According to Ayurveda, the six flavours of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent will help keep balance in body, mind and spirit. It is a good idea to become dedicated to incorporating these six tastes into your daily diet to ensure a balance of emotions and good health.
Sweet: Sweetness represents love, happiness and spiritual growth. Sweet foods are nourishing and often comforting. Often cravings for sweet foods occur when a person desires love, spiritual growth or when life becomes too hectic. Eating excess sweets makes a person lazy, greedy and dependent. Sweet tastes are sugar, honey, rice, wheat and meat.
Salt: Salt aids digestion, but when taken excessively it makes a person unable to control food cravings. It can also cause excess water retention and sweating. Salt gives one enthusiasm for life but too much salt can make a person compulsive in behavior.
Sour: Sour foods are good for the intellect, however too much sour foods can result in envy and resentment. Excess sour foods can cause ulcers, acidity and blood imbalances. Sour foods are lemon, cheese, yogurt, grapes and plums.
Bitter: Bitter foods balance food cravings. It also increases digestion and helps to detoxify the body. Excess bitter foods can cause loss of appetite, headaches, dry skin and weakness. Bitter foods are spinach, lemon peel and endive.
Pungent: Pungent foods warm up the body and increase the flow of the body’s fluid. They can increase circulation and digestion. In excess they can cause harshness in speech, anger and irritability. Pungent foods are chili peppers, garlic, onions, ginger and radish.
Astringent: Astringent foods balance blood sugar and are important for people with diabetes to incorporate in their diet. If taken in excess astringent foods can cause constipation and gas. Some astringent foods are lentils, tea, pears, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes.
Recipe for Healthy Power Bars
o 1 cup of chopped pitted dates
o 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds
o 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
o 1/4 cup shredded coconut
o 1/4 cup lemon juice and flax or hempseed oil (combine together for 1/4 cup)
o 1/4 cup dried cranberries
o 1/4 cup crushed almonds or pecans
Combine all ingredients into a food processor until blended together. Place the mixture into a small baking dish and pat down the ingredients until evenly spread. Place in your fridge overnight. Cut into bar size pieces and enjoy!
