Emotions and food

Though we are now more aware of the effect of emotions have on our bodies and minds and how this relates to food, holistic nutritional systems have been using this knowledge of the link between emotions and food for thousands of years.

In Ayurvedic nutrition, for example, the Sanskrit word for "taste" rasa is the same as the one for "emotion", indicating a clear connection. Taste and emotion could be considered as the same but acting at different levels of our being. In his book "Prakriti" the Ayurvedic doctor, Robert Svoboda tells us that

"taste is to the body what emotion is to the mind".

So when we feel a particular emotion, it can be helpful to consider what taste might be helping to trigger it. Anxiety, for example, is linked with an excess of the astringent taste, a taste like that of the tannins in tea or wine.

Anxiety coach, Karen Field, shares her thoughts on nutrition and anxiety in a short telephone interview. Just click on the play button below to listen. If you have any problems, do let me know.




Click on the play button above to listen to this
phone interview with Karen Field

Emotions such as envy and jealousy are connected with an excess of the sour taste. We've all heard of the expression "sour grapes". And emotions like satisfaction and greed come from one taste, the sweet one, the difference being in the amount we consume. It is also the taste that is involved when we attempt to make up for lack of something, explaining why some people may use food for comfort.

Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved Janet Gomez