FOODS FOR VATA

If it is appropriate for you to follow a vata diet, use these pages to discover the foods to choose and the foods to avoid.

Balancing vata

The pie chart (see below) shows the proportions of different foods to eat for a vata diet as part of your daily meals. Specific ingredients that are ideal for pacifying vata are given around the outside of the chart.

FOODS TO REDUCE OR AVOID

Soothe vata by reducing or avoiding:

• Grains: millet, brown rice, any whole grains, corn, barley, buckwheat, oat bran, cold cereals, puffed cereals, crackers, cereal flakes, rice flakes, puffed rice or corn cakes, popcorn

• Vegetables: all types of cabbage: kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower

• Legumes: chickpeas, aduki beans, white beans, black beans

• Dairy products: sheep’s milk cheese, buffalo mozzarella

• Nuts and seeds: bitter almonds

• Spices and herbs: chile flakes, cayenne pepper

• Drinks: cold or caffeinated beverages: coffee, black tea, green tea, and fruit or vegetable juice in cold weather

• Fruit: astringent fruit: pears, unripe bananas

*Foods that are marked with an asterisk will pacify the vata dosha if taken in small amounts—consume in moderation.

Additional items

Add flavor to your meals with spices, herbs, sweeteners, and salt. Fresh fruit should be eaten outside of meal times. Take drinks before or during your meal, not immediately after (wait 1 hour).

SPICES AND HERBS

These include: aniseed, basil, dill, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, bay leaves, cloves, sage, marjoram, rosemary.

SALT

The salty taste pacifies vata. Opt for local or Himalayan rock salt (rose-colored or white).

SWEETENERS

Small quantities of: raw cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, molasses, honey*.

FRUIT

Sweet and/or sour fruit, for example: grapes, pineapple, apples, avocados, fresh dates, strawberries, figs, oranges, kiwis, limes.

DRINKS

Juices: apple, berry, mango, orange. Lemon juice with rock salt. Teas: fennel, chamomile, lemon balm.