Jacksonville Certified Advanced Personal Trainer,
Fitness Training, Pilates Instructor, Flexibility, Diet and Nutrition Coach in Jacksonville
FL, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra, Sawgrass and the Beaches Area.
Phone (904) 422-6218 		Private Studio One-on-One Personal Fitness Training. Serving the Jacksonville Beaches Area.
Home











Ayurveda, The Balanced Approach:
Proper Digestion is the Key to Weight Management

The difference between the Balanced Approach program and other, more "conventional," approaches to weight management is the incorporation of the Ayurvedic theory of the six tastes and the six qualities of food. Of course, you must still know how to balance proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in relation to your metabolic profile and activity level, and you need to understand the effects that food sensitivities, cultural diversity, and genetics can have on your overall health. But for me and I hope for you - the "fun" part comes when you begin to understand how Ayurveda and most traditional ethnic cultures use herbs and spices to maximize digestion, enhance flavor, and balance emotions. And once you have learned that, you should no longer fall prey to the one universal pitfall encountered by virtually everyone trying to lose or control weight - failure to comply with the program. In the fitness world, I constantly hear complaints from trainers about how difficult it is to get their clients to stick to their high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets.

The fact is that people can get only so much grilled chicken or canned tuna before they rebel and binge on chocolate, processed salty chips or cookies because they are craving the sweet or salty taste. Craving sweet in Ayurveda is not a crime and should not translate into 80 pounds of white processed sugar or binging on tasteless "diet" cookies!

The Six Tastes

There are six distinct tastes - sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. From an Ayurvedic perspective, it is important to include all six of these tastes in every meal in proper amounts to stimulate, balance, and satisfy your particular constitutional type or imbalance. It's easy once you understand it. Most of the cuisines that we think of as "ethnic" or "European" - Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian - do combine all these tastes in virtually every meal. A typical Asian meal would be a perfect example of this. It will normally include some protein, usually fish or tofu; some rice, which is sweet; ginger and wasabi, which are pungent; sauteed vegetables (bitter) cooked with sesame oil, a good, monounsaturated fat; soy sauce, which is salty; and green tea, a strong antioxidant that is both bitter and astringent; and a fruit, such as an orange (both sweet and sour), for dessert. Whenever I begin to describe to my clients the difference between this kind of typical Asian meal and the average American "diet" meal, I can see their eyes light up in anticipation. The Asian meal is clean, light, satisfying, healthy, and stimulating to the taste buds and digestion; turkey breast and a plain salad gets old really quickly.
There are six tastes described in Ayurveda, and each taste affects the doshas in a specific manner. The term taste not only applies to the perception of taste buds located on the tongue, but to the final reaction of food in the acid medium of the stomach. These tastes are sweet, sour, salty, astringent, bitter and pungent. Vata dosha is balanced by sweet, sour, and salty. Pitta dosha is balanced by bitter, astringent and sweet, and Kapha dosha is balanced by pungent, bitter, and astringent.

The following list shows the tastes of some common foods and how they affect the various constitutional types. In traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda all foods, herbs, and spices have a quality, a taste, and an effect on the body and the mind.

