Rasa Rx

You're probably wondering by now what the title of this blog means. For readers unfamilar with the Sanskrit language, the subtitle serves as a good working definition and sums up my philosophy of healthy eating. Simply put, Food that is pleasing to the tongue promotes health and well-being. As an Ayurvedic consultant and cooking instructor, I prescribe delicious, natural, home-cooked foods to my clients because I whole-heartedly agree with Hippocrates' advice: "Let medicine by thy food, and food be thy medicine."

A brief lesson in Sanskrit is necessary to fully convey the role that taste plays in Ayurvedic nutritional theory:

Rasa has several meanings including: "taste," "melody," "enthusiasm," "juice," and "essence." The word is made up of two parts: 'ra' and 'sa.' Ra means "to relish" or "to praise" while sa translates as "sap" or "juice." According to the first and most common definition, rasa is the sensation experienced when a substance touches the tongue. The sense of taste relies on the presence of saliva, or the "juicy" secretions of the mouth, as implied by the root sa. And the other root of rasa suggests that this sensation is associated with pleasure and praise.

Why would anyone put an edible substance in their mouth that they knew in advance would not taste good? For a bet (in which a lot of $$ was at stake)? To lose weight (perhaps, a meal-replacement protein shake)? Because a celebrity or a good friend swears by it? Nonsense!

Eating foods you don't like just because they are supposed to be good for you is pointless. Scientific studies have actually shown that people absorb more nutrients when they eat things that they like. A simple experiment was conducted involving Swedish and Thai women who were fed meals from their own and the other culture. The subjects absorbed more iron when they ate food that was familiar and appealing to them (check out the book "The Gospel of Food" by Barry Glassner).

The Six Tastes

Ayurvedic nutrition (and pharmacology) is predicated on the idea that every substance is made up of some unique combination of the five basic elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth). Each taste - sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent - is likewise composed of the elements. The two predominant elements in each taste determines its effect on the body and mind. For example, sweet consists of mostly earth and water so it exerts a cooling and downward force. Excess consumption of sweet foods (especially concentrated sources of sugar) results in sluggishness, weight gain and eventually obesity and diabetes. Eating sweet things appropriately and in moderation (like fruit and whole grains) can be quite beneficial because they bring about stability, strength and energy. The upshot of this reasoning is that healthy foods are selected based on their taste. In a way, the six tastes take on the role of nutrients.

Ayurveda recommends that each meal consist of all 6 tastes in the proper proportion (the relative quantities will depend on the consumer's constitution and state of health as well as other factors like the time of day and season of the year). To bring about balance in the body, the consumption of foods containing tastes predominantly comprised of those elements that are lacking is usually prescribed. Spices are used extensively in Ayurvedic cooking because they contribute to the taste profile of a meal and have digestive properties. Good digestion is crucial to health and longevity (more about this in future posts).

• Sweet = Earth + Water : promotes growth of tissues, gives strength & longevity, relieves thirst


• Sour = Earth + Fire : stimulates appetite, improves digestion, energizes body, enlightens mind


• Salty = Water + Fire : promotes growth; aids digestions, absorption & elimination


• Pungent = Fire + Air : aids circulation, promotes elimination, kills germs, brings clarity


• Bitter = Air + Space : antitoxic, relieves burning sensations, relieves gas, digestive tonic


• Astringent = Air + Earth : helps heal ulcers and stop bleeding, cooling & drying