General Ayurveda Diet Recommendations for Vata People
If your Vata dosha is aggravated you should consume steamed or cooked meals when they are hot or warm and avoid frozen, raw or dried foods. Take your meals at fixed times, preferably 7-8am breakfast, 12-1pm lunch, 6-7pm dinner. Be sensitive about quantity of foods, your stomach should be filled 1/2 with food, 1/4 with liquid and 1/4 left empty for proper digestion. Friendly, warm and peaceful atmosphere while eating is a must for proper enzyme secretion and absorption of nutrients. Emotions experienced while eating are multiplied and stay with you for the rest of the day.
If your Vata dosha is dominating you should eat more Vata pacifying foods and less of the Vata aggravating ones from the lists below. Additionally, you should increase proportion of sweet, sour and salty tastes whereas decrease pungent, bitter and astringent tastes in your diet.
Pacifying and Aggravating Foods for Vata Dosha as per Ayurvedic Diet
VEGETABLES
Vata pacifying vegetables (generally steamed or cooked and eaten hot or warm): asparagus, beetroot, carrots, coriander, cucumber, fennel, garlic, green beans, leeks, lettuce, ladies’ fingers, black olives, parsnip, peas, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, rutabaga, summer squash, taro root, watercress, zucchini.
In moderation (all steamed or cooked and eaten hot or warm): cabbage, cauliflower, daikon radish, Jerusalem artichoke, leafy greens, spinach, mustard greens, onions, parsley, radishes, spaghetti squash, sprouts, turnip greens.
Vata aggravating vegetables: artichoke, bitter melon, broccoli, brussels sprouts, burdock root, raw cabbage, raw cauliflower, celery, dandelion greens, eggplant, greens, kale, kohlrabi, mushrooms, green olives, raw onions, raw peas, sweet and hot peppers, white potatoes, fruit and leaves of prickly pear, raw radish, raw sprouts, winter squash, raw tomatoes, turnips, wheat grass.
Acceptable occasionally (all steamed or cooked and eaten hot or warm): beet greens, fresh corn, horseradish, tomatoes.
LEGUMES
Vata pacifying legumes: black gram, yellow lentils, yellow pigeon peas, red lentils
In moderation: soy cheese, soy milk, soy sauce, soy meat, tofu.
Vata aggravating legumes: big size beans creating gas, adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chick peas, kidney beans, brown lentils, lima beans, navy beans, dried peas, pinto beans, soy beans, soy flour, soy powder, split peas, tempeh, white beans.
Acceptable occasionally: miso.
GRAINS
Vata pacifying grains: Durham flour, cooked oats, pancakes, quinoa, all species of rice, wheat meat, Essene sprouted wheat bread, wheat.
In moderation: amaranth.
Vata aggravating grains: barley, bread made with yeast, buckwheat, cold dry or puffed cereals, corn, popcorn, popped rice, couscous, crackers, granola, millet, muesli, oat bran, dry oats, rye, sago, spelt, tapioca, wheat bran.
Acceptable occasionally: pasta, polenta, rice cakes.
SEEDS
Vata pacifying seeds: chia, flax, halva, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, tahini.
Vata aggravating seeds: popped seeds, popcorn, popped rice.
Acceptable occasionally: psyllium (ispaghula).
NUTS
Vata pacifying nuts if taken in moderation: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chironji, coconut, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts.
Vata aggravating nuts: none.
OILS
Vata pacifying oils: internally and externally – sesame oil and clarified butter are the best, olive oil, most other oils are also good.
Externally only: coconut oil, avocado oil.
Vata aggravating oils: flax seed oil.
FRUITS
Vata pacifying fruits: sweet fruit, fresh dates, fresh figs; cooked apples, apple sauce; apricots, avocado, bananas, berries, strawberries cherries, coconut, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, melons, oranges, papaya, peaches, pineapple, plums, soaked prunes, soaked raisins, rhubarb, tamarind
Vata aggravating fruits: dried fruit – dry dates, dry figs, dry raisins, dry prunes, etc (acceptable if they are soaked); raw apples; pears, cranberries, persimmons, pomegranates, watermelon.
DAIRY
Vata pacifying dairy: most dairy, butter, buttermilk, soft cheese, cottage cheese, cow’s milk, clarified butter, goat’s cheese, goat’s milk, diluted and spiced yogurt
In moderation: hard cheese, sour cream.
Vata aggravating dairy: powdered cow’s milk, powdered goat’s milk, plain yogurt, yogurt with fruit, cold yogurt.
SPICES
Vata pacifying spices: all spices are good, ajowan, almond extract, anise, asafoetida, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, marjoram, mint, mustard seeds, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, long pepper, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, salt, savoury, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, vanilla, wintergreen.
In moderation: cayenne, fenugreek.
Vata aggravating spices: none as such however decrease pungent, bitter and astringent tastes.
SWEETENERS
Vata pacifying sweeteners: barley malt, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, honey, jaggery, molasses, rice syrup, dried or fresh sugar cane juice, turbinado.
Vata aggravating sweeteners: white sugar.
Acceptable occasionally: maple syrup.
HERBAL TEAS
Vata pacifying herbal teas: ajowan, bancha, chamomile, clove, comfrey, elder flower, eucalyptus, fennel, fenugreek, fresh ginger, hawthorn, juniper berry, lavender, lemon grass, liquorice, marshmallow, oat straw, orange peel, pennyroyal, peppermint, rosehips, saffron, sage, sarsaparilla, sassafras, spearmint.
In moderation: catnip, chicory, chrysanthemum, kukicha, raspberry, strawberry, wintergreen.
Vata aggravating herbal teas: blackberry, burdock, cornsilk, dandelion, ginseng, hibiscus, Mormon tea, yarrow; acceptable if taken rarely – alfalfa, barley, basil, borage, cinnamon, hops, jasmine, lemon balm, nettle, passion flower, red clover, red zinger, violet, mate.
BEVERAGES
Vata pacifying beverages: almond milk, aloe vera juice, apple cider, apricot juice, berry juice (other than cranberry), carrot juice, hot spiced milk chai, cherry juice, alternative grain coffee for example wheat coffee (NOT normal caffeine coffee), grape juice, lemonade, mango juice, miso broth, orange juice, papaya juice, peach nectar, pineapple juice, rice milk, sour juices, hot and spiced soy milk, vegetable bouillon.
In moderation: carob.
Vata aggravating beverages: apple juice, black tea, caffeinated beverages, carbonated drinks, chocolate milk, coffee, cold dairy drinks, cranberry juice, ice tea, cold drinks, pear juice, pomegranate juice, cold soy milk.
Acceptable occasionally: tomato juice, prune juice.
CONDIMENTS
Vata pacifying condiments: mango chutney, dulse, gomashio, hijiki, kelp, tomato sauce, kombu, lemon, lime, lime pickle, mango pickle, mustard, pickles, salt, scallions, seaweed, soy sauce, tamari, vinegar.
In moderation: black pepper, chili peppers, coriander leaves.
Vata aggravating condiments: chocolate, horseradish.
