“Food is Medicine and Medicine is Food”

The primary consideration in Ayurveda when selecting food and herbs is in recognising taste. There are six tastes; three of which reduce a Dosha, and three of which increase that same Dosha. Tastes which increase Vata are astringent, bitter, and pungent (spicy and oily). Tastes which reduce Vata are sweet, sour, and salty. Eat herbs and food that contain more of these three tastes. Food items on the list below have been pre-selected with this primary consideration in mind. Please make sure you select food items from the list. What is not on the list you must avoid eating.

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Ideal cooking styles for Vata people include Western, Indian (mild), Chinese (Mild) etc. Warm soups and stews are particularly supportive.

Vata people should take food that is warm, moderately heavy, not too dry, soothing, nourishing, and rich. Meals should not be consumed when anxious, stressed, or depressed. Remember the golden rules in regard to food; eat only when hungry; eat small meals; eat your last meal at least four hours before bedtime; and eat food chosen from the food list . If you are hungry before bed then take suitable fruits only.

FRUITS

Generally most sweet fruits

Apples

Applesauce

Apricots

Avocados

Bananas

Berries

Cherries

Coconut

Dates (fresh)

Durian* (seasonal)

Figs (fresh)

Grapefruit

Grapes

Guava*

Kiwi

Lemons

Limes

Longan* (seasonal)

Lychees*

Mangoes

Melons

Oranges

Papaya

Peaches

Pineapple

Plums

Prunes (cooked)

Raisins (cooked)

Rambutan (seasonal)

Rhubarb

Strawberries

VEGETABLES

In general vegetables should be cooked

Asparagus

beets

cabbage (cooked)*

carrots

cauliflower*

cilantro (coriander)

cucumber

daikon radish*

fennel (anise)

garlic

green beans

green chillies

jerusalem artichoke*

leafy greens*

leeks

lettuce*

mustard greens*

okra

olives (black)

onions (cooked)*

parsley*

parsnip

peas (cooked)

potatoes (sweet)

pumpkin

radishes (cooked)*

rutabaga

spaghetti squash

spinach (cooked)*

spinach (raw)*

sprouts*

squash summer and winter

taro root

turnip greens*

watercress

zucchini

GRAINS and LEGUMES

Amaranth

Durham flour

Lentils* (red)

mung beans

mung dal

Oats

oats (cooked)

pancakes

quinoa

rice (all kinds)

seitan (wheat meat)

soya cheese*

soya milk*

soya sausage*

sprouted wheat bread

tofu*

turdal

urud dal

wheat

DAIRY

butter

buttermilk

cheese (hard)*

cheese (soft)

cottage cheese

cows milk

ghee

goats’ cheese

goats milk

ice cream*

sour cream *

yoghurt (diluted and spiced)*

ANIMAL FOOD

Chicken (dark)

Chicken (white)*

Duck

Eggs

Fish – freshwater or sea

Lamb (as broth)

Salmon

Sardines

Seafood

Shrimps

Tunafish

Turkey (dark)

NUTS

almonds

black walnuts

bresil nuts

cashews

charole

coconut

filberts

hazelnuts

macadamia nuts

peanuts

pecans

pine nuts

pistachios

walnuts

CONDIMENTS

black pepper

chutney (mango) – sweet or spicy

chilli peppers*

coriander leaves

dulse

gomasio

Hijiki

Kelp

ketchup

kombu

lemon

lime

lime pickle

mango pickle

mayonaise

mustard

pickles

salt

scallions

seaweed

soysauce

sprouts*

tamari

vinegar

SEEDS

chia

flax

halva

pumpkin

sesame

sunflower

tahini

OILS

For internal and external use (most suitable oils at top of list)

sesame

ghee

olive

(most other oils external use only)

coconut

avocado

BEVERAGES

all fruit juices to be freshly made

Almond milk

Aloe vera juice

apricot juice

berry juice (except cranberry)

carob*

carrot juice

chai (hot spiced milk)

cherry juice

grain coffee

grape juice

grapefruit juice

lemonade (freshly made)

mango juice

miso broth

orange juice

papaya juice

peach nectar

pineapple juice

rice milk

soya milk (hot and well spiced)

HERB TEAS

Ajwan

bancha

catnip

chamomile

chicory

chrysanthemum

clove

comfrey

elder flower

eucalyptus

fennel

fenugreek

ginger (fresh)

hawthorn

juniper berry

kukicha *

lavender

lemongrass

licorice

marshmallow

oat straw

orange peel

penny royal

peppermint

raspberry *

rosehips

saffron

sage

sarsaparilla

sassafras

spearmint

strawberry*

wintergreen*

SPICES

ajwan

allspice

alomd extra t

anise

basil

bay leaf

black pepper

cardamom

cayenne*

cinnamon

cloves

ciruabder

cumin

curry leaves

dill

fennel

fenugreek*

garlic

ginger

mace

marjoram

mint

mustard seed

nutmeg

orange peel

oregano

paprika

parsley

peppermint

pippali

poppy seeds

rosemary

saffron

salt

savory

spearmint

sart anise

tarragon

thyme

turmeric

vanilla

wintergreen

SWEETENERS

barley malt

fructose

fruit juice concentrates

honey – raw and not processed

molasses

rice syrup

sucnat

turbinado

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

aloe vera juice*

bee pollen

amino acids

minerals

calcium

copper iron

magnesium

zinc

royal jelly

spirulina

blue green algae

vitamins A and B complex

B12 – C – D and E

* Food items marked with an asterix should be taken occasionally or not at all