The Six Tastes and How They Affect the Body Types


Sweet: sugar; honey; milk; butter; cream; rice; breads; wheat; barley; ricotta cheese; tofu (soy); almonds; sesame seeds; meats; avocado; sweet fruits; the sweeter vegetables such as fennel, carrots, hccts, winter squashes, yants, and cucumbers; spices such as fennel seed, cinnamon, cardanioni, poppy seed, anise, dill, tarragon, fenugreek, and nutmeg. Sweet tastes are calming, moistening, and soothing. They are also anabolic, meaning that they help to add tissue, and, in excess, they will increase body weight.
Sour: yogurt and sour cream; lemons and other citrus fruits; fermented cheeses such as blue cheese; vinegar; pickles, tomatoes, plums, raspberries, strawberries, and unripe fruits. Sour tastes stimulate the appetite and digestion, increase metabolism, and help to dispel gas. They are also anabolic, meaning that they help to add tissue and, in excess, will increase body weight.
Salty: olives; soy sauce; tamari (soy sauce without wheat); kelp and other seaweeds; some salsas and fresh chutney; foods to which salt is added, such as chips or peanuts; sea salt, orsa salt, and celtic sea salt. Salty tastes are warming, calming, and drying. In small quantities they help to stimulate appetite and digestion, but too much can cause water retention; because they are also anabolic, they can increase tissue and body weight if eaten in excess. Celtic sea salt and orsa salt contain all the trace minerals from the ocean and do not promote water retention or raise blood pressure the way processed table salt can.
Pungent: wasabi (Japanese horseradish); chilies; peppers; garlic; mustard; radishes; onion; herbs and spices such as ginger, cayenne, cloves, rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, thyme, sage, and turmeric. Pungent tastes are those we think of as spicy. They increase metabolism, circulation, and digestion and are also drying. Because they are are catabolic, meaning that they help to burn fat, they can be helpfu in lowering body fat, but too much can easily overheat a fiery Pita.
Bitter: dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens; turntcrii; eggplant; rhubarb; sesame; licorice; chocolate; beer; ionic water; coffee; tea; green tea. Bitter tastes are dry and cooling, small amounts help to stimulate digestion, and because they are catabolic, they can aid in reducing body fat.
Astringent: lentils; most beans; pomegranate; green apples; pears; cabbage; chard; spinach; rhubarb; green grapes; orange and lemon peels; herbs and spices such as thyme, nutmeg, sage, rosemary, cinnamon, coriander, caraway, bay leaf, basil, tarragon, and turmeric; aloe vera. Astringent tastes are drawing, drying, cooling, and catabolic, which means they aid in the reduction of body fat.
Each of the six tastes is also associated with the five elements:
Sweet - earth and water
Sour - earth and fire
Salty - water and fire
Pungent - fire and air
Bitter - air and ether
Astringent - air and earth
Because of these associations, each taste will also have a particular effect on each of the three body types:
Decrease Vata: sweet, sour, salty
Decrease Pitta: sweet, bitter, astringent
Decrease Kapha: pungent, bitter, astringent
Increase Vata: pungent, bitter, astringent
Increase Pitta: pungent, sour, salty
Increase Kapha: sweet, sour, salty
The above information is adapted from Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners by Amadea Morningstar, and Ayurveda: The Science of SelfHealing by Dr. Vasant Lad.

Aside from their effect on each of the constitutional types, the primary reason the six tastes are so important is really quite simple: Variety and vivid flavors make eating more satisfying and pleasurable. Many Americans seem to have forgotten this, or believe that anything that tastes good has to be "bad." We either choose quantity over quality, or, at the other end of the spectrum, we restrict ourselves to bland, boring foods - such as a never ending diet of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli - in the mistaken notion that this is the only way to lose weight. But, in the end, neither of these ways of eating will accomplish the intended purpose, and that probably accounts, at least in part, for why so many Americans are overweight. I know, because I've been there myself. Every time I decided to "go on a diet," it was the same story: a quarter pound of turkey breast, one slice of whole-wheat bread, and a salad with no dressing. Invariably I'd be "good" from Monday to Friday and then "blow" it over the weekend. And I see the same pattern over and over again in my clients.

No matter how much you eat, if the food isn't full of flavor, and if it doesn't answer your natural cravings for all six tastes, your taste buds won't be satisfied and eventually you'll go looking for what you are missing - usually in the wrong places. A craving for salt will lead you directly to a bag of potato chips. Lusting for sweet? Your hand will go right for the cookie jar. That's why restrictive weight-loss diets never work and why, more often than not, even the most compulsive dieter will "pig out" by going on a binge and overeating. In Ayurveda, nonaddictive cravings are physiologically correct.

