You are here: Home / Archives for 2011

Archives for 2011

Sep 28, 2011

Diet to balance pitta (bile)

September 28, 2011 By

The diet to balance pitta corresponds to the many of the so-called “balanced” diets out there, such as the Mediterranean or Indo-Mediterranean diet, that display a mostly balanced ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In Ayurveda this diet is good for people that have an average metabolism, neither very fast nor slow, providing a balanced source of energy. In particular, this diet is good for people that have a hot temperament, and tend to get warm easily. Some of the recommendations of this diet are contraindicated for people suffering from excessive coldness.

Pitta-reducing diet
A pitta-reducing diet is predominant in sweet, bitter and astringent flavors, expressing the qualities of cold, light and dry.  This includes a preference for foods such as:

• Soup stock made from vegetables, mushrooms as well as cooling herbs and spices (e.g. Garden Vegetable Soup, p. 150)
• Lean cuts of meat, prepared baked or grilled, e.g. poultry, fish, bison, elk, wild game (e.g. Herb Poached Wild Salmon, p. 166)
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, steamed or eaten raw
• Whole grains and legumes, prepared as soups and stews with cooling herbs and spices (e.g. Goji Quinoa Pilaf, p. 184)
• Raw milk, fresh yogurt, buttermilk (e.g. Khadi, p. 177)
• Fresh fruit, with minimal citrus and sour varieties
• Cooling fats and oils, such as coconut and ghee
• Cooling herbs and spices, e.g. coriander, fennel, turmeric, clove, mint, cumin, licorice
• Cane sugar (jaggery, gur) in limited amounts

How do you know if a pitta-balancing diet is right for you? One way to use the diet is to treat pitta-specific health issues, such as diarrhea, inflammation or bleeding problems, and another way is to use it to balance your constitution. What follows are the features of a pitta constitution, taken from my book Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food. Please also check out the pages on a vata-balancing and kapha-balancing diet to see if these diets are more suitable. Remember too, that you can be a combination of the doshas, and so the best might be a balanced combination of two or three different diets.

Pitta constitution
Pitta constitution is more sensitive to qualities such as heat, moistness, and lightness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as cold, dry and heavy.  Physically, pitta types have a strong metabolism, strong digestion, and a general tendency to mild inflammatory states.  The body is of average build, with a well-developed musculature and generally less fat than kapha but not skinny like vata.  The features are angular: thinner, sharper and longer, with a medium breadth.  The skin is often quite ruddy and there is a general tendency to excessive heat. Warm temperatures and hot climates are poorly tolerated.  There is a tendency to excessive bile production and gastrointestinal secretions (tikshnagni), loose bowel movements, and more frequent urination. Pitta types are more sensitive to sensory stimuli than kapha, especially light, heat and sound. They tend to be more physically active than the either vata or kapha types, with coordinated, quick and efficient movement, sometimes aggressive, and act with determination and purpose.

Filed Under: Ayurveda, Pitta Tagged With: , , ,
Sep 28, 2011

Diet to balance vata (wind)

September 28, 2011 By

The diet to balance vata is similar to the many of the high-fat diets out there, including the Atkins, Weston A. Price, ketogenic and Paleolithic diets. In Ayurveda a high-fat diet is used to help regulate a fast metabolism, to help put on weight and balance the nervous system. It is useful to nourish the body, enhance fertility and prevent aging. High fat diets are also useful to slow a strong appetite, and when eaten with lots of vegetation can be an effective weight loss strategy for some.

Here is a sample of a vata-balancing diet, taken from Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food, with reference to specific recipes in the book.

Vata-reducing diet

A vata-reducing diet is predominant in sweet, sour and salty flavors, expressing the qualities of hot, wet and heavy.  This includes foods such as:

• Soup stock made from bones, marrow and seaweed (e.g. Soup Stock p. 147)
• Nourishing, fatty meats prepared as soups and stews, e.g. pork, lamb, goat, mutton, fish, beef, bison (e.g. Five-Spice Bison Stew, p. 164)
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, eaten lightly stir-fried with warming herbs and spices (e.g. Spicy Saag, p. 154)
• Starchy vegetables, prepared with fat and moisture (e.g. Ginger-Tamari Winter Squash, p. 156)
• Whole grains and legumes, prepared as soups and stews with herbs and spices (e.g. Urad Mung Dhal, p. 180)
• Boiled milk, with herbs and spices (p. 173)
• Fermented foods, e.g. pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt (p. 158)
• Stewed fruits, prepared with spices and fat (p. 199)
• Nourishing oils and fats such as olive oil, sesame oil, butter, ghee
• Warming herbs and spices, e.g. ginger, cinnamon, garlic, fenugreek, basil, hing, cumin
• Salty foods, such as seaweed, sea salt and mineral salts

How do you know if a vata-balancing diet is right for you? One way to use the diet is to treat vata-specific health issues, such as aging, epilepsy or anxiety, and another way is to use it to balance your constitution. What follows are the features of a vata constitution, taken from my book Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food. Please also check out the pages on a pitta-balancing and kapha-balancing diet to see if these diets are more suitable. Remember too, that you can be a combination of the doshas, and so the best might be a balanced combination of two or three different diets.

