Diets for vata pitta and kapha

 SPARK VASI YOGA ALCHEMY 🔱 🧘‍♀️ 

Vata Dosha

Vata governs all movement in the mind and body. It controls the flow of blood, the elimination of waste 

products, the act of breathing and the movement of thoughts in the mind. It is considered the leader of the 

three doshas (energies or energetic principles in the body) as Pitta and Kapha cannot move or exist 

without it. It is therefore imperative that Vata is brought back into balance whenever it is disturbed.

You need to balance the movement of Vata if many of the following conditions are present:

• Your skin or hair is dry, rough and thin.

• You feel cold easily or have poor circulation with cold hands and feet.

• You are chronically underweight and find it difficult to gain weight.

• Your mind is constantly anxious, restless and agitated and you are prone to worry and fear.

• You experience constipation or have frequent flatulence.

• You suffer from insomnia or have unsettled sleep and disturbing dreams.

• You suffer from vaginal dryness or menstrual cramps and PMT.

• You have spells of forgetfulness and absent mindedness.

• You experience discomfort or stiffness in the joints or lower back pain.

• You easily become fatigued and have poor endurance.

•

Tips for balancing Vata:

• Follow a Vata balancing diet favouring cooked foods rather than raw foods and salads.

• Go to bed early bedtime and have lots of rest.

• Diffuse calming and grounding aromatic oils or incense into your home and office. Orange, 

geranium, lavender, basil, spruce & fir are excellent in this regard.

• Maintain a regular daily routine by integrating the ‘Daily Routine’ (see later section).

• Give yourself an Abhyanga massage using warm sesame oil each morning. 

• Ensure you have regular, daily elimination. Triphala herbal formula helps in this regard.

• Stay warm, especially in cold, windy weather.

• Take gentle walks in the countryside to calm and balance the mind.

• Wear calm, soothing colours such as pastels, green or brown.

• Do not overexert and rest whenever the body becomes tired or over stimulated

• Relax often by practicing meditation, pranayama, Yoga or Tai Chi.

• Chant ‘Ram’ (pronounced ‘rarm’) 108 times each day.

• Read light, humorous, feel-good novels and turn the television off one hour before bed.

• Take up walking, fishing, bird-watching or gardening for general relaxation.

• Take up writing, drawing, painting or acting to balance your creative energies.

• Avoid excessive talking and try to have a day of silence each week.

• Wrap up warm and keep dry in the winter - cover your head on cold, windy days.

• Avoid loud, noisy environments

• Rest for short periods throughout the day

• Avoid excessive use of VDU displays.

The Vata balancing diet

• Favour warm, hearty, nourishing foods with added butter/oil – favour salty, sour and sweet tastes.

• Try and reduce light, dry, cold foods and pungent, bitter and astringent tastes

• Hot, milky, creamy cereals (wheat, oatmeal or rice), soups and stews are all very good for pacifying Vata.

• All dairy products are good (ideally organic and unpasturised) – milk should always be boiled first.

• Oils are good but favour ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, Udo’s oil, flax/pumpkin oil and sesame oil.

• Reduce your intake of light, dry, cold foods such as crackers, nuts, seeds and salads.

• Take nuts and seeds in small quantities only – they are best freshly ground with oil added.

• Reduce the intake of all bean products except tofu, mung beans, mung dhal and red lentils.

• The best grains are rice and wheat but you can take barley, corn, millet, buckwheat, rye and oats in moderation.

• Favour stewed and well ripened, sweet or sour fruits but reduce the intake of dry or light fruits such as apples, pears, 

pomegranates, cranberries, and dried fruits (if uncooked). Dried fruits are good if they are cooked after soaking 

overnight.

• Sweeteners are good (in moderation), especially jaggary, honey, maple syrup and algarve. 

• Vegetables should be cooked and not raw. Peas, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, 

zucchini and potatoes are acceptable in moderate quantities if they are cooked, especially with Ghee or oil 

and Vata reducing spices but it is best to avoid sprouts and cabbage. 

• Hot, nourishing desserts such as apple pie help pacify Vata.

• Eat a substantial breakfast to help improve energy levels throughout the day.

