Ayurveda recommends eating food in the same sequence as the six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. It is an in-depth science which gives practical principles with easy applicability. Therefore, the principle of sequence of tastes is followed in the placement of dishes on the plate so that the diner’s mind is conditioned to follow it.
It is advised to begin your meal with sweet taste, followed by sour and salty. The main reason behind this is when one is hungry and about to eat food, their Agni/digestive fire is at its peak.
Sweet, sour and salty tastes are heavy to digest, so if they are consumed first the strong Agni will help in better digestion of these foods. This is one of the reasons why Ayurveda recommends eating only when hungry/when you have strong appetite.
Pungent, bitter and astringent tastes are lighter to digest. Therefore, the Agni requirement is relatively not so strong for their digestion. Hence, they should be consumed in the latter part of the meals.
The process of digestion takes approximately six to eight hours and the six tastes correspond to one stage of digestion, which lasts approximately an hour. These stages of digestion are called awastha paka.
The first stage of digestion is madhur awastha paka / sweet taste dominant stage. Sweet taste is the first to be digested and Kapha dosha is the one dominating this stage in the mouth and stomach. Therefore, in the placement of dishes on the Thali, payasam/kheer or any dessert is served on the right corner of the Thali.
Rice/wheat/millet or any grain for that matter has to be served at the most important spot in the lower centre and closest to you. This is because grain should form the main portion of a person’s Thali and should be closely accessible. Grains have an inherent sweet taste this is the reason grains get the prime spot on your Thali.
The second stage of digestion is amla/sour dominant stage, followed by lavana awastha paka or salt dominant stage, which is when the food moves into the duodenum or the first part of small intestine. Therefore, on the left most corner pickle, chutney, sauces or dips should be served. Next to it can be anything that is spicy and has salty taste like rasam.
The fourth stage is katu awastha paka/pungent stage,which occurs in the jejunum or the second portion of the small intestine. The fifth stage of digestion is tikta awastha paka/bitter taste dominant stage. Here the food enters the ileum, the last and longest portion of the small intestine.
The vegetables and pulses should be served on the upper middle portion, just above the grains as it mainly comprises of salty, bitter, pungent tastes which come in the later part of the digestion process. Similarly non-vegetarian dishes should also be served like this, as animal proteins generally carry salty and astringent tastes.
In the last stage which is the kashaya awastha paka/ astringent taste dominant stage food enters the caecum and colon,where absorption of remaining minerals and liquids occurs.
Bitter and astringent tastes help in closing off the process of digestion. Therefore, buttermilk or betel is used for this purpose. They are kept in the left bottom corner of the Thali.
Water should be placed on the right hand side of the diner.
Ayurveda recommends drinking water based on one’s own thirst, which should not be suppressed as its a natural urge, however excessive drinking is also not recommended – either extreme lowers digestion strength and deteriorates the quality of dhatus/body tissues.
One should not drink water before meals because drinking water before food dilutes and weakens Agni and causes general weakness. Ideal is to drink water atleast 1 hour before meals.
Drinking water immediately after meals is also not recommended as it causes obesity. It is advisable to drink water about one and a half hour after meals.
Ayurveda advises to keep taking small sips of water with meals. Reason being, it helps to moisten the food in order to breakdown food particles into smaller pieces and it quenches thirst as well. The Agni already starts interacting with the food to initiate the process of digestion. Hence, water consumed at this point would be used up by the food particles to disintegrate. There will be very less direct interaction between Agni and the water at this point of time.
Ayurveda prefers drinking warm water over cold water at any given time.Warm water is helpful in Vata and Kapha related disorders. Not only this, it also stimulates the Agni as well as appetite and aids the digestion process.
As far as cold water is concerned, the only acceptable form of cold water in Ayurveda is the water cooled in mud pots or silver containers. Cold water is beneficial in Pitta related disorders, thirst, heat stroke, exhaustion, bleeding disorders etc.
Carbonated drinks, chilled beverages and packaged drinks can give momentary pleasure to the taste buds but they do a lot of harm to one’s health. Water, buttermilk, herbal infusions are the best beverages as per Ayurveda, which once befriended will give one a lifetime gift of good health.
Your meals as per the circadian rythm
The prominence of a dosha during a day follows a 4 hourly cycle starting with Kapha dosha at 6:00 am until 10:00 am, Pitta dosha from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm and Vata dosha from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm. This cycle is repeated during the night.
Ayurveda recommends finishing one’s dinacharya routine before eating breakfast. Breakfast time is the Kapha dominant time. A breakfast Thali should be decent with stimulating ingredients like black pepper, ginger, cinnamon etc. One that is warm, light and dry with pungent, bitter and astringent tastes. Sweet, sour and salty tastes should be less, except winters.
Cold, heavy, and oily foods should be avoided. It should be slighlty protein dominant with lesser carbohydrates eg. millets, eggs, moong daal chilla, idli, dosa or uttapam.
In general, as per Ayurveda breakfast should be a moderate affair in terms of quantity. It should be light in summers, good in winters and moderate in other seasons. One should have breakfast by 8:30 am to latest an hour after that. During winters the breakfast can comprise of sweet (in moderation), sour and salty tastes. Warm, heavy and unctuous food items can be included, but as we say moderation is the key in Ayurveda. So, make sure not to overdo the tastes and quality of the food items.
