Foods To Help Balance Pitta Dosha
According to Ayurveda, illness and health concerns are caused by an imbalance in your dosha.
Pitta carries the energy of fire and water, digestion, and transformation.
An Imbalanced Pitta
When out of balance, Pitta feels like an overload of frustration, anger, and irritability. It causes us to be judgemental, impatient, and intolerant, with perfectionist tendencies.
Among other things, it can cause our skin to be irritated as well as an overactive metabolism and discomfort when meals are missed.
Try this Ayurvedic food list of recommendations to add or subtract from your diet to help balance the Pitta dosha.
Pacifying Fruits
The fruits that pacify Pitta dosha are usually sweet and astringent. One must decrease internal heat and digestive fire to calm a Pitta overflow and it is aggravated by pungent, sour, and salty tastes.
Foods to Add or Include
- Apples (sweet)
- Applesauce
- Apricots (sweet)
- Berries (sweet)
- Cherries (sweet)
- Coconut
- Dates
- Figs
- Grapes (red, purple, black)
- Limes
- Mangos (ripe)
- Melons
- Oranges (sweet)
- Papaya
- Pears
- Pineapple (sweet)
- Plums (sweet)
- Pomegranates
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Apples (sour)
- Apricots (sour)
- Bananas
- Berries (sour)
- Cherries (sour)
- Cranberries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes (green)
- Kiwi
- Lemons
- Mangos (green)
- Oranges (sour)
- Peaches
- Persimmons
- Pineapple (sour)
- Plums (sour)
- Tamarind
Pitta Pacifying Vegetables
Pitta can usually digest raw vegetables better than Vata and Kapha, but midday is the best time for them because that’s when digestive strength is at its peak. Pitta should try to reduce or avoid are particularly spicy, heating, sharp, or sour tastes.
Foods to Add or Include
- Avocado
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Beets (cooked)
- Bell Peppers
- Bitter Melon
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Burdock Root
- Cabbage
- Carrots (cooked)
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cilantro
- Collard Greens
- Cucumber
- Dandelion Greens
- Green Beans
- Jerusalem Artichoke
- Kale
- Leafy Greens
- Leeks (cooked)
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Okra
- Olives (black)
- Onions (cooked)
- Parsley
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Peppers (sweet)
- Potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Radishes (cooked)
- Rutabaga
- Spaghetti Squash
- Sprouts (not spicy)
- Squash, Summer
- Squash, Winter
- Spinach (raw)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Watercress
- Wheat Grass
- Zucchini
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Beet Greens
- Beets (raw)
- Corn (fresh)
- Daikon Radish
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Green Chilies
- Horseradish
- Kohlrabi
- Leeks (raw)
- Mustard Greens
- Olives, green
- Onions (raw)
- Peppers (hot)
- Radishes (raw)
- Spinach (cooked)
- Tomatoes
- Turnip greens
- Turnips
Pitta Pacifying Grains
The grains that pacify Pitta dosha are cooling, sweet, dry, and grounding, while avoiding grains that are heating (like buckwheat, corn, millet, brown rice, and yeasted bread).
Foods to Add or Include
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Cereal (dry)
- Couscous
- Crackers
- Durham Flour
- Granola
- Oat Bran
- Oats
- Pancakes
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice (basmati, white, wild)
- Rice Cakes
- Seitan
- Spelt
- Sprouted Wheat Bread
- Tapioca
- Wheat
- Wheat Bran
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Millet
- Muesli
- Polenta
- Rice (brown)
- Rye
- Yeasted Bread
Pitta Pacifying Legumes
Beans that are not appropriate for pitta are those that are especially sour or oily and, not coincidentally – also heating. Legumes tend to be largely pitta pacifying so a wide variety can be enjoyed.