• Herbal teas (camomile, fennel, basil) with a few digestive biscuits are good for Vata energy slumps.

• Avoid stimulants such as coffee and alcohol.

• Sip hot water throughout the day to flush out impurities and balance Vata.

• Warm milk flavoured with ghee, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg is excellent before bed.

Pitta Dosha

Pitta dosha is made up of the elements of fire and water through which it manifests the qualities of pungent, hot, 

penetrating, oily, sharp, liquid, spreading and sour. Its primary function is transformation and is the force of 

metabolic activity in the body associated with the endocrine function, digestion, body temperature, visual 

perception, hunger, thirst, and skin quality. In Western terms we can categorise the activities of pitta in terms of 

amino acids, enzymes, bile, hydrochloric acid and hormones. This explains the seemingly contradictory 

combination of fire and water to form pitta. Pitta exists as water or oil in the body, thus preserving the tissues 

from the destructive aspect of fire. It resides in the eyes, blood, sweat glands and lymph but its primary site is in 

the small intestine. Mentally it plays a role in understanding, in digesting sensory impressions.

You need to balance the heat of pitta if many of the following conditions are present:

• Your skin is overly oily and prone to acne.

• You are prone to rashes, fevers or inflammatory skin conditions

• You have excessive hunger or thirst.

• You sweat profusely and have overly hot hands and feet.

• You suffer from infections, access acidity, ulcers and heart problems.

• You are overly aggressive and prone to anger and frustration.

• You experience lose or hot, watery stools and diarrhoea-type elimination.

• You tend to be overly critical, domineering, obsessive or controlling in nature.

• You experience frequent eyestrain or tension headaches.

• You are going prematurely grey or balding.

Tips for balancing Pitta:

• Follow a Pitta balancing diet and avoid overly hot, spicy or sour foods.

• Avoid very heating substances such as red meat, alcohol and tobacco.

• Avoid excessive fasting and try to eat when you are hungry. Don’t skip meals; especially lunch.

• Exercise moderately (short runs or swims) and only when the weather or climate is cool.

• Walk regularly in nature; especially by the sea. Walking in the moonlight is also very beneficial.

• Especially avoid prolonged exercise in very hot climates or environments.

• Keep your head and skin protected and refrain from sunbathing when the sun is hot.

• Reduce your exposure to hot environments such as saunas and steam rooms.

• Cultivate peaceful emotions and spend more time with people who love and fully accept you.

• Avoid and angry or stressed people and try not to argue – aim to agree more often!

• Take the time to be sweet and sociable and find the time to chat, laugh and play.

• Practice moderation and find time for enjoying leisure activities and appreciating natural beauty.

• Avoid overly competitive sports, deadlines and confrontation in general.

• Practice meditation, cooling forms of pranayama and gentle yoga postures.

• Avoid watching too much television and excessive use of computers.

• Massage the head with coconut oil at night.

• Wear cooling colours – blue, purple, green and avoid wearing red colours.

• Drink pomegranate juice or eat pomegranate seeds. Its astringent and bitter quality helps balance pitta, 

cleanses the liver and blood and works as an excellent heart tonic.

• Drink 30mls of Aloe Vera each morning.

The Pitta balancing diet

• Generally favour warm or cool and refreshing foods with the tastes of sweet, bitter and astringent such 

as; asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, cucumber, raita, mung dhal, summer squashes, courgettes, cilantro, 

coconut, cucumber, lime and green salads.

• Avoid very oily, salty, sour, fermented or pungent foods and spices such as chillies, alcohol, pickles, 

vinegar, hard or pungent cheeses, citrus fruits, sour cream, yoghurt, tomatoes, garlic, onions and chillies 

as they will aggravate the acid and pitta in the intestines and blood.

• Enjoy sweet, juicy seasonal fruits such as peaches, figs and berries.

• Avoid red meat and favour chicken or fish.

• Most vegetables, beans and lentils are good unless they are cooked with too much oil.

• Favour wheat, basmati rice, oats and barley and take corn, millet and rye in moderation.

• Drink cooling herbal teas such as peppermint, spearmint, rose, coriander or liquorice.