Fruits should be consumed between 11:30 am – 12 noon. 12nn is the time when digestive fire is at its peak. Consuming fruits will stimulate Kapha. By the time digestion of fruits is completed, body is ready for sweet taste to start the lunch with.
Lunch is the time when digestive fire is at its peak because of dominance of Pitta dosha. This is the reason why a lunch Thali should be the most fulfilling with relatively more food items of all six tastes as compared to breakfast or dinner. It should also include more complex carbohydrates and proteins.
A cooling, calming, raw (but in moderation), slightly dry and heavy, not overly spicy and not too oily or fried lunch is recommended.
Emphasize on grains, pulses and vegetables. Even non-vegetarian food items can be incorporated in the Thali.
Desserts like puddings, Indian sweets like gulab jamun or halwa which are heavy to digest can be consumed during lunch, ideally in the beginning and not at the end.
Buttermilk can be taken after lunch to wind up the digestion.
Avoid spicy, salty and sour foods, junk foods, alcohol and hot drinks. Ideal lunch time is 12:00 – 2:00 pm. Walk 100 – 200 steps after that and take a short nap of 10-15 minutes, preferably lying on your left side.
Late afternoon/evening 2:00 am – 6:00 pm (Vata kaal) is the most delicate time for Vata imbalance. There would also be a sense of intense hunger felt at this time especially around 4:00 pm, which can sometimes be a false signal due to Vata prominence. Sip glass of warm water (plain or infused), wait a few minutes and eat only if the hunger persists. Snack on light, nourishing food like a fruit, soaked nuts with raisins, figs to pacify Vata. Avoid heavy or unbalancing food combinations at this time.
Dinner meal or Thali must be the lightest of all the meals, to allow for a complete digestion before sleeping. Warm, liquid/stew/soup consistency-based foods are the best to keep Vata and Kapha energy balanced. It promotes good digestion and a restful sleep. Vegetarian proteins like cheese, paneer, light dal like moong dal and vegetables can be included. The dominant tastes of the food ingredients should be bitter and pungent, slightly sour and salty.
To close off betel leaf can be consumed post dinner. No desserts though as it is the Kapha dominant time.
Ayurveda says that our digestive fire mimics the sun and when the sun begins to set the digestive fire begins to dim. Therefore, ideal practice is to finish the dinner by sunset or in general by 6:30 pm. However, if practically it’s not possible then one should finish the dinner latest by 8:00 pm.
Take a light stroll of 15-20 minutes after dinner and make sure to keep a gap of at least 2 hours between dinner and sleep.
Your meals as per season
Described here are two main seasons – summers and winters. One should keep these guidelines in mind to be followed in each meal during these seasons for a healthy digestion and efficient metabolism.
SUMMER SEASON
During summers Agni of an individual remains in mild state because Pitta gets displaced from the gut.
- Foods with sweet, unctuous, cold and liquid qualities, such as rice, lentil, etc, should be taken.
- Salty, pungent and sour tastes and warm foods should be avoided.
- Foods which are light to digest are preferred.
- Drinking plenty of water and other liquids, such as cold water, buttermilk, fruit juices like mango, pomegranate juice, tender coconut water, meat soups, churned curd which is made lighter and seasoned with pepper, is to be practised.
- Very cool water kept in mud pot along with flowers of patala and karpura (camphor) should be used for drinking.
- At bedtime milk with sugar candy is good to take.
- Alcohol should be avoided; if very necessary, taken in very little quantity or diluted with more quantity of water.
WINTER SEASON
The displaced Pitta dosha comes back to its place, gut. Therefore, Agni is very strong. Also because the ambient temperature is low, so it prevents the fire from flowing outwards.
- One should use unctuous, sweet, sour and salty foods. Vata aggravating foods, such as light, cold, and dry foods should be avoided.
- This is the season when one should keep warm and well nourished. Among cereals and pulses, new rice, flour preparations, green gram, masha, are advised.
- Since digestive fire is strong heavy food items like various meats, fats, milk and milk products, honey and sugarcane products, fermented preparations, sesame and so on, are good to be included in the diet.
- Intake of cold beverages is not advisable. Overeating should be discouraged and unhealthy foods like fried foods and carbonated drinks should be avoided.
Best Oils and Cookware
Ayurveda advocates using sesame oil for cooking as the best oil. Ghee is considered a great medium to cook. Mustard oil and coconut oils are also recommended.
Earthen ware or Clay utensils are the best utensils for cooking according to Ayurveda. This is because due to the porosity and natural insulation in clay utensils there is an even distribution of heat and moisture in the food. This leads to the nutrients from clay pot to seep into the food making it healthier, more nutritious and flavorful. Food also does not get burned while cooking in clay pots, though it is a slow process.
A thick bottomed well-seasoned cast iron utensil is second best for cooking. It requires less oil to cook, food can be cooked on high flame and last but most importantly it is the best source to add iron to the food.
Though stainless steel utensils occupy our kitchen more than any other metal, copper utensils are much better to use. Copper utensils do not leach off metal as much as stainless steel. Copper also lowers the risk of spread of infection from harmful bacteria.
Bronze is also a recommended metal as it was used extensively in ancient times, however bronze utensils have the limitation that ghee cannot be used in them. Silver ware and brass can also be used.
Aluminium, ceramic, granite and non-stick cookware are not recommended to be used.