According to Ayurveda, an ancient system of holistic health care, all individuals have a unique combination of elements and characteristics that make up their constitutional type. Determining your ideal Ayurvedic diet for optimum health requires identifying your dominant energy type or types, and choosing foods and herbs that are compatible with those types.
About Ayurveda
Ayurvedic medicine maintains that each person possesses three energy types, known as doshas, which govern all bodily functions. When your doshas are balanced, you are healthy. Excess or deficiency of any dosha can result in disease or psychological problems. Ayurveda uses herbal remedies, lifestyle recommendations and individualized diet plans to keep the doshas balanced.
Doshas and Dual Typing
In his article "Running Hot & Cold," yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner Gary Gran explains that each person posses the elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth in varying degrees. These elements are divided into three different combinations to form the doshas. Ether and air make up the vata dosha, fire and water combine to become the pitta dosha, and water and earth are associated with the kapha dosha. Each individual possesses one or more dominant doshas. If you have an excess of fire, water, ether and air qualities, you are a vata-pitta type, which may also be referred to as pitta-vata if your pitta qualities are more dominant.
Foods to Eat
In general, a pitta-vata diet should contain foods that are nutritious and easy to digest. Keep food combinations simple, or make one-pot dishes such as soups, stews and casseroles. Cook with high-quality cold-pressed oils such as extra virgin olive oil and sunflower oil. Gran recommends eating well-cooked vegetables, sweet fruits and whole grains. For protein, plant sources are preferable to animal proteins. Choose beans that are easy to digest such as split mung, lentils and organic soy products. Other types of beans can cause gas. You may also eat high-quality fresh fish, turkey, chicken, eggs and organic dairy products. Herbs and spices such as coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, fennel and dill may also help balance vata and pitta doshas; use them in cooking or in tea.
Foods to Avoid
Pitta-vata types should avoid dried and sour fruits such as raisins, dried prunes, cranberries, grapefruit, lemons and green grapes. Avoid frozen, raw, dried or pungent vegetables such as hot peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and turnips. Ayurveda also teaches that certain food combinations are incompatible and can cause disease. In general, avoid eating milk with fruit, especially bananas. Do not combine beans with fruit, cheese, eggs, meat, milk or yogurt. Reduce your consumption of hot spices such as chili, pepper and cayenne.
Considerations
The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that Ayurvedic therapies are generally safe. However, if you are already on a special diet to help control disease, talk to your doctor before making any major dietary changes. Some Ayurvedic herbs may also interfere with certain medications.
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