In fact, the best way to keep your weight under control and optimize your metabolism is to feed your body a variety of nutritious, tasty fuel. The key to utilizing nutrients efficiently and, at the same time, eliminating toxins is to keep the digestion strong. Taste, according Ayurveda, is directly related to health, digestion, and satisfaction. The six tastes keep the digestive fire burning efficiently; bland, boring foods cause it to die down so that you are not metabolizing effectively. Just think about what happens when you have a cold - your nose is stuffy and you can't taste or smell. Therefore, you lose your appetite. In Ayurveda they would say that your digestive fire has "left its seat"; it is fighting a battle and therefore can't he used to process food at that time. As a result, your appetite decreases and your digestion becomes inefficient. But Ayurveda also believes the reverse is equally true: If your food is not full of vibrant and varied tastes, your appetite and digestion will eventually weaken because your taste buds are not being properly stimulated and toxins will accumulate in your digestive tract. You won’t metabolize nutrients efficiently, and you may lose your health. Good taste, good digestion and good health alwaly go together in Ayruveda.


The Six Qualities and How They Affect the Body Types


Heavy: cheese, yogurt; meat; wheat products; nuts; fish; eggs; honey; soybeans; beets, carrots, cucumbers; bananas, figs, melons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums; garlic, salt; brown rice, buckwheat, oats
Light: popcorn, rice and rice cakes, barley, corn, millet, rye; spinach, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini; chicken; apples
Oily: dairy products; fats, oils; almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds; chicken, eggs; soybeans; coconut; garlic
Dry: barley, corn, millet, rye, rice cakes, buckwheat, popcorn; potatoes; beans; broccoli, celery, spinach; honey; pumpkin seeds
Hot: hot spices, chilies, jalapenos; hot drinks, alcohol, tobacco
Cold: cold drinks, cranberry juice with spring water and lime, ice cream, mint, sorbets

The effects these qualities have on you are:
Decrease Vata: heavy, oily, hot
Decrease Pitta: cold, heavy, oily
Decrease Kapha: light, dry, hot
Increase Vata: light, dry, cold
Increase Pitta: hot, light, dry
Increase Kapha: heavy, oily, cold

Maintaining Emotional Balance With Food Tastes And Qualities
It makes perfect sense, of course, that certain tastes and qualities of food either "increase" or "decrease" particular constitutional types. What we're all seeking is balance and stability. If our genetics and biochemistry are pushing us to one extreme or the other, we need to work against those tendencies to find the middle ground.

The human body is a wonderful, self-regulating machine, and despite the fact that virtually no one is innately a perfect combination of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, under ideal circumstances we would all probably gravitate toward just the kinds of food we need to keep our body and mind in balance. Vatas would seek out heavier, oilier, sweet, or salty but nutritious foods. Pittas would gravitate toward sweet, cool foods to help control their fire. Kaphas would be eating dark green leafy vegetables and spicy curries. If we had a craving for ice cream, chocolate, or French fries, we'd eat a small portion and our craving would be satisfied.

But the truth is that most of us do not live in ideal circumstances. We live in a world full of stress and noise, with too much to do in too little time, in a climate that may not be ideal for our genetic type. Consequently, most of us are out of balance much of the time. When my clients are craving sweets or chips, I tell them to ask themselves the following questions: Am I actually hungry, or am I bored or stressed out? Did I have a decent lunch, including something warm like soup, with some good protein and good fat, and vegetables with spices and flavor? Did I have something sweet to finish the meal, and did I leave the table feeling satisfied? This is how Europeans, in general, eat and probably why most European cultures have less incidence of obesity than we do in America. So if the answer to any of those questions is "No," you haven't been giving your body the fuel it needs and you've probably been consuming too many sweet or starchy carbohydrates which means your blood sugar is swinging all over the place. It's time to eat something warm if this is the case, to soothe and satisfy you, sufficent protein to keep your blood sugar steady, and some good fats and oils to keep you grounded, along with something sweet to calm you down.

