Vata Diet
Dairy Products
Dairy products are very important for vata balancing. Since the items are heavy, they help in grounding the vata immediately. Milk and ghee calm the nerves and help in regeneration and replenishing at the cellular level. Ghee is considered liquid gold in Ayurveda and it has many benefits. It helps in digestion, rejuvenation, is good for memory, and is used as a medium with herbal medications. It gives energy, strength and longevity. Ghee is also used externally in many ways. Internal use includes it being added to warm soups, dal and in milk. Pure and hot organic cow’s milk is known to assist in the regeneration of the myelin sheaths. Organic herbs like saffron, nutmeg, cardamom and or turmeric can be added to the milk as digestive aids. Many people these days have lactose intolerance from the effects of unnatural foods and too much toxins in the foods and air. Therefore organic milk is recommended. Presently the beneficial trend in the cities is to get raw organic milk without pasteurization or homogenization directly from small farms. One should find out if there are similar farms are in their local area. Consuming small amounts of cheese helps in grounding vata.
Breakfast
Food in the mode of pure goodness not only recharges the human body but helps to purify, mind, intellect and the soul. Thus, the ‘karma free’ aspects of food preparations are recommended. The ‘karma free’ aspect allows you to acknowledge and be grateful for all that is given to you by the Almighty. Thus, as an act of gratitude, you make an offering of the food stuff to God first before tasting it and then partake it as mercy in gratitude. This helps in purifying a person’s consciousness and charges them with endurance and strength.
Breakfast is essential for early morning grounding. Warm cereals, cream of wheat or rice, hot porridge and some dairy will make a hearty meal. Other cultures have similar grains for morning meals. For example small amount of semolina halva or vermicelli or dosas (indian crepes) are used in other cultures. Some people use whole grain breads, pancakes or crepes.
Recommended Foods
Consuming the right kind of food is the key to healthy living. Since vata’s attributes are dry, cold, hard, rough, and light, therefore opposite elemental foods should be used to bring balance. Thus tissue-building and nutritive food items that are moist, warm, soft, oily and heavy are used. Food items that are sour, sweet and salty to taste should be used in the diet.
An individual having a vata imbalance must favour food items like hearty soups and vegetables, chapattis, breads and whole cooked grains. Spicy food items are usually okay for vata balancing. Below are recommended foods for balancing vata.
Legumes: Green and Black Mung beans, Aduki or red small beans are good for vata. They should be cooked thoroughly. Other beans may be too dry for the vata people.
“Dal” is a simple recipe to make. Simply thoroughly boil the beans, then in a separate pan, take a little ghee and add spices like cumin seeds. When they pop, add half teaspoon of grated ginger and tumeric powder. Then add the cooked beans and salt as desired. This is delicious with rice.
Vegetables: Beetroot, Spinach, Avocado, Carrots, Asparagus, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Eggplant, Zucchini, Radish, Olives, Okra, White pumpkin, Celery root, Artichoke, Turnips and Bell peppers. Best if all the foods are cooked. Raw vegetables can be taken with oil dressings.
Fruits: Berries, Apricots, Cherries, Banana, Pineapple, Kiwi, Coconut, Strawberries, Dates, Grapes, Plums, Mango, Peaches and Papaya.
Grains: Rice, Oats and Wheat
Vata Aggravating Foods to Be Avoided
Foods items that exhibit the characteristics of vata such as frozen desserts, crackers and raw vegetables, cold salads etc. should be avoided. Refined food items like sugar and white flour have dry and light attributes and hence should be avoided by the individuals with vata constitutions. Bitter, pungent, light, astringent, cold and dry, stimulants like alcohol, smoking, tea, coffee, junk food, sugar, brown rice etc. are best avoided.
Vegetables to be avoided: Raw Vegetables, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Peas, Celery, Potatoes. However they may be consumed by cooking them in sesame oil or ghee thoroughly. Tomatoes should be avoided or used very sparingly. They aggravate all doshas.
Fruits to be Avoided: Dried fruits (unless soaked overnight), Pears, Apples, Pomegranates, Melons, Cranberries.
Spices: Vatas can ideally have all the herbs and spices, but in moderation.
Herbs; the best herb for grounding vata is Brahmi. It can be obtained in powder, capsules or pills from Ayurvedic health stores.
When the vata seems aggravated, the following spices have to be consumed with caution: fenugreek (methi seeds), coriander (dhaniya powder), parsley, turmeric and saffron. Avoid the consumption of extremely hot spices like dried chilies as they will further aggravate the already existing dryness.
Food combinations to be avoided
Ayurveda states that there are certain food items with conflicting effects on the body, hence such combination of food should be avoided because they may lead to harmful chemical reaction during the digestion process. For instance, milk with orange, lemon, lime, pineapple, yogurt and radishes, yogurt with sour fruits and such combinations should be avoided.
Summary and Resources
With a little caution and attention to your body, you can help stabilize the vata dosha and ensure that you are free from all the afflictions that are accompanied due to the imbalance of this dosha.
Resources
The Meridian Organ Clock
The Chinese Acupuncture “Meridian Clock” is an example of a 24-hour cycle which portrays the body’s complete functions as well as its relationship with diet. There are 12 meridians, each taking the lead for two hours during the 24-hour period. Each of the 12 meridians has a dual flow, a coming and a going, marking 24 cycles per day.
The clock delineates which meridian system is activated and dominant at a specific time. Since these cycles happen automatically, we do not have to be preoccupied with them. However, if we know of these cycles, then we can make better decisions when it is generally best to eat, exercise and sleep. The following chart gives you the details of the 12 meridians with its respective best suited timings.
5 a.m. – 7 a.m. — Large Intestine — Drinking water triggers bowel evacuation making room for the new day’s nutritional intake. It also removes toxins from the night’s cleansing.
7 a.m. – 9 a.m. — Stomach — Stomach energies are the highest so eat the most important meal of the day here to optimise digestion/assimilation.
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Pancreas — the stomach passes its contents on. Enzymes from the pancreas continue the digestive process. Carbohydrate energies are made available.