Vata constitution
Vataconstitution is more sensitive to qualities such as dryness, coldness and lightness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as wet, hot and heavy.Physically, there is a general tendency to being underweight, with dry rough skin, small wiry muscles and irregular proportions.The bony prominences of the skeleton and the veins are easily observed due to a deficiency in the overlying muscular and fat layers.Vata types will usually display a strong aversion to cold, with irregular or poor peripheral circulation.A tendency to more or less constant movement, often confused or peripheral to the situation at hand, including twitching, tapping, bouncing, picking and shaking.The joints often pop and crack, and the muscles have a tendency to go into spasm.Vata is the most sensitive of the constitutional types to sensory stimuli, with poor powers of recuperation and endurance.Digestive powers are typically weak or erratic (vishamagni), with a general tendency to constipation.

Filed Under: Ayurveda, Vata
Sep 28, 2011

Diet to balance kapha (phlegm)

September 28, 2011 By

The diet to balance kapha corresponds to the many of the low-fat, mostly vegetarian diets out there including that recommended by Dr. Dean Ornish, as well as those who advocate for raw food veganism. This diet is proportionally rich in antioxidant and antinflammatory nutrients, and typically low in protein and fat. In Ayurveda this diet is suitable for people that have a sluggish metabolism, that tend to gain weight easily on a rich, nourishing diet. This diet is also an excellent choice to promote detoxification, by shifting energy balance in the body towards elimination. As per Ayurveda however, this diet is very cooling, and needs to be balanced with warming herbs and spices. This diet is also contraindication in children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and in immune deficiency.

Kapha-reducing diet

A kapha-reducing diet is predominant in bitter, pungent and astringent flavors, expressing the qualities of hot, light and dry. This includes a preference for foods such as:

• Soup stock made from spicy herbs such as garlic, ginger, onion and chili (e.g. Mulligatawny Soup, p. 149)
• Limited amounts of lean meats, prepared baked or grilled, e.g. poultry, fish, bison, elk, wild game (e.g. Goat Curry, p. 169)
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, steamed or stir-fried with only a little fat (e.g. Garlic-Basil Rapini, p. 156)
• Light and drying grains such as barley, buckwheat, millet and wild rice (e.g. Northwest Wild Rice Infusion, p. 185)
• Most legumes, prepared with warming herbs and spices (e.g. Urad Mung Dhal, p. 180)
• Sour and bitter fruits such as lemon and lime
• Fermented foods, made with bitter and pungent vegetables such as onion, daikon, radish, cabbage, tomato, peppers (p. 158)
• Warming herbs and spices, e.g. ginger, cardamom, cayenne, ajwain, black pepper, mustard
• Honey, in limited amounts

How do you know if a kapha-balancing diet is right for you? One way to use the diet is to treat kapha-specific health issues, such as cough, congestion, weight gain or autotoxicity (ama), and another way is to use it to balance your constitution. What follows are the features of a kapha constitution, taken from my book Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food. Please also check out the pages on a pitta-balancing and vata-balancing diet to see if these diets are more suitable. Remember too, that you can be a combination of the doshas, and so the best might be a balanced combination of two or three different diets.

Kapha constitution
Kapha constitution is more sensitive to qualities such as heaviness, cold, and moistness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as light, hot, and dry.  Physically, kapha types have a general tendency to weight gain, with a heavy, thick build.  The shoulders are broad and the torso, legs and arms are thick and large; in women the hips are broad and breasts are full.  The musculature is well-developed but usually hidden by a layer of fat, hiding any angularities of the skeleton.  The feet are large and thick.  Facial features are broad and full, and generally well proportioned. The skin is soft and smooth, and the hair is generally smooth, thick and greasy.  The orifices (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, rectum, urethra, vagina) are moist and well-lubricated.  There is a tendency to lethargy or inactivity, although once motivated the energy released can be very powerful, with great endurance and a steady pace. A kapha type might suffer from a slow and weak digestion (mandagni), as well as minor congestive conditions, such as respiratory and gastrointestinal catarrh.  They may display a mild aversion to cold and prefer warmer climates, but if they are physically active they can withstand even very cold weather quite easily.

Filed Under: Ayurveda, Kapha Tagged With: , , , ,