Why is a healthy diet so important in Maharishi Ayurvedaa?
According to Maharishi Ayurvedaa, health is really about mind, body, and spirit, and food affects all three of these areas of life. The whole science of Ayur-Veda is about food for well-being on all levels — health of the body, emotional well-being, and spiritual well-being. Q: Could you explain the connection between tastes and balance? A: Ayurveda describes six major tastes, each of which can increase some doshas and decrease others. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent or spicy and astringent. Ideally, to maintain perfect balance, one should include all six tastes at every meal. In addition, you can pay particular attention to foods/tastes that pacify specific doshas, to increase balance for yourself as an individual and also by season. Q: What tastes would you recommend for pacifying Pitta in summertime? A: For hot summer days, you d want to eat foods that are as cooling as possible. Out of the six tastes, the most cooling tastes are sweet, bitter, and astringent.
