Our diet directly affects our body while affecting the mind indirectly. If diet is taken according to the body constitution, and keeping in mind the doshas, it can help maintain health. These five elements combine together to form doshas. Doshas are components of our body which determine the healthy and unhealthy condition of the body. There are three doshas in our body.
Pita governs all biochemical changes in our body.
Kapha forms the body structure. A dosha is aggravated or depressed by type of food, weather and lifestyle of an individual. Doshas aggravate when the diet, weather and lifestyle contain same basic element of nature as the doshas contain. Ayurveda describes six basic tastes. These tastes are derived from the five basic elements that have direct effect on doshas in our body.