• Ghee is cooling and can be used for cooking and spreading on toast. Coconut oil can also be used for 

cooking whilst Udo’s oil, flax oil or pumpkin oil can be used for salad dressings.

• A nourishing breakfast to balance pitta could include cereal, toast and apple juice.

• Japanese and Chinese type foods and salads are generally good for pitta digestion.

• Always avoid over-eating, especially in the evening.

Kapha Dosha

Kapha governs all structure and lubrication or fluid balance in the mind and body. It controls weight, growth, 

lubrication for the joints and lungs, and formation of all the seven tissues (lymph, blood, fat, muscles, bones, 

bone marrow or nervous tissue and reproductive tissues).

You need to balance the heat of Kapha if many of the following conditions are present:

• You gain weight easily and find it very hard to lose weight.

• You tend to be overweight.

• You often feel dull, bored and lethargic.

• You lack energy and feel lazy or complacent.

• You experience sinus problems

• You have frequent and prolonged chest colds and flu.

• You suffer from congestive problems

• You suffer from asthma or bronchitis.

• You need lots of rest and sleep long hours.

• You wake up feeling heavy and un-refreshed.

• You find that you are possessive, greedy and over-attached.

• You feel discomfort in cold, damp weather.

• You experience bloating or water retention.

• Your digestion is slow and heavy even when you have only eaten a small meal.

• Your joints and muscles feel stiff and heavy, especially in the morning.

Tips for balancing Kapha:

• Follow a Kapha balancing diet with plenty of spices and pungent, bitter and astringent tastes.

• Skip breakfast if you don’t feel hungry.

• Partake in some vigorous exercise each day – running, cycling, tennis, squash or rugby.

• Stay warm in cold, damp weather. 

• Be early to bed and early to rise.

• Take time to enjoy warm showers.

• Have a vigorous, dry massage each morning.

• Wear bright colours – orange, yellow, red.

• Decorate you house in warm, bright, vibrant colours.

• Enjoy the sun and spend more time outdoors.

• Partake in exciting activities or adventure holidays.

• Take time out to have fun and meet new people.

• Seek out variety, embrace new experiences and take up a hobby.

• Use stimulating essential oils and incense with warming aromas such as pine, eucalyptus, clove, orange, 

basil & sage.

The Kapha balancing diet

• Favour warm to hot foods that are light and dry in quality. They should be cooked with minimal fat and 

water and be predominantly pungent, bitter and astringent in taste.

• Spicy Indian or Mexican food is good for Kapha as long as not too much oil is used in cooking.

• Avoid heavy, oily and cold foods and foods that have predominantly sweet, sour and salty tastes. 

• Drink 1 litre of hot water with lemon and/or ginger daily. Have barley tea or post-digestive tea after main 

meals to cleanse the tissues, improve digestion, give energy and reduce hunger.

• Favour baked, grilled or sautéed food in preference to boiled, deep-fried or steamed food.

• Occasional have small side salads and raw foods to help tone the digestive tract.

• Avoid fried foods and cold cereals at breakfast – stewed fruit or toast with honey is much better.

• Favour barley, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, corn, millet and rye and limit oats, rice and wheat. Dry 

roasting grains in ghee before cooking helps make them lighter on the digestion.

• Increase your intake of vegetables but exclude mashed potatoes, turnips and parsnips.

• Lighter fruits, such as apples and pears are better for Kapha. Reduce heavy or sour fruits, such as oranges, 

bananas, pineapples, figs, dates, avocados, coconuts and melons.

• Honey is excellent for reducing Kapha but generally reduce other sugar products.

• Spices are all fine but reduce salt as it helps retain water and increases Kapha. 

• Limit your intake of milk, butter, ice-cream, biscuits, cakes, chocolate, deep-fried food, white sugar, 

aspartame, tinned beans, fizzy drinks, yeasted bread, confectionary, sweet fruits, red meat, potatoes, hard 

or aged cheeses, salt and alcohol.

• Avoid low-fat products as these are highly processed and usually high in sugar.

• Have rice cakes, rye bread, chapattis and corn bread rather then yeast-risen bread.

• Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts are good but they should be lightly roasted and then 

ground before eating.

• Most beans are good as long as they are well cooked.