General Considerations
- As people with leading Vata dosha have
both unpredictable appetite and an inherent loathing of routine,
eating quality food in sufficient quantity by eating more
frequently is helpful, as long as there is hunger.
- Key qualities of Vata diet are warm,
heavy, moistening, nourishing, nurturing, soothing, satisfying and
grounding. Warm foods are best, especially stews and simple one –
dish meals. Avoid a great variety at one meal.
- Use mild spices and a small amount of salt to help prime digestion.
- Eating at home is best. Eating fast food is the very worst choice
- Beware of allergies. Vata people do not
tolerate nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) and
are often lactose intolerant.
- Avoid eating when nervous, anxious, afraid, and deep in thought, or worried or otherwise distracted.
- As Vata digestion is the least strong, pay
attention to eating when eating, avoid watching, television
listening to radio, reading, etc.
- Eat with people who take pleasure in eating in calm, tidy, clean, and spacious feeling atmosphere.
- Skipping meals is not good, but overeating
is worse. Avoid “pigging our” on anything. Excess is never good
for Vata types.
- Vata is increased by age, autumn season,
afternoon time, travel, loud noise, cold and wind. Be chiefly
careful with diet at these times or when in these situations.
- Qualities of food that balance Vata are:
sweet, heavy, sour, salty, oily, and warm. Take proportionately
more of these.
- Qualities of food that unbalance Vata are:
pungent, bitter, astringent, light, dry cold. Take less of these
and less frequently.
Daily Eating Routine for Vata Types
- Eat three to four small meals a day at regular times. Leave at least 2 hours between small meals or snacks.
- Eat a good breakfast. Take a hot milky drink at night to help with sound sleep.
- Daily, take 5-6 servings of some whole grain or whole grain product, plus….
- 1-2 servings of high quality protein
- 2-3 servings of fresh cooked vegetables
- 1 serving of fruit
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Vata dominance is responsible for an
irregular digestive power. Watch out for signs of poor digestion,
like gas, bloating, heaviness in the head and limbs, restlessness,
lethargy, or poor elimination (constipation). If such symptoms
arise, eat very lightly until the digestion is strengthened.
Shopping List for Vata
GRAINS: brown rice, sweet brown rice, basmati rice, wild rice, oats (cooked), amaranth, whole wheat cereals and pastas, udon noodles
LEGUMES: split mung, red lentils, aduki, tofu, soy beverage
ANIMAL PRODUCTS: eggs, chicken, turkey, fresh and salt water fish, shrimp
VEGETABLES : (in season is best)
asparagus, acom squash, artichokes, beets, butternut squash, carrots,
cucumber, green beans, hot peppers, leeks, mustard greens, okra,
olives, onions, parsnips, pumpkins, radish, rutabaga, summer squashes,
sweet potato
DAIRY: un-homogenized cows milk, goat milk, cottage cheese, buttermilk, soft cheese, hard cheese, yoghurt, idle cream, sour cream
FRUITS : apricots, avocados, bananas
(ripe), berries (sweet), cherries, melons, oranges, papayas, peaches,
pineapple, plum, rhubarb, raisins (soaked)
NUTS and SEEDS: almonds, Brazils, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, walnuts
SWEETENERS : barley malt,
brown rice syrup, ghur, jaggery, fruit juice concentrates, honey, maple
syrup, molasses, sucanat, sugar cane juice.
CONDIMENTS and PICKLES : lemon
juice, lime juice, gomasio (sesame seed and sea salt mixture), Japanese
ginger pickle, mayonnaise, mis, natural soy sauce, sweet pickles,
sweet chutney, sea vegetables, sesame seeds, and umeboshi plums
OILS and SPICES: asafetida, ajwain, garlic, ginger, mustard oil, sesame oil (All spices are good if used moderately and cooked properly.
DRINKS : Aloe Vera juice. Fruit and
vegetable juices, smoothies, coffee substitutes (Cafix, Roma, Pero),
herbals teas (chamomile, lavender, licorice, fennel, ginger,
raspberry), vegetable broths.
