National Ayurveda Day: Can the Taste of a Food Item Affect Your Health?

Ayurveda is a holistic medicinal practice that hails from the Indian subcontinent where it has been practiced for centuries. It is one of the oldest medicinal systems in the world and has endured into the modern day where it has spread across the globe. The term Ayurveda roughly translates to ‘science of life’; it comes from the Hindu words ‘Ayur’ which translates to ‘life’ and ‘Veda’ which means science.

Ayurveda primarily functions by laying down detailed guidelines on how a person must live their daily routines, starting with the diet. It subscribes to the belief that our diet has a tremendous impact on our health. But in the Ayurvedic system, our diet is not just limited to what we eat. It is also very much determined by how we eat it. The properties of specific food items, time of food consumption, and even the taste of the food have a major role in determining how beneficial our diet actually is for us.

The Ayurveda system categorizes the human body into three distinct types: Vata, Kapha, and Pitta. Each body type has a primary element such as earth, fire, water, space, and air.  In honor of this National Ayurveda Day, we will explore how the taste of a food item can benefit or harm your body.

Kapha – Water dominated

Kapha body types are mostly a mixture of water and earth which makes them vulnerable to cough, cold, and mucous related ailments. People with the kapha body type tend to benefit from eating bitter, pungent, and astringent tasting foods like citrus, mustard, amla, bitter gourd, etc. And on the contrary, sweets tend to aggravate kapha types and can lead to sickness and symptoms of depression.

Pitta – Fire dominated

Pitta body types are primarily associated with heat; they have excellent digestive systems for this reason. These are the true iron stomach people. Due to their excess heat, it is best for them to regularly consume soothing foods like sweets. Sour, salty, and pungent foods tend to aggravate their fire and must not be over indulged in. Astringent and bitter foods, like coffee aloe vera, unripe bananas, etc.

Vata – Air dominated

Vata body types are the only body type to truly benefit from eating salty and sour foots. Foods like, lemon, lime, cheese, and yogurts are great for them. On the contrary, Bitter and pungent foods will cause gas, while spicy and stringent foods will cause an imbalance.