VATA
Naturally cold, dry, rough and mobile Vata needs food which has the opposite qualities.
They need warm, moist, dense and oily food.
Through food they can change their negative qualities which are dry skin, bloating, gas, indigestion, anxiety, insomnia and others.
Fruits
Choose sweet and nourishing food. Avoid overly bitter and astringent fruits such as cranberries. Same goes for dry fruit, it has to be completely avoided.
Apples can be eaten cooked, bananas have to be well ripe, watermelon during hot weather only. All the fruit should be eaten 30 minutes before meals as it helps its digestion.
Vegetables
All the vegetables have to be cooked as they are easier to digest. Raw vegetables should be avoided or eaten in moderation when the digestive system works well and is at its peak (lunch time). Root vegetables are very good for Vata.
Grains
Grains in general are well tolerated by Vatas as they are grounding, nourishing and easy to digest. They have to be eaten warm and barley should be on the bottom of the list as it is a rather cooling kind of grain.
Legumes
Legumes are easier to digest than meat, but in Vatas in weaker digestive system they could wreck some gassy havoc. If cooked they have to be well done and with the use of spices such as cumin as it helps assimilation.
Dairy
Choose ghee, goat’s milk, goat’s cheese and goat’s yogurt, kefir and unsweetened-regular yogurt. Avoid frozen yogurt, ice cream, and non-organic dairy products.
Nuts and seeds
Any raw and unsalted nut is great for Vata as they have all the characteristics they need. Soaked almonds are the best for them.
Avoid salted and roasted nuts.
Animal products
Favor meat that is moist, sweet and easy to digest.
Chicken. Beef, eggs and fish are great.
Avoid venison, lamb and pork.
Oils
Oils are very good and pacifying for Vatas. The best choice is almond oil, EVO, Coconut oil, mustard oil and sesame oil.
Avoid canola, corn, palm and peanut oil as they are too light and tend to be rather processed.
Spices
Spices are very good for Vatas, they only have to be careful about overly spicy food and use in moderation some spices such as:
Cayenne, chili powder, fenugreek, horseradish and neem.
PITTA
Pittas are hot, oily, sharp, and pungent. That means cool, juicy, sweet and dry food.
They need food to counterbalance their negative properties such as oily skin, heartburn, hyperacidity, impatience, overheating, ulcers and others.
Fruits
Pitta should favor sweet, juicy and astringent fruits. They should avoid sour and acidic fruits.
All the fruit should be eaten 30 minutes before meals as it helps its digestion.
Apples should be sweet and ripe, so should be bananas, berries, cherries, grapes, mangoes, oranges and so on.
Pittas do better without excessive sour fruits like grapefruit and lemon or the above-mentioned ones if they are not sweet.
Vegetables
Sweet, bitter and/or astringent vegetables are the best for Pittas. They do best with raw vegetables.
Pittas need to avoid vegetables which are pungent, heating and spicy or sharp such as garlic, chilies or onions. Also, nightshades are not recommended for them. Vegetables to reduce or avoid are:
Daikon, eggplant, leeks, mustard greens, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, raw onions, radishes and turnips.
Grains
These should be a staple in Pittas’ diet. Favor those which are cooling, drying and grounding. Avoid those which have heating properties and yeasted bread.
Therefore, Pittas should go for amaranth, barley, couscous, oats, quinoa, rice, spelt and wheat. They should avoid buckwheat, corn, millet, polenta, rye and yeasted breads.
Legumes
Legumes are fantastic for Pittas. They have to avoid the processed form. Choose black beans, chickpeas, lentils, mung daal, split peas, tempeh, tofu.
Dairy
Pittas should go for soft cheeses and avoid sour dairies.
Choose butter (unsalted), ghee, goat’s milk cheese and yogurt and organic yogurt (homemade, unsweetened).
Avoid frozen yogurt, salted butter, buttermilk, hard cheese, sour cream and store bought yogurt.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts are not ideal as they are oily. Seeds are good though s they are cooling.
Choose almonds if they are soaked overnight, chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
Animal products
Pittas do not do well with animal products. They should be very limited and restricted to chicken, eggs and fish (saltwater)
Oils
In moderate amounts. The best choice is EVO, Coconut oil, flaxseed oil and ghee.
Avoid canola, corn, soy and peanut oil as they are too processed.
Spices
Pittas love spicy food as it stimulates their internal fire, they should keep the level at bay as it throws them off balance. Eat in moderation. Avoid cloves, garlic and pepper.
KAPHA
Kaphas are dense, heavy, oily and sweet. They need more light stimulating, dry, bitter pungent and astringent food to balance their lethargy, weight gain, swelling, mucus build-up and slow metabolism.
Fruits
Kaphas should favor fruits which is light, and minimally sweet or sour. Fruits like apples, apricots, berries, cherries, cranberries, lemons, limes, pears and pomegranates. They should avoid avocados, bananas, coconut meat, dates and mangoes.
Vegetables
Vegetables should be the center of Kaphas’ diet. Thy should avoid vegetables which are oily, heavy, dense or watery such as stews, mashed potatoes, tempuras and stir-fries. Their digestive system is weak so it’s better if they go for lightly cooked dishes such as steamed or roasted vegetables. They are better off avoiding raw food. Kaphas should avoid olives, pumpkin, potatoes, and squashes.
Grains
Kaphas should mind their grains portions. Stay away from pastas, breads and pastries.
Legumes
Legumes are fantastic for Kaphas as they are astringent. Cooked with cumin will make them more digestible. They should avoid miso, kidney beans, soy beans, soy cheese, soy sauce and tofu.
Dairy
Kapha should avoid dairy completely.
Nuts and seeds
Better avoided, they can choose soaked almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Animal products
Kapha should limit the intake of animal products as they tend to be particularly heavy for them. Chicken ,eggs and freshwater fish could be an exception as long as taken moderately.
Oils
In moderate amounts as Kaphas are oily in nature. The best choice is EVO, Almond oil, flaxseed oil and ghee.
Avoid processed heavy oils.
Spices
Spices are very good for Kaphas. They have real medicinal properties and Kapha should particularly enjoy ginger, cinnamon, coriander, chili powder, cayenne. They should try to limit the intake of salt as much as possible.
Chiara G. (Pitta) May 2018