If you did have a nice lunch with all the proper nutrients and you’re still craving foods that are salty or sweet, you may be worried, stressed, overwhelmed, or angry about something. If you are in a Vata imbalance - stressed, fearful, or overwhelmed - you will probably find yourself craving sweet, sour, or salty foods or heavy, creamy, oily foods. Your desire for French fries, a mocha latte, or a candy bar would make perfect sense because your body would be trying to calm, nurture, and ground itself.

In fact, the external circumstances governing the lives of modern Americans have put most of us in an almost constant state of Vata or Pitta imbalance. And in our rush to soothe ourselves - to calm our Vata or cool our Pitta - we too often eat "to bury unpleasant emotions" as Dr. Candace Pert, a research professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., so clearly puts it in her book "Molecules Of Emotion":
By tuning into your emotions as information about your digestive process, you can develop your ability to know what your body needs in the way of nourishment and when.... Ask yourself: Do I feel hungry? Wait for a feeling of hunger to occur before eating.

... A craving for something sweet may be a signal that your brain needs fuel, so bite into a piece of fruit; a desire for a hamburger may be telling you that your body needs more protein, so add more animal and/or soy products to your diet.
I have found that many people seem to crave sweets and carbohydrates virtually all the time, simply because they are not eating enough protein and fat and are waiting too long between meals. Sometimes, when you're trying to be "good," less is not really better. By understanding the six tastes and six qualities of food and how they are related to the qualities of the five elements, you will be able to make an educated decision about which foods, herbs, and spices will bring you back into balance and nurture you without causing you to gain weight or ruining your digestion.

WHEN YOU'RE OUT OF BALANCE

Picture this scenario: It's July in New York City, ninety-five degrees in the shade, and the humidity feels like more than 100 percent. It's three in the afternoon, there's a report you have to get out by five, and the air-conditioning in your office is on the fritz. The phone won't stop ringing, and your boss keeps sticking his head in your door asking when you're going to be finished.
In a situation like this, anyone, no matter what his or her innate constitutional type, would be in a Pitta imbalance. You'd be overheated, aggravated, frustrated, annoyed, and possibly longing for a mocha frappaccino, which is sweet (the milk and sugar), bitter and astringent (the coffee), cold (the ice), and heavy (the "frapp"). This particular set of circumstances would aggravate a Pitta type the most, but Vatas would be completely overwhelmed by it all and craving cookies or candy, and Kaphas would just hang in there and suffer, possibly gaining weight even if they didn't eat anything ...
By remembering the particular tastes and qualities of food that would correct a Pitta imbalance, you could rebalance yourself emotionally and avoid dietary disaster. A cool peppermint tea, Vata or Pitta tea, a cranberry juice with club soda and lime, or a limeade (all calming, cool, sweet, and astringent) might just do the trick.
... Or put yourself in one of these two situations:

1. You've been working on a project for more than a month and the deadline is fast approaching. You've been getting to the office by seven each morning and not leaving until after eight at night. You've flown cross-country twice in the last month. The phone is ringing with questions, the e-mails are pouring in, and you can't keep up with it all. By the time you get home at night you're so wound up you can't fall asleep, and now you're starting to have digestive problems as well. All in all, you're feeling overwhelmed, overtired, and constipated.

2. You and your spouse/mate/partner have just split up, and you are overwhelmed with grief and anxiety. How are you going to pay the bills? What are you going to do with the house? How are the kids going to handle this? How are you ever going to meet someone new at this stage of life? What are the neighbors going to say, and what about your family? You feel alone and depressed, and there is no one around to offer support.

Either of these scenarios would put a tremendous strain on your nervous system - too many things going on, too much to worry about, not enough help and support - and in consequence you would be in a Vata imbalance. In fact, many of the clients who come into my practice are leading lives not unlike the ones just described. They are overworked, overwhelmed, and undernurtured. There's a reason they're craving food with sweet or salty tastes and heavy, oily qualities.

Certified Advanced Personal Trainer in Jacksonville FL
Phone (904) 422-6218 		© 2007 JaxTrainer.com