Balancing Pitta Diet
Balancing Pitta Diet
Balancing Pitta Diet
Dietary recommendations:
The following guidelines are to be utilized as a general indication of a proper diet according to your
specific doshic balance. These guidelines may be adjusted to suit your individual needs as determined
during your initial consultation. Other factors are seasonal, food allergies, and specific doshic imbalances
that must be corrected by diet.
Include a few dry foods in your daily diet to balance the liquid nature of Pitta, some heavy foods that
offer substance and sustained nourishment, and foods that are cool to balance the fiery quality Pitta. So
what exactly does this mean in terms of foods you should choose and foods that you should stay away
from? Here are some specific dietary tips:
1) If you need to balance Pitta, choose Ghee, in moderate quantities, as your cooking medium, (1/4
teaspoon per dish, per person). Ghee, according to the ancient Ayurvedic texts, is cooling for both the
mind and body. Ghee can be heated to moderately high temperatures without effecting it nourishing,
healing qualities, (dont let the Ghee burn or smoke), so use ghee to saute vegetables, spices or other
foods. You can even season dishes like soups with 1/4 teaspoon of Ghee while serving.
2) Cooling foods are wonderful for balancing Pitta dosha. Sweet, juicy fruits, especially pears, can cool a
fiery Pitta quickly. Milk, sweet rice pudding, coconut, and coconut juice, and milkshakes made with ripe
mangoes and almonds or dates are examples of soothing Pitta-pacifying foods.
3) The three ayurvedic tastes that help balance Pitta are sweet, bitter and astringent, so include more of
these tastes in your daily diet. Milk, fully ripe, sweet fruits, and soaked and blanched almonds make good
snack choices. Eat less of the salty, pungent and sour tastes.
4) Dry cereal, crackers, granola and cereal bars, and rice cakes balance the liquid nature of Pitta dosha,
and can be eaten any time hunger pangs strike during the day.
5) Carrots, asparagus, bitter leafy greens, fennel, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower,
and brussels sprouts, green beans and bitter gourd (in very small quantities) are good vegetable choices.
They become more digestible when chopped and cooked with Pitta-satisfying spices. Vegetables can be
combined with grains or mung beans for satisfying one-dish meals. Avoid nightshades, or use very
sparingly. (Nightshades are tomato, white potato, eggplant and bell pepper).
6) Basmati rice is excellent for balancing Pitta. Wheat is also good- fresh flatbreads made with whole
wheat flour (called atta or chapatti flour and available at Indian grocery stores) combine well with cooked
vegetables or Pitta-balancing chutneys such as coriander or mint, (green), chutney. Oats and amaranth
are other Pitta-balancing grains.
7) Choose spices that are not too heating or pungent. Ayurvedic spices such as small quantities of
tumeric (1/8th teaspoon), cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and fennel offer flavor, aroma and
healing wisdom.
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8) Drink sweet lassi (home made yoghurt drink: blend 1 part yoghurt to 2 parts cool water, and sweeten
with maple syrup or raw sugar), with lunch to help enhance digestion and cool, not ice-cold water to
quench thirst.
Grains:
Granola
Oats (Cooked)
Pancakes
Pasta
Quinoa (Cooked)
Rice Cake
Spelt
Sprouted Wheat
Tapioca (Sago)
Wheat
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Vegetables:
(Steamed or boiled- not
fried)
Okra
Green Beans
Jicama
Olives (black)
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Potatoes (Sweet)
Pumpkin
Rutabaga
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Scallopini Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Sprouts
Zucchini
Wheat Grass
Pear
Pineapple (Sweet)
Plums (Sweet)
Pomegranates
Quince (Sweet)
Prunes
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Raisins
Watermelon
Kidney Beans
Aduki Beans
Black Lentil
Pinto Beans
Soy Beans
Split Peas
Navy Beans
Temphe
Tofu
White Beans
Green Peas
Dairy
Cows Milk (2% or 1% is best) Hard Cheeses Yoghurt (Frozen or with fruit)
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Ghee
Buffalo Lamb
Pork
Salmon
Sardine
Tuna fish
Shell fish
Duck
Condiments
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Carob Vinegar
Lime Pickle
Horseradish
Chocolate
Pickles
Nuts
Cashews
Hazelnut
Peanut
Pistachio
Seeds
Psyllium Tahini
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower
Oils
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Canola Oil
Soy Oil
Olive Oil
Primrose Oil
Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
Beverages
Cherry Juice (Sweet) Alcohol (Beer, Dry White Wine) Grapefruit Juice
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Rice Milk
Herbal Teas
Dandelion Osha
Hibiscus Sage
Hops Sassafrass
Jasmine
Kukicha
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Lemon Grass
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Licorice
Lotus
Nettle
Oat Straw
Passion Flour
Peppermint
Raspberry
Red Clover
Rose Flowers
Saffron
Sarsaparilla
Spearmint
Strawberry
Violet
Winter Green
Spices
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Foods to Favor Foods to have in Moderation Foods to Avoid
Sage
Savory Mint
Sweeteners
Date Sugar
Food Supplements
Brewers Yeast
Spirulina
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