Bitter Foods in Diet

Bitter taste helps in pacifying the Kapha which tends to aggravate in Spring season.

Which are the most common bitter foods ?

1. Bitter gourd

2. Bitter Melon

3. Japanese eggplant

4. Fenugreek

5. Turmeric

6. Aloe Vera

7. Greens like Kale, lettuce, chard greens

8. Basil

9. Neem

10. Barley

Importance of Bitter taste in Ayurveda-

Bitter taste generally boosts metabolism and acts in cleansing the whole body. It’s airy and light taste. Internally bitter taste helps to balance Pitta and Kapha. In excess, it can aggravate Vata and dehydrate the body.

How can you include bitter in diet ?

If bitter isn’t your cup of tea, try incorporating small amounts into meals, and opt for foods with subtler bitterness. You can try out the following things as well.

1. Try drinking water boiled with barley seeds. It ranks high in the category of healthy beverages and is loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It helps to flush out the toxins from the body.

2. Those with Pitta imbalance can have a cup of aloe Vera juice daily. It is good for digestion and elimination. It cleanses and refreshes the system.

3. Add spices like turmeric and fenugreek in your diet. Turmeric is a blood purifier and antioxidant. Turmeric milk at bedtime is an ideal choice. One teaspoon of fenugreek helps to get more of bitter balancing taste. Soak fenugreek in water overnight and next day blend together with a tablespoon of rice powder and jaggery. This can be take with ghee or honey in the morning.

4. Bitter gourd pickle -

Scrape off the rough surface of the bitter gourd, slit length-wise, rub all over with salt and keep aside for 3-4 hours. Later squeeze and discard the juice. Remember to scoop out the seeds. Now add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp carom powder, 1 tsp roasted fenugreek powder, and marinate well with half lemon juice. Now place the bitter gourd pieces in a cleaned jar and fill with lemon juice. Sun for 3-4 days and start using after a week.

Bitter gourd is low in calories and is ideal for weight loss as well. It has antioxidants, Vitamin A and C, and fibers. It has anti-diabetic properties also.

5. Simple Green Sauté

Take rinsed bitter greens. Add one tbsp of ghee in a saucepan and splutter cumin seeds. Now add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, salt, and rinsed greens. Sauté well and enjoy as a sautéed salad.

Leafy greens are both nourishing and detoxifying. Greens are best suited when cooked with spices as per your Dosha. They are good for your skin and hair. Also, low in calories and are excellent sources of Vitamins A, C, and K. They are a good source of iron and rich in antioxidants.

Ayurveda recommends that we include all six tastes in our diets: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent.

The balancing tastes for each body type are as follows:

Vata body type (thin build): sweet, sour, and salty

Pitta body type (medium build): sweet, bitter, and pungent

Kapha body type (heavyset build): bitter, pungent, and astringent.

Until early Spring, it’s Kapha predominant season and later it’s Pitta predominant. Bitter pacifies both Kapha and Pitta. Hence remember to include bitter foods in your diet during this spring.