The Six Tastes in Ayurveda: Oh, so Sweet!!

Ayurveda recommends getting all six tastes at every meal (not necessarily in equal proportions however).  By eating all six tastes, you will balance your particular dosha (individual constitution) and food cravings will subside.  The western diet is rich in four of the six tastes:  sweet, sour, salty and pungent (spicy), but the other two, bitter and astringent, are lacking.  Ayurveda believes that in balancing your doshas, you are not only preventing disease but taking the ultimate step toward perfect health on all levels:  mind, body, and consciousness,

The sweet taste when consumed in moderation is anabolic meaning that it builds and nourishes all of your bodily tissues.  It contributes to your healthy complexion and lustrous hair.  In excess, however, it can contribute to obesity, diabetes, congestion, heaviness, and creates a prime breeding ground for bacteria and yeast.  Too much sweet can make your blood viscous (thick and sticky), which can lead to high cholesterol, high triglycerides (can contribute to heart disease), and hardening of the arteries. 

Psychologically, the sweet taste can bring you energy and vitality.  For a Vata type constitution, it can bring a much-needed sense of groundedness.  It is associated with the emotions of love and compassion.  On a more subtle level, it promotes the vital essence of OJAS (means the “juice of life”).  In excess, it can create greed, possessiveness, and attachment.  Both complacency and inertia can be exacerbated with the sweet taste.  It is habit forming and therefore can create a proclivity toward addiction.

In Ayurveda, the sweet taste helps to balance your constitution if you are predominantly Vata or Pitta or dual-doshic (with Vata and Pitta being predominant).  It aggravates a Kapha constitution so should be used more moderately by Kapha individuals.  Some more common examples of the sweet taste include sugar (white sugar is not recommended by Ayurveda), jaggery (an unrefined sugar), molasses, maple syrup and carbohydrates.  More subtle examples of the sweet taste include wheat, rice, and milk.  Eating rice after something pungent will make you more aware of its sweetness!

Understanding the six tastes and how they relate to your individual constitution (dosha) can help you make better choices to not only promoting your health but creating perfect health on all levels:  mind, body and consciousness.