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Ayurveda food and health principles

Physical and mental health is reflected by Dosha (three ongoing constitutional processes) nourished by the the six tastes (Rasa) of foods, and the environment

Six Rasa (Tastes)

In western medicine, foods are classified by three macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. For good health, one must eat a balanced diet consisting of all the three macronutrients, the proportion of each macronutrient varies.
In Ayurveda, foods are classified by six tastes (Rasa): Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent. For good health, one must eat a balanced diet consisting of all these six tastes. Within each taste, one should select a food of higher nutritional value. Each taste has a heating or cooling effect that also depends on one of the four environmental seasons. Each food may contain one or more tastes. The most Rasa diversified food is Amla, it has five Rasa: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent.

Three Dosha

Human body consists of three ongoing constitutional processes, called Dosha: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The tastes effect each Dosha. Status of combined three Dosha determines the physical and mental health of individual.
Vata: Balancing tastes: Sweet Sour Salty, Aggravating tastes: Pungent Bitter Astringent. Balance Vata to gain weight
Kapha: Balancing tastes: Pungent Bitter Astringent, Aggravating tastes: Sweet Sour Salty. Balance Kapha to reduce weight
Pitta: Balancing tastes: Sweet Bitter Astringent,  Aggravating tastes: Sour Salty Pungent. Balance Pitta to avoid chronic inflammation

Great Five Elements (Maha Panchbhut)

All foods and human body are composed of 'Five Supreme Elements' (Maha Panchbhut): Air, Water, Earth, Ether, and Fire.
Each Rasa (taste of food) is composed of a pair of elements; Sweet: Earth and Water, Sour: Earth and Fire, Salty: Fire and Water, Pungent: Fire and Air, Astringent: Air and Earth, Bitter: Air and Ether.
Each Dosha is composed of a pair of elements; Vata: Air and Ether, Pitta: Fire and Water, Kapha: Earth and Water.
 

Inter-relationship of Elements Rasa and Dosha

The elements in each Rasa influence the the elements in each Dosha.
- The Air in Rasa (Pungent Astringent Bitter) aggravates Air in Dosha (Vata).
- The Fire in Rasa (Sour Salty Pungent) aggravates Fire in Dosha (Pitta)
- The Water in Rasa (Sweet Salty) Aggravate Water in Dosha (Kapha). Combination of Earth and Fire in Rasa (Sour) aggravates Earth in Dosha (Kapha).
Rasa effect the Dosha which needs to be in balance for optimum physical and mental health.

Incorporating Tastes

Spices and herbs are used to incorporate all the six tastes in a meal by one or more of the following methods:
- At the start of cooking a curry, the onions garlic ginger and spices are fried in Ghee to form the base. The spices used at this stage are Turmeric, Dried ginger, Coriander, Cumin, and Fenugreek. During cooking, salt and chili peppers are added. Near the end of cooking Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Cloves, and Cardamom are added.
- Near the end of cooking, the Dal are tempered with a Bhagar (spices are lightly fried in Ghee and added to Dal)
- Chutney made of fresh fruit, fresh herbs, and spices is prepared and eaten a bit at a time during eating the meal
-   Fresh fruit and herb chutney, Sweet and Sour mango or Lime pickles, Bhagar (spices are lightly fried in Ghee and added to Dal or Curry).

Churan (Chooran)

Churan is a spice-mix. The Churan is formulated to balance an aggravating Dosha and taken as aide with food. The spices used are common spices available in Indian Kitchen. The Churan may be stored in an air-tight container and used just like Curry powder or Garam Masala. Sometimes, Churan is formed into to tiny balls.

Ama, the toxins

In Ayurveda, the emphasis is on food digestion. Properly digested food nourishes body and mind. Proper digestion starts as soon as the food is put in the mouth and touches the tongue. The flavors (Rasa) make the food appetizing, create the first of the digestive enzymes in the form of saliva. The digestive enzymes continue to break down food and nourish the body. The fecal matter of fully digested foods is expelled by the body.
The un-digested fragments of food accumulate in the body in the form of toxins known as Ama. The toxins also include the heavy metals. The toxins could accumulate in the entire digestive tract as well as the body tissues. The toxins effect flow of vital energy (Prana), immune system (Ojas), and metabolism (Tejas). Eventually, toxins lead to various ailments such as obesity, hypertension, and skin-disorders.
 

Ayurveda Evolution

Ayurveda has been evolving slowly since the Vedic period. In 1970, the government of India created institutions to research and evaluate various parts of Ayurveda. This has given rise to modern Ayurveda. The basic principles remain same, but the practice has been refined. Some of the examples follow.

1. The ancient Rasayana (Rejuvenating compounds) were made of herbs, minerals, pearl, coral, gems, processed gold, processed mercury, and parts of animals such as musk. The word 'Ras' in Rasayana implied processed mercury as an ingredient. Apparently, mercury had to go. Parts of wild-life animals became rare expensive or illegal under wild-life protection. Modern Rasayana are mercury-free compounds suitable for lacto-vegetarians.

2. Salt remains as one of the essential Rasa in each meal; however, modern practitioners have drastically reduced the amount of salt needed.

3. Ghee remain as the preferred cooking fat; however, the modern practitioners have drastically reduced the used amount. Some practitioners, recommend using olive oil instead. This is done to reduce the amount of saturated fat in the diet. The best alternative is Canola oil

4. In the olden days, there were no refined and processed foods. Modern practitioners recommend using whole-grains. According to Ayurveda refined products such as all-purpose floor (Maida) can accumulate as toxins. This actually adds the fiber to diet as recommended by western nutritionists.