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Ayurveda Home | Holistic-online.com Home | Yoga | Meditation | Stress

A Food Plan to Balance Pitta Dosha

These guidelines can be used for pitta mind-body constitutions, to maintain dosha balance and to restore balance if necessary regardless of the basic constitution. Pitta influences digestion and metabolism, body temperature, and biological transformations.

Favor
bulletCool or warm but not steaming hot foods
bulletBitter, sweet, and astringent tastes
bulletAs far as practical use less butter and added fat. Consume food with moderately heavy textures.
bulletSince Pittas have strong efficient digestion, they can generally eat just about everything. Most Pittas get into trouble by continued use of too much salt, overuse of sour and spicy food and overeating.
bulletTake cool, refreshing food in summer. Reduce the consumption of salt, oil, and spices, all of which are "heating" to the body. Salads are good, so is milk and ice cream.
bulletAvoid pickles, yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. Avoid vinegar in salad dressing; use lemon juice instead. Alcoholic and fermented foods should be avoided. Their sour Rasa aggravates Pitta. Coffee is also pitta aggravating due to the acid in coffee. Herb tea is good. Prefer mint, licorice root or other pitta pacifying tea.
bulletBreakfast: Cold cereals, cinnamon toast, and apple tea is a good breakfast for Pitta. Avoid coffee, orange juice and doughnuts - they aggravate pitta.
bulletThe vegetarian foods are the best for pitta. Consuming red meat tend to heat the body from the fat. Consume abundant amounts of milk, grains and vegetables.
bulletAvoid oily, hot, salty, and heavy foods such as fried food. Instead consume starchy foods such as vegetables, grains and beans. Avoid the tendency to overeat under stress.
bulletAvoid processed and fast foods as they tend to be heavy on salt and sour tastes. Japanese and Chinese food are good choices. Avoid highly spicy food such as is found in Mexican restaurants.
bulletTo bring down aggravated Pitta, take two teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk. (Avoid taking the ghee if you have problem with high cholesterol).

Summary

Avoid egg yolks, nuts, hot spices, honey, and hot drinks. Cool foods and drinks are better. Add sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes. Reduce use of sour tastes. Spices: black pepper, coriander, and cardamom.

Food Classified By Group

Vegetables | Fruits | Grains | Dairy | Meat | Beans | Oils | Sweeteners | Nuts and Seeds | Herbs and Spices

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Vegetables
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Sweet and bitter vegetables:
Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Green beans
Green (sweet) peppers
Leafy green vegetables
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Zucchini
Beets
Carrots
Eggplant
Garlic
Hot peppers
Onions
Radishes
Spinach
Tomatoes
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Fruits
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Sweet Fruits:
Apples
Avocados
Cherries
Coconut
Figs
Dark grapes
Mangoes
Melons
Oranges
Pears
Pineapples
Plums
Prunes
Raisins

Note: Fruits should be sweet and ripe.

Apricots
Bananas
Berries
Cherries (sour)
Cranberries
Grapefruit
Papayas
Peaches
Persimmons

Avoid fruits that come to market sour or unripe. Also avoid fruits such as green grapes, oranges, pineapple and plum unless they are sweet and ripe.

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Grains
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Barley
Oats
Wheat
White rice (prefer basmati rice)
Brown rice
Corn
Millet
Rye
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Dairy
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Butter
Egg whites
Ghee (clarified butter )- unless you are watching cholesterol
Ice cream
Milk
Buttermilk
Cheese
Egg yolks
Sour cream
Yogurt
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Meat
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Chicken
Shrimp
Turkey
(All in small amounts)
Red meat and sea food in general
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Beans
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Chickpeas
Mung beans
Tofu and other soybean products
Lentils
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Oils
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Coconut
Olive
Soy
Sunflower
Almond
Corn
Safflower
Sesame
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Nuts and Seeds
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Coconut
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
All, except as noted
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Sweeteners
Favor Reduce or Avoid
All are acceptable except honey and molasses Honey and
Molasses
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Herbs and Spices
Favor Reduce or Avoid
Spices are generally avoided as too heating. In small amounts, the following sweet and astringent spices are OK

Cardamom
Cilantro(green coriander)
Cinnamon
Coriander seed
Dill
Fennel
Mint
Saffron
Turmeric

Plus small amounts of cumin and black pepper

All pungent herbs and spices, except as noted. Take only the minimal amounts of the following:

Barbecue sauce
Catsup
Mustard
Pickles
Salt
Sour salad dressings
Spicy condiments
Vinegar

If your basic constitution is mixed (pitta-vata or pitta-kapha), to maintain balance, include smaller portions for the second dosha.

Pitta dosha is aggravated and increased during summer. During hot, dry seasons, all mind-body types can choose some of the above foods and decrease others.

Mental and emotional peace and constructive lifestyle routines are important to restoring and maintaining balance.

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