Journal 06 - “The Wellness of Flavour”

Sunday, 21 September, 2025.

Jai Shree Krishna! 🦚

Every Sunday, I sit down to write a little reflection — not as a rulebook, but as a ritual.

This week, my thoughts wandered to food, flavours, and why a simple thali

sometimes feels wiser than all the wellness trends in the world.

Life as a Thali

Sometimes I think life itself is like a thali — a plate where different tastes sit together,

often clashing, sometimes complementing, but ultimately creating balance.

Ayurveda explained this thousands of years ago through the concept of rasa — the

six tastes that shape not just our food but also our emotions.

According to this wisdom, true wellness does not lie only in calories, nutrients, or

vitamins, but in how the flavours on our plate interact with each other and with us.

The Six Tastes, Six Emotions

The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Each carries its

own character and emotional resonance, almost like personalities that visit our plate

and our lives.

Sweetness is comfort. It is the warmth of ghee melting on hot rotis, or the

indulgence of ripe mango pulp in summer. Sweet foods bring a sense of safety, love,

and home. Yet, too much sweetness can feel heavy, overly sentimental, or even

suffocating, just as too much comfort can slow us down.

Sourness brings spark and curiosity. A squeeze of lemon on dal, or the tang of raw

mango with chilli-salt, instantly wakes us up. Sourness excites, teases, and keeps life

lively. But in excess, it can turn into irritation or crankiness — sharpness that is

difficult to handle.

Saltiness is balance. It rarely takes the spotlight, yet without it, everything feels

incomplete. Salt is grounding, like laughter at a family meal or conversations that

hold us steady. Too much, however, can overwhelm and distort, much like arguments

that spiral out of proportion.

Bitterness is the teacher we try to avoid but ultimately need. Few people crave

bitter foods, yet turmeric, neem, or methi quietly cleanse and reset the body. In the

same way, bitter emotions — sadness, failure, or disappointment — are difficult but

essential. They purify us, teaching lessons that sweetness never could.

Pungent flavours bring passion. Ginger, garlic, or chillies may sting, but they also

ignite energy, clear the senses, and push us forward. They are like ambition or fire —

necessary for movement. But too much pungency burns, just as unbalanced passion

can turn to anger or exhaustion.

Finally, astringent taste is the quiet pause — the most subtle, often overlooked

flavour. Found in green tea, masoor dal, or jamun fruit, it is dry and grounding,

pulling things together. Astringency reflects stillness, reflection, and the spaces

between emotions. Without it, balance is incomplete.

Balance on the Plate, Balance in Life

Ayurveda suggests that when a meal holds all six tastes, the body and mind feel

balanced. Sweetness offers love, sourness adds spark, salt brings stability,

bitterness teaches truth, pungency fuels passion, and astringency provides calm.

It is a reminder that wellness — and life itself — cannot be built on just one flavour or

one feeling. Too much of anything leaves us incomplete.

My Sunday Thali

On Sundays, I often find this balance in the simplest way: right in front of me on a

thali.

Kadhi comforts me, thepla fires me up, pickles bring drama, rotis ground me,

Microgreens add freshness, and jalebi offers pure joy. Eating slowly, tasting every

flavour, I feel as if I am not just nourishing my body but gently rebalancing my inner

world.

Perhaps wellness does not always require complicated routines, supplements, or strict

diets. Sometimes it is as simple as making sure your plate — and your life — holds all six

flavours. A touch of sweetness, a little spice, a dash of bitter truth, a sprinkle of salty

laughter, and the quiet pause of reflection.

In the end, sukoon is never in one flavour alone. It is in the whole platter.

Thank you for pausing with me this Sunday.

Warmly,

Nidhi 🪷