Dietary Recommendation as Per Prakriti

In this article we are giving the Ayurvedic Dietary Recommendation ( Vegetable recommendation) as per vata, pitta & Kapha . During the characterization of different foods and their usage in various Prakriti Ayurveda follows a general guideline of like increases like. For example, uncooked vegetables have dry, rough cold qualities and they are hard to digest. Thus Vata people should avoid raw vegetables.

However, when these vegetables are cooked they become favorable for Vata people as well. A similar concept applies to Pitta and Kapha. Since Pitta is the acidic digesting portion of the body, hot vegetables like chilies and capsicum may aggravate Pitta, however, sweet potatoes, raw vegetables are quite favored in Pitta people. This way of classifying food according to characteristics and then appropriating them for specific body type provides manageable yet “time-tested” formulas for a healthy body.

Dietary recommendation for Vata

Vata should eat cooked vegetables. Raw vegetables are rough (fibrous), dry and hard to digest. Vata people have a weak digestive fire, so this might cause indigestion further deprecating the digestive fire. So Vata has to do will well cook food – preferably boiled or steamed food.

Vata should consume vegetables cooked with cumin or mustard as these help in sparking the digestive fire. Raw vegetables are especially prone to cause bloating, gas build up and constipation in Vata people. If you prefer salads, consume them with lots of sesame or olive oil, however, it is best to avoid salads in Vata people.

Vata should prefer vegetables with sweetness and sourness, vegetables that have been heavily salted (pickled – use rock salt) and vegetables underground. They should avoid bitter, frozen, dried, raw, astringent and pungent.

Dietary recommendation for Pitta

Pittas are naturally hot, oily, sharp, and pungent in energy so uncooked vegetables that are more cool, juicy, sweet, and dry are recommended for pitta. Pitta due to their excess of digestive fire can easily digest uncooked vegetables as well. It provides a cure to many pitta related problems like acidity, pimples, heartburn, ulcers and plethora of skin diseases. Pitta should favor vegetables that are sweet, bitter or astringent. Pitta should stay clear of vegetables that are pungent, sour or salty. Thus pitta should avoid pickled vegetables, garlic, onions and peppers. It is advisable that pitta use as little of oil as possible in cooking. They should rather use ghee. Sauté is the method advised for Pitta people as they can easily digest the excess of fat in the cooking.

Dietary recommendation for Kapha

Kaphas are naturally dense, heavy, oily, and sweet in energy so they need vegetables which are light, dry, bitter, astringent, and pungent. These vegetables restore their imbalances, such as lethargy, weight gain, swelling, mucus buildup, and sluggish metabolism. Kapha should avoid sour, sweet or salty vegetables. Kapha should also avoid deep frying their vegetables, tempura, and stir-frying. They should cook their vegetables by roasting, drying, baking, and grilling. Raw food is avoidable due to their weak digestive fire.

What the yogic approach to dietary lifestyle provides are a choice and habit. Cultivating the right habits and choosing right diet according to Prakriti of an individual provides not only a benefit of having a healthy life physically but also a mindfulness-based approach to diet, which cultivates the mind as well. Thus as the saying goes “you are what you eat”, in order to be a yogi, you have to eat like a yogi.