FOOD PREFERENCES
People naturally prefer foods which balance the excessive influence of their primary dosha. For example, kaphic people normally shun rich, oily, cold and sweet foods, as well as dairy products, because these foods augment the already excessive action of kapha in their bodies. Instead, they choose dry, porous and light foods, like puffed grains, crackers, toast and salads. Because dry foods have greater absorptive capacity, they reduce the abundance of moistening and cohesive secretions that are typical of the kaphic nature. Kaphic individuals like warm food and enjoy and benefit from spices and pungent condiments. Pungent foods and fasting counteract excessive kapha, and these people are usually comfortable missing a meal or fasting.
Contrast this with people having vata constitutions. These types enjoy foods that are rich in cream, oils, butter and ghee because these substances countetbalance vata’s drying effect. They naturally prefer food and drink that is hot, oily and nourishing, and have a spontaneous aversion for dry, toasted and porous foods which aggravate the already dry state of their bodies. Fasting does not suit vata people because it decreases their stamina. The constant movement that is typical of a vata constitution requires frequent replenishment of food and water in order to maintain its energy level.
Dominant pitta gives people a strong digestive agni, faster metabolism and more heat in their bodies. As a result, they like large meals and cool foods and drinks. If given a cup of hot tea or soup, they wait until it cools down before drinking it. Many pitta people have an aversion to alcoholic beverages, because the hot, pungent nature of alcohol aggravates pitta and can produce nausea, gastritis and ulcers.
People do not always choose foods that balance their dominant dosha. When a person’s system is grossly out of balance, they actually develop food and behavior preferences that exacerbate their condition. When vikruti covers over or distorts their inherent “knowingness” to such a degree, they become prone to food cravings and addictions.
Identifying The Doshic Predominance In Food
It is not always possible to carry around a list that tells us which foods will pacify or aggravate which doshas. It is much more practical to be able to identify foods based on their qualities, and to know how these qualities either augment or decrease our primary dosha. We should know that foods which increase vata exhibit cold, dry, rough, hard and light qualities. Foods which are hot, sharp, oily and light increase pitta, while those that are cold, heavy, liquid and unctuous elevate kapha.
For example, let’s compare the qualities of a banana and a watermelon. Both taste sweet, but significant differences cause us
to recognize the banana as kapha-promoimg and the watermelon as vata-enhancing. When we cut or crush a banana, water does not separate from its mass; the substance coheres and holds onto its water content. The banana has a heavy and unctuous character which reflects its kaphic nature. However, if we cut or crush a piece of watermelon, it immediately gives up its water content. It is primarily vata and not particularly substantial. One-quarter pound of banana will provide strength and nourishment to the body; the same amount of watermelon does not provide much nourishment. Instead, it has a diuretic effect; it dries the body and augments vata.
Dosha Augmenting Foods
Grains (Wheat, Rice, Millet) Fruit (Banana) Dairy Product – Increases Kapha Dosha
Spices (Cayenne, Pepper, Turmeric, Chilli) – Increases Pitta Dosha
Staple Foods Legumes – Increases Vata Dosha
As another example, we can compare grains and legumes. Wheat, rice, millet and similar grains remain in their hulls even when they are fully matured and dried. They have a heaviness and wetness or oiliness that does not allow moisture to separate from the solid particles. Their kaphic nature makes them nourishing, tissue-building and lubricating. By contrast, when legumes like beans and lentils mature, they dry out, crack open and fall out of their pods. Unlike grains, which are directly tissue-building, these twta-dominant beans and lentils provide energy and motility for the body.
Pittta-dominant, Pitta-augmenting food substances are brightly colored — red, yellow or greenish. They appear shiny and bright and are much lighter in weight than kaphic foods. They have a strongly spicy, sour or pungent flavor. Cayenne pepper, turmeric, ginger powder, chilies and tamarind provide common examples. When used in moderation, they improve metabolism, but when taken to excess, they create too much heat in the body.
Even these few illustrations show how it is possible to predict the effect that certain foods will have on the body. If a food retains its moisture content and resists disintegration, it is likely to increase kapha. If it is brightly colored, shiny, lightweight, spicy, pungent or salty, it probably increases pitta. If it easily loses water content, dries out and cracks open by itself, or is porous, hard and rough, it augments vata.
Treating Vikruti With Diet
Using these general guidelines, we can select foods that compensate for constitutional tendencies towards doshic excess. For instance, since vata is rough, dry, hard, light and cold, foods like crackers, with the same characteristics, only increase vata. We can counterbalance the qualities of vata with foods that are warm, moist, oily and heavy foods that are also generally sweet, sour and salty. Someone with vata vikruti should favor moist, lubricating, nutritive and tissue-building foods, which compensate for high vata. Vrfta-balancing foods include ghee, butter, dairy products, bananas, wheat, rice, barley and corn.
Pittas hot, sharp, oily and light properties can be counterbalanced with foods that display cool, dry and heavy qualities. These foods taste sweet, bitter and astringent. A pitta constitution should avoid sour, pungent or salty foods and does better with foods and drinks which are cooler, but not cold. These include milk, butter, ghee, most fruits, rice and barley.
