Pitta

Pitta Dietary Considerations

An excess in pitta assumes an imbalance between fire and water: a hot fire will boil the water and cause it to evaporate, whereas too much water will put out the fire. Pitta excess may be relieved through a soothing, cooling, and spacious atmosphere. All activities, colours, foods, and emotions should invite a calm, relaxed, yet alert state. Meditation, gentle massage, and gentle yoga practice, which excludes excessive vinyasas and does not add too much heat to the body, is recommended. Mental and emotional peace, and constructive lifestyle routines are important to restoring and maintaining balance.

A rajasic, or acidic, diet which includes coffee, alcohol, spicy, sour, heavy, or fermented foods should be avoided, favoring cooling foods and drinks, sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes. Vegetarian food is also preferable, although the pitta digestion can handle most foods. If your basic constitution is mixed (pitta-vata or pitta-kapha), you may want to include smaller dietary portions to accommodate the second dosha.

Hot, dry climates are aggravating for pitta and may be offset through eating cooling foods. The following dietary recommendations are therapeutic for pitta’s excessive heat. Pitta deficiencies may be controlled through introducing those foods which should be avoided. The tables on the following pages illustrate the pitta dietary recommendations.

Vegetable and Fruit Recommendations

Consume Regularly	Reduce or Avoid
Cooked vegetables Sweet and bitter vegetables: Asparagus Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Cucumber Green beans Green (sweet) peppers Leafy green vegetables Lettuce Mushrooms Okra Parsley Peas Potatoes Sprouts Squash Sweet potatoes Zucchini	Beets Carrots Eggplant Garlic Hot peppers Onions Radishes Spinach Tomatoes
Sweet Fruits: Apples Avocados Cherries Coconut Figs Dark grapes Mangoes Melons Oranges Pears Pineapples Plums Prunes Raisins Fruits should be sweet and ripe. Sweet, well-ripened fruit in general	Cranberries Apricots Bananas Berries Cherries (sour) Cranberries Grapefruit Papayas Peaches Persimmons Avoid fruits that come to market sour or unripe. Also avoid fruits such as green grapes, oranges, pineapple and plum unless they are sweet and ripe.

Grains

Barley Oats Wheat White rice (prefer basmati rice)

Brown rice Corn Millet Rye

Dairy

Butter Egg whites Ghee (clarified butter )- unless you are watching cholesterol Ice cream Milk

Buttermilk Cheese Egg yolks Sour cream Yogurt

Meat

Chicken Shrimp Turkey All in small amounts

Red meat and seafood in general

Beans

Chickpeas Mung beans Tofu and other soybean products

Lentils

Oils

Coconut Olive Soy Sunflower

Almond Corn Safflower Sesame

Sweeteners

All are acceptable except honey and molasses

Honey and Molasses

Nuts and Seeds

All are acceptable in small amounts. Almonds are best

Herbs and Spices

Spices are generally avoided as too heating. In small amounts, the following sweet and astringent spices are OK Cardamom Cilantro(green coriander) Cinnamon Coriander seed Dill Fennel Mint Saffron Turmeric Plus small amounts of cumin and black pepper

All pungent herbs and spices, except as noted. Take only the minimal amounts of the following: Barbecue sauce Ketchup Mustard Pickles Salt Sour salad dressings Spicy condiments Vinegar