Introduction

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet to maintain good health. According to Ayurveda, there are three doshas or energies that govern the human body – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Pitta dosha is responsible for digestion, metabolism, and body temperature regulation. When Pitta is in excess, it can lead to inflammation, acidity, and other digestive issues. Therefore, it is important to include Pitta pacifying foods in the diet to balance the Pitta dosha and maintain overall health.

Pitta is responsible for governing metabolism, digestion, and transformation in the body. When Pitta is balanced, we experience good digestion, a healthy metabolism, and a calm, focused mind. However, when Pitta becomes imbalanced, we can experience symptoms such as inflammation, acidity, heartburn, and irritability.

One of the best ways to pacify Pitta is through diet. Choosing cool, calm, and hydrating foods can help to balance Pitta and promote overall health and well-being. Here are some of the best Pitta pacifying foods that I will recommend to include in your diet:

Fruits

Fruits that pacify pitta will generally be sweet and somewhat astringent. Dried fruits are typically also acceptable, but are best in small quantities, so as not to further accelerate pitta’s tendency toward rapid digestion. Fruits to avoid are those that are exceptionally heating or sour (like bananas, cranberries, and green grapes). And remember, fruits and fruit juices are best enjoyed alone—30 minutes before, and ideally at least 1 hour after, any other food. This helps to ensure optimal digestion. Note: this rule does not apply to fruits we typically consider vegetables (avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.). You will find these fruits listed among the “vegetables.”

Favor	Avoid
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	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

 

Vegetables

Vegetables that pacify pitta will generally be somewhat sweet and either bitter, astringent, or both. Many vegetables include some combination of these tastes; so experimenting with a wide variety of vegetables is a great way to diversify your pitta-pacifying diet. