What's Your Dosha?
Ayurvedic Dietary Guidelines
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS: Food should be fresh, organic, preservative free and unrefined. For better health, reduce white sugar, artificial sweeteners, gluten, GMOs, caffeine, alcohol, food in plastic jars, and refined/hydrogenated vegetable oils.
DIET FOR PITTA HEAT: Avoid all hot, spicy, pungent foods and tastes. Use foods which are cooling and moistening in their effect. This is achieved through salty tasting preparations. Sea salt is the preferred choice; avoid table salt in the form of sodium chloride. The sweet taste may also be used. The bitter and astringent tastes are not as useful. Eat more cooling, nourishing foods like asparagus, barley, cucumber, sweet potato, coconut, etc. Use more cooling fruits, fresh juices and salads. You must also take in enough water.
DIET FOR VATA/KAPHA COLDNESS: Avoid too much raw food, or large meals which tax the digestive fire. Avoid salty taste and sodium rich foods. Instead, favor hot, spicy, pungent foods and taste, such as onion, garlic, radish, oatmeal, and chili peppers. Spice your foods liberally and make sure the food is well cooked. Avoid dairy in all its forms, including butter, cheese and yogurt. Reduce the salty and sour tastes. You should only drink water when thirsty. Hot water is preferred, especially sipped at meals. Avoid iced drinks and anything cold.
DIET FOR VATA/PITTA LIGHTNESS: Avoid foods which are light in nature, like popcorn, millet, leafy greens or dry, crunchy foods. Use reasonable quantities of heavy, nourishing, naturally sweet foods such as sweet potato, nuts, seeds, carrots, winter squashes, etc. Smaller meals should be taken more often. Sour and salty taste can be used in moderation. Too much oil stresses the gallbladder and must be avoided. Reduce the bitter and astringent tastes.
DIET FOR KAPHA HEAVINESS: Avoid all concentrated sweet tasting foods and substitute bitter ones, such as dandelion greens, leafy greens, quinoa, etc. Avoid large, heavy meals or foods which are too rich. Leafy greens are preferred over root vegetables. Light grains like millet, corn, and rye are better than the heavier wheat, rice, and oatmeal. Reduce the sweet, sour and salty tastes and use more bitter, pungent and astringent tastes. Fasting from solid foods one day a week is recommended as a therapy. Lighten up your diet!
DIET FOR VATA DRYNESS: Reduce dry and astringent foods like popcorn, dry crackers, chips, beans, and rough leafy greens. Use the sour taste, which increases oleation in the body: pickles, vinegar, sour fruits, sauerkraut, yogurt, buttermilk, etc. Use lemon and lime in moderation, as they are also astringent. Introduce liberal amounts of oil into the preparation of your food. You can take a tablespoon of oil [sesame, olive, flax, almond, etc.] on an empty stomach in the morning. Low-fat diets are not for you!
DIET FOR PITTA/KAPHA OILINESS: Avoid all oily, greasy, fried foods and the sour taste as much as possible. Instead, take foods with the astringent taste like legumes, dry leafy green vegetables, pomegranate juice, green tea, kukicha tea, dry toast, crackers, honey and dry fruit. Refrain from heavy sauces, dressings, and foods that contain excess liquid. Excess oil is a poison for you.
DIET FOR MIXED (VPK): Follow a diet according to the seasons since you have an equal amount of doshic imbalance in each category. Do this until you start to feel better, then contact Karyn for the next steps. Spring: Pitta/Kapha Oilness. Summer: Pitta/Heat. Fall: Vata/Dryness. Winter: Kapha/Heaviness