Enjoying the taste of life

Happy July my friends. I hope that you are all managing these heatwaves. This month's recipe of mint and rosewater cantaloupe skewers is a lovely way to keep cool and enjoy a sweet treat. I hope you enjoy them. Speaking of sweet, we are continuing on our journey through the senses and the sense organs. Last month we explored the sense of smell and this month we are dive into the sense of taste. As with all of Ayurveda, we will approach this is not only in a functional way but also through a metaphoric lens. Caring for our mouth and the micro-biome (aka the good bugs that live in our mouth) is an essential part of self-care. Ayurveda teaches that there are several diseases that are related to not having the ability to taste properly. If you cannot taste properly you will not be sending the right information to the gut. When this happens our bodies do not know how to properly digest our food and then said food turns into ama/toxins. There is new research that has come out regarding the mouth microbiome and the different colonies of bacteria that live in the mouth. One study even showed how there can be a colony on one side of the tooth and a different colony on the other side of the same tooth. Our bodies are so amazing! Research also now can link several diseases to the health of the microbiome in the mouth and the gut. Gum disease is linked to rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, erectile dysfunction and even autism.

So as you can see having the ability to taste is actually very important for our health. There is current data that shows that the general population has a weakened sense of taste or smell (which remember is directly related) by up to 5% in their 40’s and by the time we get to our 80’s our senses are debilitated by up to 40%. There are many reasons for this. First, many prescriptions have the side effect of dry mouth. We NEED the saliva in our mouth to have the ability to taste, If that is gone then we do not taste and then add a bunch of extra salt, sugar or eat processed foods which will, in turn, weaken or debilitate our senses of both taste and smell even more. Remember last month when we were looking at the sense of smell and we observed that 75% of the sense of taste is actually the sense of smell? This is why it is important for us to regularly tend to care for our nose by using a neti pot and Nasya oil. We are typically not taught as young children to properly care for our oral orifice. Scraping our tongue will literally stimulate and energize our sleepy tastebuds, not to mention gently stimulate our internal organs. Holding oil in our mouth and swishing it through the teeth often called oil pulling is a very important practice as well. Drinking substances that are too hot can injure our tastebuds. Luckily, they are replaced every two weeks but if we are regularly drinking a liquid that is too hot then we will be continually doing damage.

If we look at the English language we will see references to taste in our relationship to not just each other but also the world. If something good happens to us we may exclaim “Sweet!”. Or someone we love is our sweetie. We can experience sour grapes or we may know a sourpuss. We can describe someone as salty, bitter, or even spicy. We can enjoy the spice and sweetness of life or have a bitter experience. When we look at our relationship with the sense of taste we perhaps think of gathering with our friends for a meal or cooking in the kitchen with a loved one. When we travel we get to explore amazing flavors that enliven and excite our tastebuds. But how do we care for this amazing pleasurable sense that we enjoy so much?

Let’s take a deeper look into the sense of taste. The sense of taste is related to Svadhishthana Chakra (the second chakra) and the water element. Taste has a strong influence on the mind, our emotions, and the other senses which can support the sense of taste. If we see something that looks delicious our mouth may begin to water which is the beginning of the digestive process. We can have similar experiences of smelling food or even when we are preparing food and touching the ingredients. One of the main focal points when cooking an Ayurvedic meal is to include all six tastes. These are sweet, salty, sour, pungent, astringent, and bitter. The Sanskrit word for sweet is Rasa. Rasa can translate to taste, emotion, juice, the first tissue in our body including lymph, plasma, cellular juice, and even sexual juice. Rasa is also the word for mercury the metal and devotion. The sweet taste is typically the one that everyone is drawn to first as mother’s milk is the first taste experience we have and we equate the sweet taste with nourishment. We contain all of the tastes within us and if we are missing a taste that is the one we will crave and look for outside of ourselves to try to create a balance inside. If we are desiring to experience the sweetness of life we will crave the sweet taste but we need to learn how to find the sweetness within ourselves. Each of the six tastes creates an experience in our mind and emotions and has specific effects on the tissues. The correct amount of the sweet taste will promote happiness, contentment, calmness, love, and satisfaction in the mind. Now, mind you that the sweet taste is not just sugary foods. The sweet taste includes complex carbohydrates, sweet fruits, grains, root vegetables, sugar, honey, milk cheeses, oils & meats. So we are not just talking eclairs.

The sour taste in the correct amount for you will help to stimulate digestion, help to have a discerning mind, calm the nervous system, increase circulation, sharpens the senses, and prevents the formation of gas. Some examples of the sour taste are, yogurt, limes, lemons, sour fruits, cheese, and vinegar. The correct amount of the salty taste will make food tasty, strengthen digestive fire, it can calm the nerves, and maintains electrolyte balance in the body. Emotionally it will increase confidence, courage, and enthusiasm for life. The pungent or spicy taste will reduce congestion, think of your nose and eyes if you get just a bit too much wasabi. The pungent/spicy taste can promote boldness and extroversion and in excess heated emotions. Examples of the pungent taste would be jalapeños, ginger, cloves, garlic, and pepper. The astringent taste is constricting in nature which can be helpful in tightening loose skin or diarrhea. With the astringent taste, a little goes a long way. When we have the correct amount the tase will promote healing and the ability to look inward. We can experience the astringent taste with green leafy vegetables, green bananas, cranberries, turmeric, and beans. Lastly, the bitter taste is the coldest of all the tastes and has the ability to purify the blood, work as an antibiotic, antiseptic, and absorb excess fluid. The bitter taste can be helpful or if taken in excess it can create grief and sorrow. The taste can be found in aloe vera, fenugreek, black tea, and some leafy vegetables.

I hope this will encourage you to really taste your food and notice how the food you eat can affect not only your physical body but also your mind and emotions. Take time every day to tend you and care for your mouth, tongue, and oral microbiome. I am here if you have any questions.

From: July 2021 Newslettter