Doshas Pacified by Tastes
Vata Dosha – Sweet, Sour, Salty
Pitta Dosha – Sweet, Bitter, Astringent
Kapha Dosha – Pungent, Bitter, Astringent
We can offset kapha-dominance by eating a smaller quantity of food and by eating foods which exhibit more vata. The cold, heavy, liquid and dull nature of kapha can be counterbalanced with foods that are hot, light, dry and sharp, or those that taste bitter, pungent and astringent. Foods that are dry and light and have pungent and astringent tastes counteract kapha’s tendency toward excess secretions and sluggishness by adding vata’s dryness and morility. Such foods include puffed wheat, rice and corn. The puffing process removes the liquid and creates lightness and dryness. Light, dry grains like rye, millet, amaranth, couscous and quinoa also offset surplus kapha.
As we become familiar with the essential characteristics of each dosha, we’ll gain an intuitive feeling for identifying which foods can correct our vikruti.
VIKRUTI PACIFYING DIETS
Each vikruti responds favorably to a particular diet. The items listed below constitute the most ideal foods to reduce the excessive influence of the corresponding dosha. The more closely you can follow the diet recommended for your vikruti, the more quickly your prakruti, or ideal constitutional balance, will become apparent. However, don’t strain on any diet. Gently favor the foods that are good for you, and eat less often the foods that fuel your vikruti. As vikruti disappears and more balance is established, it becomes easier to make life-supporting food choices; the innate ability to recognize beneficial foods — your “knowingness” — becomes more and more available to sattvic minds.
Vata Pacifying Food List
Grains – white and brown basmati rice, wheat, barley, amaranth, oats and quinoa
Legumes – mung beans, aduki beans, split yellow mung dal, red and yellow split pea and urad dal. All these should be cooked to a soft consistency
Fruits – sweet and sour tastes, like grapes, lemons, pears, bananas, sweet oranges, dates, figs, apples (preferably cooked), avocados, berries and a small amount of raisins
Vegetables – sweet vegetables, like zucchini, beets, cauliflower, leeks, carrots, asparagus, cilantro, fennel and a small amount of garlic, green beans, green chilies, okra, parsnips, pumpkins and radishes (preferably cooked)
Spices – Avoid using hot, pungent, drying spices. Use fresh spices like ginger root, cilantro, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, turmeric and asafoetida (hing)
Dairy – fresh, whole, unhomogenized milk, ghee and a small amount of butter
Nuts – a small amount of almonds, pecans and sesame seeds
Oils – ghee, sesame and olive in a smaller amount
Pitta Pacifying Food List
Grains – white and brown basmati rice, barley, oat bran, oats, wheat and wheat bran
Legumes – yellow mung dal, split red and yellow peas, a small amount of aduki beans and soy products. All these should be cooked to a soft consistency
Fruits – sweet fruits, such as apples, berries, coconuts, dates, figs, avocados, sweet melons, plums and pomegranates
Vegetables – asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, cooked onions, sweet potatoes, sprouts, squash and a small amount of okra and cauliflower
Spices – cooling spices, like licorice, cardamom, coriander seeds, cilantro, fennel seeds, fresh basil, dill, turmeric and a small amount of cumin and fresh ginger
Dairy – fresh ghee and fresh, whole unhomogenized milk
Nuts – sunflower seeds and almonds in moderate amounts
Oils – coconut, sunflower, canola and a small amount of sesame
Kapha Pacifying Food List
Grains – barley, buckwheat, couscous, millet, muesli, oats, oat bran and a small amount of wheat
Legumes – most beans, peas and dal. Avoid soy products
Fruits – apples, berries, cranberries, pomegranates, dried fruits and a small amount of strawberries
Vegetables – asparagus, beets, bitter melons, broccoli, beet greens, cabbage, garlic, green beans, fennel, carrot, kale, horseradish, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce, okra, cooked onions, spinach, sprouts, squash, turnip and a small amount of artichoke, burdock root and brussel sprouts
Spices -hot spices, like pepper, chilies, ginger, cinnamon, clove, fenugreek and bay leaves
Dairy – a very small amount of dairy; goat milk and ghee in moderation
Nuts – a small amount of almonds
Oils – a small amount of olive, corn and canola
Nutritional Guidelines for All Vikrutis
If you are having some difficulty in determining your vikruti and a diet to reduce it, the following diet restores balance to all constitutions and prevents ama from being formed. Whenever possible, eat organic foods. Base your diet on four food groups: grains, beans, vegetables and fruits:
Tridosha Balancing Food List
Grains – white and brown basmati rice, millet, quinoa, barley
Legumes – mung dal, yellow mung dal, red lentils, aduki
Fruits – cooked apple, pear, papaya, black raisins, banana, mango and oranges in moderation. Always eat fruit by itself
Vegetables – spinach, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy greens. Steam, boil, bake or stir-fry the vegetables
Salads – fresh, green salad with sesame oil and lemon juice dressing and spices of choice
Spices – fresh ginger root, turmeric, coriander seeds and leaves, cumin seeds, licorice, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, fresh basil, mustard seeds and hing (asafoetida)
Salts – in moderation mineral salts, black salt or rock salt
Sweeteners – in moderation uncooked honey, maple syrup, sucanat (dried sugarcane juice)
Nuts and Seeds – in moderation blanched almonds, unsweetened coconut, sesame and pumpkin seeds
Oils – ghee, sesame, olive, sunflower, flax seed, canola
Breads – unleavened, unfermented breads, wheat and corn tortillas and chappatis
Beverages – warm herbal teas or grain beverages, plenty of water (unrefrigerated)