#sixtastes

Why Spices?

I have an abundance of spices and the more I learn about the uses, benefits and food to pair them with more I love them and the more I buy.  Fresh is key!  I love the Ayurveda lifestyle because the ancient teachings of body healing with spices are right up my alley.

Eating all the healthy, wholesome foods in the world is of little use if your body cannot absorb the nutrients and put them to use building healthy body tissue. But it gets worse.

According to the ayurvedic, poor digestion is actually the root cause of most disorders. When the food we eat is not digested properly, ama, the by-product of poor digestion and metabolism, builds up in the body, clogging the micro channels of the body. Not only does this further block the efficient flow of nutrients to the different parts of the body, weakening the immune system, but it also hampers the unrestricted flow of wastes out of the body so that a "fertile breeding ground" is created for disease and infection to take hold.  If you have a coated tongue when you wake up in the morning, an unpleasant body odor, bad breath, discomfort in the joints or post-lunch fatigue, you probably have some accumulated ama in your body.  

Unfortunately, digestion problems are widespread in our United States. Some digestive disorders such as acid indigestion are obvious. Headaches, disorders in bowel movements such as diarrhea or constipation, or a feeling of discomfort in the stomach after a meal are other symptoms that can be tied to poor digestion.

Powerful Ama-Fighters

Most spices enhance digestion, and that's one of the reasons spices are revered in ayurvedic cuisine. Not only do they help enhance digestion, but they also help remove accumulated ama, so they are valuable additions to your daily diet. Turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, mint, asafetida (hing), black pepper, dried powdered ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne are among the ayurvedic spices that enhance digestion and metabolism, cleanse ama from the body and prevent digestive disorders such as gas and bloating.

Spices contain a lipid-soluble portion and a water-soluble portion, so ideally some should be sautéed in a healthy oil such as olive oil, sesame oil, avocado oil and grape seed oil, then added to dishes.  Some spices cooked in the liquid portions of dishes by being added to soups, stews or sauces during the cooking process. Oil helps transport the therapeutic value of spices to the different parts of the body, so ayurveda generally recommends including an oil spice mixture in at least one meal of the day.

Spices are like herbs: they work gently and gradually, with the benefits adding up over time and no dangerous side effects. Ayurvedic physicians recommend resisting the temptation to take your spices as nutraceuticals, where the so-called "active" ingredient is isolated and put in a pill or a capsule. Take them as nature intended, and you will reap the benefits for years to come.

The Spices You Should Be Eating to Boost Metabolism. If you choose wisely, the spices you cook with can boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat.

8 herbs that can give your weight loss plan a boost:

Turmeric, Cinnamon, Cayenne pepper, Cumin, Ginger, Rosemary, Cardamom and Coriander.

The Six Tastes and Your Ayurvedic Body Type

Ayurvedic cooking involves six tastes, which are used to prepare a balanced dish. Include all the tastes in your day to make your diet divine and healing: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. 

Here are some examples of each of the 6 tastes:

Sweet: Almonds, coconut sugar, plant milk, wild rice, wheat, large beans

Salty: Salt, seaweed, salted snacks

Sour: Lemon, yogurt, tomatoes, sour fruits, pickled fruits, tamarind

Pungent: Ginger, mustard, clove, hot spices, radish, chilies, garlic

Astringent: Beans, lentils, pomegranate, unripe bananas, apples, cabbage, potatoes, cranberries

Bitter: Green tea, green leafy veggies, endive, tonic water, fenugreek, rhubarb, turmeric, dark chocolate

Each taste has a balancing ability, and including some of each provides complete nutrition, minimizes cravings and balances the appetite and digestion.

The six tastes affect our dosha, or body constitution, differently. According to ayurveda, each of us has a unique mix of three mind/body principles, which creates our specific mental and physical characteristics. These three principles are called doshas. Most of us have one or two doshas, which are most dominant in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less expressed.

The three doshas are known as: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

I’m Vata, Pitta!  With the changing of the different seasons, I have a little Kapha! :)

To learn more about your doshas, you can take the Sacred Self-Care and Ayurvedic Nutrition class on the Daily OM like I did.  It was fantastic and I learned so much! 

Michelle Darleen

@Memyselfnmichelle