Ayurveda, India's science of life,.brings health to the body by balancing the subtle energies called doshas. There are three doshas; Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Everyone has all three of doshas in different proportions to one another. If one of your doshas gets out of balance, you can experience disharmony or sickness in your body. Ayurveda recommends different foods for bringing each specific dosha into balance.
What is Pitta?
The word Pitta comes from the Sanskrit word 'tapa', meaning 'to heat.' Pitta is the fire dosha. One of Pitta's responsibilities is maintaining metabolism and digestion. According to Dr. Vasant Lad, founder and president of The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Pitta regulates body heat through chemical transformation of food, leading to appetite, vitality, learning and understanding. When Pitta is out of balance, it can cause indigestion, heartburn, anger, hate and criticism to surface. To balance Pitta, you must eat foods that are cooling to counteract the fire.
Sweet Fruits and Vegetables
To pacifiy the Pitta Dosha, you will want to eat mostly sweet fruits. The sweet taste is cooling and moistening. Sweet fruits include tropical fruits such as mangoes and summer fruits such as melons. Try to avoid fruits that taste sour, such as grapefruit. Sweet and bitter tasting vegetables are beneficial for pitta, for example broccoli and cucumber. Avoid the pungent or spicy vegetables such as garlic and onions to keep Pitta in check.
Where's the Beef?
For Pitta to be balanced, incorporate the animal and dairy products in your diet. Most animal products are heavy and warm in nature, which can aggravate Pitta. Favorable animal products include buffalo, white meat poultry and freshwater fish. Try to avoid beef, dark meat poultry and saltwater fish. Most dairy products, including yogurt and ice cream, benefit Pitta since they are cooling. Some of the more pungent and salty dairy products such as hard cheeses and sour cream should be avoided.
Grains and Legumes
For Pitta to remain balanced, helpful grains are amaranth, barley, sprouted wheat and quinoa. Breads made with yeast should be avoided, as well as rye and corn-based bread products. Almost every legume, with the exception of miso, is a favorable food for Pitta dosha.
Cool Spices
People with a Pitta constitution have a medium build and weight, are intelligent, have good digestion and steady energy. According to the Chopra Center, people with a Pitta constitution should eat foods that are stabilizing, cooling, sweet, bitter and astringent; while avoiding foods that are pungent, sour and salty. This is especially important when it comes to seasoning. Many spices, including cayenne and chili peppers, are too warm for Pitta. Spices that are cooling and soothing include coriander and fennel seeds.
References
- "Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, 2nd edition"; Usha Lad and Dr. Vasant Lad; 1997; page20
- The Ayurvedic Institute: Food Guidelines, pdf.
- The Chopra Center: Pitta
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