SOUR FOOD
When something spoils or goes rotten, it becomes sour. Sour taste in Naturopathy generally refers to fermented foods as in, “the milk has gone sour”, or any other acidic food. Sour food includes curd, yogurt, wine, beer, miso, tauchu and pickles. Generally these sour foods are believed to weaken the blood. Thank heavens, nature provides us with healthy sour food as well which includes acidic fruit like citrus, gooseberries, bilimbi, star fruit and sub-acidic fruits like peaches, apples, mangoes etc.
Sour and Secretions
Sour pacifies vata. Sours are actually secretagogues. A secretagogue is a substance that causes another substance to be secreted. They dampen and stimulate a dry palate, stimulating secretions throughout the GI tract. Salivary secretions improve taste. Gastric secretions in the stomach improve digestion. Moistening the colon facilitates smoother, looser and easier bowel
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It triggers our desires, which are mostly sexual. These desires, most of time, cannot be fulfilled as our body does not cooperate with the mind. Our mind becomes slower than the body. When our desires aren 't fulfilled it could lead to disappointment ( 'sour grapes ') as in Aesop 's fable, "The Fox and the Grapes." Grapes are supposed to be sweet. We do not like eating grapes that have turned sour. In sour grapes, it means our heart dismisses or rejects that which is desired.
Sour Fruits
Sour fruits are more sentient than ferments. They refresh and cleanse the palate. Imagine a lemon sorbet between courses at a fine French restaurant. Basically a sour fruit intensifies the digestion heat but not the blood. There are two categories for sour fruits - acidic and mildly-acidic. Acidic fruits include citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges. Mildly-acidic fruits include peaches, mangoes, grapes and pears. Mild-acidic fruits are the most sentient of all sours.
Sour and Chinese