Monday, December 15, 2008

Food Plan to Balance Pitta Dosha

Taste preferences - sweet, bitter and astringent Pungent foods should be to the bare minimum. Ayurveda suggests the intake of bitter and astringent foods during both summer and winter to promote Vata in summer and Kapha in winter. You could feast on sweets all year round.
You should avoid oily foods. Ayurveda recommends a reduced intake of oils and fats, as these promote the fire in your prakriti. Clarified butter is a better option. Among dairy products, yogurt is good for you. Milk, cheese, and cottage cheese can be used moderately. Indulge in all kinds of frozen desserts.
Considering the fire element domination in the Pitta , Ayurveda advises you to cultivate a handful of simple habits.Favor Cool or warm but not steaming hot foods. As far as practical use less butter and added fat. Consume food with moderately heavy textures.Since Pitta promotes strong efficient digestion, you can generally eat just about everything. Take 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.
Avoid pickles, sour 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.
Breakfast: Cold cereals, cinnamon toast, and apple tea is a good breakfast for Pitta. Avoid coffee, orange juice and doughnuts - they aggravate pitta. The 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.
Avoid 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.
Avoid 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.
To 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).
Spices: black pepper, coriander, and cardamom.
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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