BALANCING SEASONAL TASTES AND BODY TYPE TASTES

BALANCING SEASONAL TASTES AND BODY TYPE TASTES

The apparent contradictions between the tastes and qualities beneficial to each body type, and the tastes and qualities suggested by the cyclical nature of the seasons are to be understood in the following way: The tastes which are generally good for each body type may become heightened or prevalent in the body and external environment due to seasonal influences. For example, of the six tastes, the pungent flavour naturally predominates during the summer; although considered a generally good all-year taste for Kapha types, it needs to be used in the summer season with discretion. This is because in summer the pungent taste prevails out of the six tastes.(According to the seasonal accumulation of the doshas, in summers there is decrease of kapha and the pungent taste also causes decrease in kapha and increase of vata which may lead to vata/kapha disorders)

Similarly, the salty taste which predominates during autumn, although considered a generally excellent all-year taste for Vata types, needs to be reduced during the autumn season, even by Vata types(According to the seasonal accumulation of the doshas in autumn there is alleviation of pitta, the salty taste also causes alleviation of pitta  which may lead to pitta disorders).

In the early winter, the sweet taste predominates, and although generally an excellent all-year taste for Pitta types, needs to be reduced during the early winter, even by Pitta types. (According to the seasonal accumulation of the doshas in winter there is increase in kapha and sweet taste also causes increase of kapha which may lead to kapha disorders)

Table 16

TASTES OF THE SEASONS

Northerly Phase (Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice)
Season	Dry Tastes	Element Composition	Dosha
Late Winter	Bitter	Air and space	Vata
Spring	Astringent	Air and earth	Vata & Kapha
Summer	Pungent	Air and fire	Vata & Pitta
Note: the dry tastes are created by the progressive northward movement of the sun
Southerly Phase (Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice)
Season	Dry Tastes	Element Composition	Dosha
Rainy Season (early fall)	Sour	Earth and fire	Pitta and Kapha
Autumn	Salty	Water and fire	Pitta
Early Winter	Sweet	Water and earth	Kapha
Note: the moist tastes are created by the progressive southward movement of the sun

Beneficial Tastes According to Doshas

Vata     :           sweet, sour, salty

Pitta     :           Sweet, bitter, astringent

Kapha: pungent, bitter, astringent

           

Table 17

SEASONAL TASTE ADJUSTMENTS

	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
LATE WINTER	Major: sour, salty, unctuous	Major: sweet, sour*, salty,* warm, unctuous	Major: sour,* astringent, pungent, warm, moderate unctuous
	Minor: sweet	Minor: bitter, astringent, cool, light	Minor: bitter, salty, dry
SPRING	Major: sweet, salty, warm, moderate unctuous, alkaline	Major: sweet, bitter pungent*, warm	Major: pungent, moderate astringent, alkaline, ward, dry
	Minor: sour, pungent	Minor: astringent, cool, alkaline	Minor: bitter, salty
SUMMER	Major: sweet, sour, warm, moderate unctuous	Major: sweet, bitter, cool, moderate unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate sweet, warm, dry
	Minor: bitter, salty, cool, light	Minor: astringent, light	Minor: pungent, cool
RAINY SEASON (early fall)	Major: sweet, moderate bitter,* salty, moderate unctuous, warm	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate salty, moderate sweet, warm, moderate unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, pungent, warm, light
Temperate Climates	Minor: sour	Minor: pungent, cool	Minor: salty, sour, dry
		Major: sweet, bitter, salty,* warm, moderate unctuous
Tropical and Semitropical	Major: sweet, salty, moderate unctuous, warm	Minor: astringent, pungent	Major: moderate salty,* pungent, bitter, warm, moderate unctuous.
Climates	Minor: bitter, pungent		Minor: astringent, dry
AUTUMN	Major: sweet, sour, warm, light	Major: sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, light	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate sweet, warm, light
	Minor: salty, astringent	Minor: pungent
EARLY WINTER	Major: salty, bitter,* moderate sour, warm unctuous	Major: bitter, astringent, moderate pungent,* warm, moderate unctuous	Major: pungent, astringent, bitter, warm, moderate unctuous
	Minor: pungent, sweet	Minor: sweet	Minor : salty

*Vata types: If strong tendency to Vata disorders, use bitter as  minor tastes and increase the use of sweet and salty tastes during the seasons indicated.

*Pitta types: If strong tendency to Pitta disorders, use sour, pungent and salty as minor tastes and increase the use of bitter, astringent and sweet tastes during the seasons indicated.

*Kapha types : If strong tendency to Kapha disorders, use sweet,sour and salty as minor tastes and increase the use of pungent, bitter and astringent tastes during the seasons indicated.

[ vata, pitta & kapha disorders can be seen in the charts mentioning increase in the respective doshas in DOSHIC IMBALANCES ]

Table 18

SEASONAL DO’S AND DON’TS

Climates	DO	DON’T
Late Winter	Sour, salty, moderate sweet, unctuous, substantial quantity of food	Excess sweet, pungent, bitter, dry, cold, raw foods
SPRING	Pungent, astringent, moderate sweet, moderate salty, warm, moderate quantity of food	Sour, excess sweet, bitter, too many fluids, cold
Summer	Sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, moderate unctuous,	Salty, sour, pungent, hot, insufficiency of fluids
	sufficient fluid
Rainy Season (early fall) Temperate	Sweet, moderate sour, moderate salty, warmfood,	Pungent, bitter, astringent,  light, cold food.    excess unctuous
Troplcal and Semitropical Climates	Sour, salty, unctuous, moderate sweet, moderate unctuous, warm	Pungent, bitter, astringent, excess sweet, cold, dry
Autumn	Sweet, bitter, astringent, cool, light, non-oily	Sour, salty, pungent, hot, oily, excess food, heavy foods
Early Winter	Salty, bitter, astringent, moderate sour, warm, moderate unctuous,	Sweet, excess sour, excess cold, dry, excess food, raw foods
	Moderate quantity

The “Seasonal Don’ts” may be used occasionally as a minor taste. See previous chart