What To Include in Every Single Meal
Ayurveda is an ancient holistic system of medicine that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. It emphasizes the balance of mind, body, and spirit to maintain health and prevent disease.
In Ayurveda, the way we approach our meals can significantly impact our overall health and well-being. It’s not just about what we eat, but how and when we eat it. We all understand that a balanced meal includes a proper mix of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—along with essential vitamins and minerals. However, Ayurveda adds another dimension to what makes a meal truly balanced: the incorporation of all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.
Incorporating the Six Tastes
The sweet taste can be found in almost all fruits, grains like rice, wheat, and amaranth, as well as vegetables such as beets, carrots, potatoes, yams, butternut squash, and okra.
The sour taste is present in fruits like limes, lemons, tomatoes, and tamarind, as well as in fermented foods such as vinegar, yogurt, and sauerkraut.Remember that a single food can contain multiple tastes, but typically one or two are more dominant.
Sea vegetables like dulse, nori, kombu, kelp have a salty taste as do olives.
Bitter taste is found in leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts. A lot of spices and herbs are abundant in this taste. For example, turmeric, cumin, parsley, cilantro, cloves, curry leaves are just a few of them.
Pungent taste is abundant in almost all spices. Include spices like ajwain, basil, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, black pepper, fennel, sage to add the pungent taste.
Astringent taste is mostly found in beans and legumes and ferments like vinegars.
Let’s explore how to incorporate these elements into each meal of the day.
Breakfast: Light and Easy on the Digestive System
Western nutrition often suggests starting the day with a heavy breakfast, but Ayurvedic wisdom recommends keeping breakfast light. The digestive fire, or Agni, is still awakening in the morning, and overloading it with heavy foods can strain the system, leading to the accumulation of undigested food in the body. Depending on the season, an ideal breakfast could be fresh fruit (raw), or fruit that’s been cooked or stewed with a bit of ghee.
For example, stewed apples offer sweet, sour, and astringent tastes. Adding spices like cinnamon and cloves adds the pungent and bitter taste, while a sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt brings in the salty taste. To boost the protein content, top it off with some hemp hearts. While protein is generally recommended in every meal, breakfast can be an exception a few times a week for a person with Kapha dosha or in the spring or summer season.
Lunch: The Hearty, Main Meal of the Day
Lunch should be the largest meal of the day, as this is when the digestive fire is strongest. A balanced lunch could include a combination of beans and rice, complemented by roasted seasonal vegetables or sautéed greens for added micronutrients.
In terms of the six tastes, rice provides the sweet taste, while beans, depending on the variety, offer both sweet and astringent flavors. You can add the salty taste by cooking the beans with seaweed like kombu, which also aids in digestion. Pungent taste can come from spices such as cumin and red pepper flakes or black pepper. To include the bitter taste, consider adding turmeric, bay leaves, and cloves, while a squeeze of lemon juice adds the sour taste.
Dinner: Light and Nourishing
As the day winds down, so should your meals. Dinner should be light and easy to digest, ensuring that your body can rest without being burdened by heavy foods. Ideal options for dinner might include soups or stews made with seasonal vegetables and lentils, spiced with cumin, bay leaf, fennel, turmeric, and red or black pepper to ensure a balance of the six tastes. Don’t forget to include a healthy fat by adding a teaspoon of ghee to your soup. Even at dinner, it’s important to include a source of protein, like lentils or moong beans. If you prefer to include meat in your diet, Ayurveda suggests having it at lunch rather than dinner.
Final Thoughts
By following these Ayurvedic principles, you can create balanced meals that support your body’s natural rhythms and promote overall well-being. Remember, the key is to listen to your body and adjust your meals according to your individual needs and the changing seasons.