Foods to Add or Include
- Adzuki Beans
- Black Beans
- Black-Eyed Peas
- Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
- Kidney Beans
- Lentils
- Lima Beans
- Mung Beans
- Mung Dal
- Navy Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Split Peas
- Soy Beans
- Soy Cheese
- Soy Flour
- Soy Milk
- Soy Powder
- Tempeh
- Tofu
- White Beans
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Miso
- Soy Meats
- Soy Sauce
- Urad Dal
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Pitta Pacifying Dairy
Dairy products tend to be grounding, nourishing, and cooling, helping to balance pitta. Almond and rice milk are good substitutes for those who can’t tolerate animal milk well.
Foods to Add or Include
- Butter (unsalted)
- Cheese (soft, unsalted, not aged)
- Cottage Cheese
- Cow’s Milk
- Ghee
- Goat’s Milk
- Goat’s Cheese (soft, unsalted)
- Ice Cream
- Yogurt (homemade, diluted, without fruit)
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Butter (salted)
- Buttermilk
- Cheese (hard)
- Frozen Yogurt
- Sour Cream
- Yogurt (store-bought, or with fruit)
Pitta Pacifying Nuts & Seeds
Nuts and seeds tend to be too oily and heating for pitta. However, there are a few types that are less oily and are either mildly heating or cooling in nature.
Foods to Add or Include
- Almonds (soaked and peeled)
- Charoli Nuts
- Coconut
- Flax Seeds
- Halva
- Popcorn (buttered, without salt)
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Almonds (with skin)
- Brazil Nuts
- Cashews
- Chia Seeds
- Filberts
- Macadamia Nuts
- Peanuts
- Pecans
- Pine Nuts
- Pistachios
- Sesame Seeds
- Tahini
- Walnut
Pitta Pacifying Meat & Eggs
Pitta does best with animal foods that taste sweet, are relatively dry, and are either mildly heating or cooling in nature. Dark chicken, beef, salmon, or tuna don’t work well to bring pitta down.
Foods to Add or Include
- Buffalo
- Chicken (white)
- Eggs (white only)
- Fish (freshwater)
- Rabbit
- Shrimp
- Turkey (white)
- Venison
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Beef
- Chicken (dark)
- Duck
- Eggs (yolk)
- Fish (saltwater)
- Lamb
- Pork
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Seafood
- Tuna Fish
- Turkey (dark)
Pitta Pacifying Oils
The very best oils for pitta are sunflower oil, ghee, coconut oil, and olive oil.
Foods to Add or Include
- Coconut Oil
- Flax Seed Oil
- Ghee
- Olive Oil
- Primrose Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Soy Oil
- Walnut Oil
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Almond Oil
- Apricot Oil
- Corn Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Sesame Oil
Pitta Pacifying Sweeteners
Sweet tastes soothe pitta, most sweeteners are well tolerated, but some not so much. Remember that even the appropriate sweeteners for any dosha should be used in moderation.
Foods to Add or Include
- Barley Malt
- Date Sugar
- Fructose
- Fruit Juice Concentrates
- Maple Syrup
- Rice Syrup
- Sucanat
- Turbinado
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Honey
- Jaggary
- Molasses
- White Sugar
Pitta Pacifying Spices
Most spices have the potential to aggravate pitta. The spices to favor are only mildly heating, and help to maintain a balanced digestive fire without provoking pitta.
Foods to Add or Include
- Basil (fresh)
- Black Pepper (small amounts)
- Cardamom
- Cinnamon (small amounts)
- Coriander (seeds or powder)
- Cumin (seeds or powder)
- Dill
- Fennel
- Ginger (fresh)
- Mint
- Neem Leaves
- Orange Peel
- Parsley
- Peppermint
- Saffron
- Spearmint
- Tarragon
- Turmeric
- Vanilla
- Wintergreen
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Ajwan
- Allspice
- Anise
- Basil (dry)
- Bay Leaf
- Caraway
- Cayenne
- Cloves
- Fenugreek
- Garlic
- Ginger (dry)
- Hing (Asafoetida)
- Mace
- Marjoram
- Mustard Seeds
- Nutmeg
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Pippali
- Poppy Seeds
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Salt
- Savory
- Thyme
- Trikatu
