Pranic Qualities of Food
Do you know much of our physiology & psychology is deeply impacted by the energy of foods that we consume?
While we have a huge focus on nutrition in foods and most people try to align the requirements of the body to nutritional requirements (which is absolutely required), there is a missing piece of puzzle that is deeply understood in Ayurveda and considered more important that fulfilling the nutritional requirements. It’s aligning the diet according to the energy that you feel and experience and choosing foods that bring about opposite energy to get the physiology and psychology in balance.
Energy of Different Tastes & How Tastes Impact Our Health & How We Feel in Our Body & Mind
According to Ayurveda, each food has a specific taste and carries the energy of a specific type based on its taste. Each food that we consume breaks down into its essence (understood as ‘Rasa’ in Ayurveda) after the digestion process in the stomach and reveals its energetic properties. Based on the energy that gets generated depending on foods we consume, we either bring balance or create imbalances within. You may be eating foods with great nutrition, but still the choice of food may not be serving you energetically and impacting your consciousness deeply.
The experience of different tastes in the body initiates a series on complex shifts in the body that impacts our body-mind unit holistically. Each taste (coming from each food that we consume) creates the following impact in our body & mind:
- Rasa (taste from single food or combination of tastes from different foods), the essence of food gets released in the digestive system after the digestion process.
- Each taste impacts the dosha and may aggravate, deplete or bring balance to vata , pitta , kapha dosha causing the beginning of physical and emotional manifestations of body-mind conditions
- Each taste carries its Virya , or temperature like cooling or heating, exerting a specific impact on our internal organs
- Once each taste gets digested, Vipaka (or post-digestive effect) influences how the individual cells are nourished & how the elimination of waste matter happens
- Prabhava or the impact of a particular taste shows its impact thereafter which is a deeper aspect of the energy of foods impacting our physiology and psychology. For example, ghee is cooling in nature but it has an energetic impact on igniting the digestive fire.
- Gunas get impacted based on the food choices we make. Different tastes stimulates either rajasic, sattvic or tamasic qualities in our mind.
- Each taste associates with a particular organ or tissue boosting the emotion associated with each organ. For example, alcohol energy adversely impacts the liver and imbalanced lived leads to anger & rage in a person.
Six Tastes in Ayurveda & Their Energetics
Sweet Taste (Madhura) – Sweet taste is known for its deeply nourishing, moistening & strengthening properties Warming, Awakening. Its effects on our physiology include nourishing the body tissues and building strength and immunity and providing energy. At the psychological level, sweet taste promotes a sense of comfort, satisfaction and love.
Foods with natural sweet taste include grains, figs, pumpkin, peaches, carrots, pears, bananas, apples, mangoes, dairy products, berries, ghee, honey and jaggery.
While sweet taste helps lower the impact of vata & pitta dosha, the excess of sweet taste may lead to Kapha dosha (the imbalance caused due to excess in the body) imbalance. In excess it may cause congestion, weight gain, fat build-up and fatigue, cold, cough, congestion, loss of appetite, laziness and heaviness.
Sour Taste (Amla) – Sour taste is known for its hot, light, and moist nature. This taste stimulates the tissues and digestive processes. Its effects on our physiology include increasing salivation, improving appetite, enhancing the secretion of digestive juices and aiding absorption of nutrients. It also contains antispasmodic and antiflatulent properties. At the psychological level, sweet taste energizes & sharpens the mind but if imbalanced it may cause irritability.
Foods with natural sour taste include citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, tomatoes, vinegar, fermented foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut and pickles, cheese, fruits like kiwi, unripened mango & green grapes.
While sour taste helps lower the impact of vata dosha, the excess of sour taste may lead to pitta & kapha imbalance. In excess it may cause heartburn, acidity, skin conditions, inflammation, indigestion and burning sensations.
Salty Taste (Lavana) - Sour taste is known for its heavy, heating, softening and moistening nature. Its effects on our physiology include maintaining the electrolyte balance, enhancing the taste of food, lubricating tissues, supporting digestion, aiding mineral absorption, alkalizing blood pH, retaining water in the tissues, softening the tissues and lubricating joints. At the psychological level, salt taste is grounding as it anchors restless Vata energy. Salt taste also acts a laxative and supports elimination of waste.
Foods with natural sweet taste include rock salt, sea salt, seaweed, tamari, table salt, and sesame salt.
While salty taste helps lower the impact of vata dosha, the excess of salty taste may lead to increased pitta and kapha dosha. In excess it may cause water retention, high blood pressure, inflammation, thickening of the blood, narrowing of blood vessels, wrinkles, hair loss, ulcers and hyperacidity.
Pungent Taste (Katu) – Pungent taste is known for its heating, light, drying & stimulating properties. Its effects on our physiology include improved digestion, improved metabolism, easing nasal congestion, improving circulation, aiding detoxification and clearing stagnation. At the psychological level, pungent taste energizes the body & mind and in its imbalanced state, it impacts state of anger, violence, aggression & irritability.
Foods with natural pungent taste include spices like ginger, black pepper, chillies, radishes, onions, garlic and mustard seeds.
While pungent taste helps lower the impact of decreasing kapha dosha, the excess of pungent foods increases pitta and vata dosha imbalance. In excess it may cause irritation, inflammation, excessive thirst, dry state of tissues, depleted reproductive fluids, and restlessness.
Bitter (Tikta) - Bitter taste is known for its detoxifying, cooling & clarifying properties. At the physiological level, it helps reduce inflammation, cleanses the body of toxins, helps balance blood sugar levels, improves secretion of digestive juices and helps to cleanse the liver, relieves gas and scrapes fat and toxins. At the psychological level, bitter taste sharpens the mind, but to much of bitter foods can make a person boring as it promotes detachment from temptation.
Foods with natural bitter taste include leafy greens like kale, herbs like neem, aloe and turmeric, coffee, dark chocolate, dandelion root and leaves, fenugreek and bitter melon.
While bitter taste helps lower the impact of reduces pitta and kapha dosha, the excess of bitter taste may lead to increased vata dosha imbalance. In excess it may cause depletion and dryness, roughness, weight loss and anxiety.
Astringent Taste (Kashaya) – Astringent taste is known for its cooling and drying properties. Its effects on our physiology include absorbing excess moisture from the body, tightening of the tissues, aiding in wound healing, improved skin health, reduced inflammation and decongestion. At the psychological level, astringent taste promotes feelings of grounding.
Foods with natural astringent taste include lentils, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cranberries, pomegranates, bananas, chickpeas, okra, turmeric, lotus seed, alfalfa sprouts and most raw vegetables.
While astringent taste helps lower the impact of pitta and kapha dosha, the excess of astringent taste may lead to increase in vata dosha imbalance. In excess it may cause dryness, constipation, stagnation in blood circulation, insomnia, anxiety and nervousness.
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