The Six Tastes

There are six tastes found in Paleo foods. If you know about them, which ones you need, at which time of day, at which time of year, and which foods they are found in, then you can make the Paleo Diet work well for you. When you get it right I call this BALANCE. If you are balanced you will get no IBS symptoms at all and feel great. The tastes are...

1. Sweet... this taste is cooling, nutritious and hydrating. You need it all year at all times. In hot, wet weather you need less, in cold, dry weather, you need more. It is found in most foods except herbs, spices and teas. The sweetest ones are fresh milk, butter and clarified butter. Fruits, nuts, seeds, oils, veggies, meat, fish, eggs are all sweet.
2. Sour... this taste is heating, nutritious and hydrating. You need more in cold, dry weather. In hot, wet weather you may not need it. It is found in fruits and fermented foods. Some sour fruits are berries, plums, sour cherries, guavas, citrus and cooked fruits. The fermented foods come in many forms. Fermented fruit juices such as wine and cider. Fermented drinks made form starchy foods such as whisky, beer, vodka, and tequila. Fermented veggies such as sauerkraut and kimchi. Fermented fish such as those the Scandanavians and the Inuit make. Fermented dairy foods such as yoghurts, cheeses, butters, buttermilks. Fermented meats and fats such as those the Inuit eat. Fermented foods are often rich in the B Vitamins essential for digesting animal foods. Avoid vinegars, these gave poor results in my tests. The author drinks fresh citrus juices, sour fruit teas and has the occasional whisky in cold weather.
3. Salty... this taste is heating, and hydrating. It is the taste of minerals. Natural foods high in minerals are all salty. You need more in cold, dry weather and less in hot, wet weather. Seafood is rich in minerals and always tastes salty. Top of the list is shellfish. Free range meats and egg yolks are salty, but egg whites have no salty taste. Fruits, veggies and nuts generally have a little salty taste. If they do not, they will be tasteless, grown too fast in hothouses or fed artificial fertilizers. Avoid these foods. Sea salt is added in tiny amounts to your food in cold, dry weather. It is very good when egg whites are eaten.
4. Pungent... this taste is heating and drying. It is found in meats, seafood and egg yolks, but not in egg whites. It is in nuts, oils and spices, You need more in cold, wet weather and less in hot, dry weather. Red meat is very pungent. Top of the list is mutton & lamb. These are so pungent that it is not advisable to eat them unless it is very very cold. Spices like black pepper and chilli are also extremely pungent.
5. Bitter... this taste is cooling and drying. It is found in herbs, teas and fruits, especially green fruits. You need only small amounts, more in hot, wet weather and less in cold, dry weather. Top of my list is black tea, where it teams with the next taste. Bitter keeps you cool. You will not need it in winter.
6. Astringent... this taste is cooling and drying. It is found in teas and fruits. Black tea is the top astringent drink for hot, wet weather. For cold, wet weather it can be teamed with spices in chai. You will not need it in cold, dry weather. Astringent fruits are those ones that leave a dry taste on your tougue. Apples, Pears, Guavas, Persimmons, Pomegranates, Cranberries, Blueberries, Quinces are all astringent. Also green fruits, especially green bananas.

Most modern processed foods have no taste in them. So the manufacturers add chemicals called flavour enhancers, and you are fooled into thinking that they taste good. They list the chemicals on the packet/wrapper in small print. There are often dozens of them. This is why we get IBS...