Six Tastes
While honoring our appetite is important to good nutrition, choosing foods that are balancing to our particular constitution is also essential. Long before the RDA provided us with recommended daily allowances for fats, carbs, and proteins, we listened to our taste buds to determine which substances were edible and how much of them to consume.
In her infinite wisdom, Nature has packaged food sources into one or more of six tastes as a way to inform us about the food’s influence on our mind body physiology. The six tastes are
Sweet
Sour
Salty
Pungent
Bitter
Astringent
All six tastes should be eaten at every meal for us to feel satisfied and to ensure that all major food groups and nutrients are represented. You have probably had the experience of feeling full but not completely satisfied after eating a portion of food. This is usually due to a failure to include ass six tastes in your meal. Since this is probably a new way of categorizing types of foods, let’s talk a little about each of the tastes, and what effect they have on the body.
Sweet is the taste of energy. The sweet taste comprises the vast majority of our diets. It is the main taste of starchy foods like bread, pasta and rice. Meat and fats are also sweet, as are sugar, honey and syrup. Sweet has a nutritive, soothing effect on the physiology. It brings about satisfaction and of course it builds body mass. For an infant, a mother’s milk is sweet and builds an entire body!
Sour is the taste of acid. The sour taste is found in citrus fruits, yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, pickles and vinegar. Because it stimulates the production of stomach acid, it is stimulating to the appetite and aids in digestion. The sour taste is beneficial for those trying to enhance a sluggish appetite but may be irritating to those suffering from heartburn.
Salt is the taste of the ocean. The salty taste is found in sauces, salted meats, fish and of course table salt. It enhances appetite, stimulates digestive juices and makes other tastes more delicious.
Pungent is the taste of spice. Spicy is found in hot peppers, salsa, ginger, radish, mustard and cooking spices. Pungent foods enhance the appetite and improve digestion. As your experience in any Indian restaurant will tell you, the pungent taste also promotes sweating and clear sinus passages. This taste is helpful to those trying to increase the metabolism, but the heat may aggravate an existing fire imbalance.
Bitter is the taste found in green leafy vegetables like broccoli, kale, sprouts, beets and celery. Bitter foods are depleting and detoxifying to the system. The bitter taste promotes weight loss, but if eaten in excess may cause some gas or indigestion.
Astringent taste is found in beans, tea, apples, pomegranates and cauliflower. Astringent foods compact the system, dry up and draw out.
The next time you are eating or thinking about eating a meal, try considering the six tastes. Close your eyes as you taste a bite of food, notice the effect on your body. Does the taste increase salivation? Does it dry your mouth? Is it heating or cooling? Just notice the effect of the taste and try to decipher where the food falls in each category.
