Do You Need to Balance Pitta?
Pitta dosha governs metabolism and transformation in the body. Answer these questions to see if you need to balance Pitta.
- Do you tend to be demanding or critical?
- Are you often frustrated, angry or intense?
- Is your skin ruddy and prone to rashes and eruptions?
- Are you often irritable or impatient?
- Is your hair prematurely gray or thinning?
- Do you wake up in the early hours and find it difficult to fall asleep again?
- Do you feel discomfort in hot weather?
- Are you a perfectionist?
- Do you experience hot flashes?
- Do you have excess stomach acid?
- Do you experience loose bowel movements?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you may need to balance Pitta. I can help evaluate your specific needs during yourNutritional & Lifestyle Consultation.
Tips for Balancing Pitta
- All Pitta products: drink Pitta Tea and season meals with Pitta Churna, diffuse cooling Pitta Aroma Oil in your home or office.
- Keep cool. Avoid hot temperatures and food.
- Favor cool, heavy, dry foods and sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.
- Reduce pungent, sour, salty tastes and warm, oily and light foods.
- Practice moderation, don’t overwork.
- Allow for leisure time.
- Regular mealtimes, especially take time for lunch at noon.
- Abhyanga (Ayurvedic self-massage) with a cooling oil such as coconut oil.
Pitta-Pacifying Diet
- Dairy. Milk, butter and Ghee are good for balancing Pitta. Reduce yogurt, cheese, sour cream and cultured buttermilk (their sour tastes aggravate Pitta).
- Sweeteners. All sweeteners are good in moderation, except for honey and molasses.
- Oils. Olive, sunflower and coconut oils are best. Reduce sesame, almond and corn oil, all of which increase Pitta.
- Fruits. Favor sweet fruits, such as grapes, cherries, melons, avocados, coconuts, pomegranates, mangos, and sweet, fully-ripened oranges, pineapples and plums. Reduce sour fruits such as grapefruits, olives, papayas, and unripe pineapples and plums.
- Vegetables. Favor asparagus, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, okra, lettuce, green beans and zucchini. Reduce hot peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, radishes and spinach.
- Spices. Cinnamon, coriander, cardamom and fennel are okay for Pitta. But the following spices strongly increase Pitta and should be taken only in small amounts: ginger, cumin, black pepper, fenugreek, clove, celery seed, salt and mustard seed. Chili peppers and cayenne should be avoided.
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