Preparation Tips for Vata Diet
GRAINS: Most grains are useful, as they are warm and
grounding. Some are too drying for regular use. Yeasted breads and
pastries are best avoided as they cause gas and disturb the digestive
system.
Use a diversity of whole grains to avoid developing
allergies. Cook grains with a little more water than the regular 1 cup
grain to 2 cups water ratio, adding a little salt, elucidate butter or
oil, slices of ginger, and a pinch of ghur (Indian raw suger).
LEGUMES: Beans are an outstanding source of protein,
but can be a confront to digest. Processing by splitting the beans and
remove the hull makes them easier to digest which is why split mung and
red lentils are so popular in Indian cuisine. If beans cause gas
formstion, they are increasing Vata dosha. This problem can be helped
by:
- Cooking for long periods of time with the
lid off so Vata causing products can bubble or. All day, on an
open fire, (Navajo-style) is best. A crackpot for beans is better
than a pressure cooker in the modern kitchen.
- Use turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, and asafetida as standard spices when cooking beans.
- Eat beans in small quantities (10.20 percent of meal, proportionately), chewing very well.
- VEGETABLES: Cooking vegetables is the best
way to improve their digestibility for Vata people, stir fry,
stew, or bake and serve with sauce raw vegetables and salads can
be made more digestible by quick pickling, pressed with a little
salt, or serving them with an oily or creamy dressing.
MEATS: As beans are difficult for Vata people
to digest and dairy products often cause allergenic reactions, meat and
eggs, correctly ready, provide a vital source of protein.
Meats are best prepared with ginger, garlic,
turmeric, and black pepper, cooked thoroughly and served in stews or
with sauce or gravy. White meats, fresh fish, or wild game are best.
Lamb or beef is used if real grounding is needed.
DAIRY: If well tolerate milk and milk products are a
strengthening, body-building food. Milk, itself, is most easily
digested by Vata people when it is heated and mixed with spice. Other
examples are …..
- Lassi- yoghurt mixed 1:3 with water and a
little lemon juice, pinch of salt, slice of fresh ginger, powdered
cumin and coriander – taken after meals
- Hot milk toddy with ghee, ginger, and a little honey
- Cheese fondue
- Spicy cheese sauce with chili
FRUIT: Fruits that are sweet, moist, and well mature
are suitable. Dried fruit is too dry unless soaked and cooked in
compote, preferably with ginger and cinnamon. Cooked fruit is best
eaten as dessert about 20 minutes after the rest of the meal. Raw
fruits can disturb digestion unless they are eaten alone as a snack or
before a meal as a light starter or chutney. This applies especially to
fruits in the melon family.
NUTS and SEEDS: Nuts are best soaked and cooked into
dishes or blended into nut butters for the Vata digestive system.
Smoothies with nut milk are a great snack for Vatas on the go. Also, 10
almonds that have been soaked and skinned provide all the nutrients a
body needs for one day – a popular Ayurvedic snack.
SWEETENERS: Honey in moderation and by no means
cooked into things is best, just added to foods for sweetness. Vatas
most easily suffer from fluctuating blood sugar levels, thus should
totally avoid white sugar.
CONDIMENTS and PICKLES: Pickles, if they are more salty than sour, can perk up a Vata craving and aid in digestion.
Condiments help provide variety, excitement and
interest to the simple meals that are best for Vatas, but are a little
against their tendencies to want extreme stimulation. Sea vegetables
are chiefly useful as they are very high in minerals which help build
rich skin, hair, and strong nails – often what Vatas need.
SPICE: Most spices are good unless in excess or
extremely strong in taste. Too much hot spice can dry Vata people too
much or cause sweat that dispels body heat.
DRINKS: Drinks are best warm or at room temperature.
Coffee and tea are too stimulating, as is alcohol. Fizzy drinks can be
too gassy. Fruit and vegetable juices are O.K. but in surplus are too
sweet and do not provide enough fiber for good digestion. They are good
alternatives to total fasting if there is a lot of toxic build-up.
Herbal teas made of the herbs and spice that benefit Vatas are good to
warm the body, help digestion, and calm the nerves.
Read More on
- Diet For Pitta
- Diet for KAPHA
|
