How Can This Ayurvedic Food Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Nightshades or No?
Ever since the Spaniards brought tomatoes to Europe, they have been subject of controversial debate. Southern Europe said yes, embracing the tomato, which would fundamentally change Mediterranean and especially Italian cuisine. Northern Europe said no, calling the tomato 'wolf peach' instead because they belong to the often poisonous nightshade family. In the East, the controversy continues - Chinese medicine says yes, they clear summer heat. Ayurveda says no, they stimulate heat and desire, and cause toxic build-up. Whatever your personal philosophy on tomatoes, they are a near ubiquitous addition to world cuisine. So what is the secret behind the explosion in tomato's popularity?

Tomatoes & Desire
Any Italian chef will testify to the passion and warmth of tomato. Cooked tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes are downright zesty and pungent. They have a meaty, hearty feel that warms the belly.

I'll never forget my walks through the New Mexico desert as an Ayurveda student. Wild relatives of the tomato were growing everywhere, quite comfortable in the hot, dry high-altitude deserts. The red color of tomatoes seemed to echo the warmth of the southwestern climate. This climate is best approximated by August in other landscapes, which is exactly when tomatoes ripen. Astringent taste and dryness dominate the body and emotions in late summer, just like in the New Mexico desert.

Tomatoes are plump, juicy with a hint of sweetness and ripe just in time to restore your virility and juiciness in the dry season. The sourness rehydrates your salivary glands, moistens your mouth and stimulates your taste buds which tend towards blandness in early autumn.

Heat Up Your Digestion
Tomatoes are strongly acidic, making them both stimulating and sour, and even irritating to some. Sourness not only hydrates salivary glands, but the entire digestive tract as well. Tomato's acidity heats up your digestion and makes your digestive glands juicy. Tomato's high acidity may also irritate the GI tract, and should be avoided by those with GI inflammation. The more tomatoes are cooked, as in tomato sauces and sun-dried tomatoes, the more these irritating qualities become concentrated, pungent and hot.

For die-hard tomato fanatics, such as my Italian-American family, a pinch of baking soda in the sauce will neutralize some of these irritating acids, but also much of the flavor. Note: The flesh of tomato is easy to digest, while the skins and seeds may be more irritating and too difficult for some. In that case, tomatoes are easily skinned and seeded. Cherry tomatoes are generally less irritating.

Cool Your Blood
Raw tomatoes cool the blood on hot summer days. Their high vitamin A content clears Liver Heat and supports detoxification. So go ahead, pick a juicy tomato off the vine and bite in.

A Funky Fruit
As a member of the nightshade family, tomatoes also have a funkiness - a residue that ultimate irritates the body, especially the joints. Crush a tomato leaf and sniff; you will experience the funkiness of nightshades first-hand. The leaves and stems contain tomatine and solanine, both poisonous substances. Use caution with tomatoes if you have arthritis, are easily irritated, or have an aggressive, hot-blooded temperament.

On the other hand, tomatoes are high in lycopene a potent antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic. They are high in vitamin A, a Pitta pacifying substance that benefits the liver, blood and eyes. They are also high in vitamins C and E.