Word for the day: Food Rut
Sometimes I get in food ruts. I tend to cook whole foods that can be pretty bland because they are fast and simple. However, this week I need to add a little more flavor and spice to my diet. One of the best ways for me to do that is to follow Ayurvedic principles.
Deepak Chopra’s book Perfect Health references “six tastes.” The six tastes with examples from his book are listed below.
Sweet: rice, milk, butter, bread
Salt: salty foods
Sour: lemons, yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, plums, vinegar
Bitter: spinach, cucumbers, turmeric, fenugreek, romaine lettuce
Pungent: cayenne, chili peppers, onions, garlic, ginger
Astringent: beans, lentils, apples, cabbage, broccoli, potatoes
One way to help us achieve balance in our diet is by noticing if we are eating foods from the various “six tastes.” I think most of us have experienced what happens when we eat too many sweets. But many of us have not even heard of the last two categories—pungent and astringent foods. This past week I did manage to have all but pungent and bitter foods in my diet. So this week I want to add both turmeric and ginger to the mix.
Where I live, I am lucky to have access to a food cooperative that sells beautiful, fresh ginger and turmeric root. If you do not have access to either root, the dry spices will do. I have been integrating fresh ginger and turmeric root into my drinks. I grind the roots in my coffee grinder. Then I add a little to my coffee grinds and pour hot water over it. I also make smoothies in my Ninja. I add fresh root to these as well.
In a food rut? Try adding one of the “six tastes” as described above.
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