancing and aggravating the doshas.

Combinations: Combining vegetables with fruits or milk can cause digestive problems. One needs to be careful while eating or choosing food. Different combinations may be harmful. Its not advised to combine sour tastes with milk, eat cold items after ghee, eat equal amounts of ghee and honey, or eat fish products along with dairy (these unhealthy combinations create subtle toxins). Other aggravating foods are too hot and too cold, or too light and too heavy. Stew and curry are more digestible than individual vegetables cooked and eaten separately.

Vayu—The fewer combinations the better (they like combining foods, though it is not good for them). Pitta—does best with combinations. Kapha—is between Vayu and Pitta.

Spices: Delicious tastes improve digestion, strength, senses, complexion, and a healthy weight. They are easily digested and help Apana Vayu. The use of spices stimulates the secretions of digestive enzymes. Over-salted, under-salted, or sour seasoning is to be avoided. Foods that are too tasty increase rajas (aggravating the blood). Foods that are too bland cause tamas (suppressing agni).

Vayu—does well with rich and moderately strong spices. Pitta—needs only mild spices. Kapha—does best with light, strongly spiced foods.

Frame of Mind: A relaxed, calm mind promotes easy assimilation of food. This makes the mind more sattwic. A nervous, anxious, angry, noisy, and rushed mind makes the food harder to digest. Smoky environments are also harmful when eating.

          Silence is good, but there is no need to be too serious. A prayer of gratitude to the Creator and Supplier before a meal, or offering the food to benefit humanity and the creation of beings is advised. Chew food properly to digest and absorb nutrients.

Time: daylight hours are the best hours to eat. Vayu—dawn and dusk (smaller, more frequent meals—eat every 3 to 4 hours) Pitta—at noon, largest meal (three meals daily) Kapha—daylight hours, breakfast is skipped make lunch the large meal after meals, it is good to take a short, easy walk. Some say napping while lying on your left side helps digest foods this causes breathing through the right nostril or “solar” breathing, which increases the digestive heat or fire in the system.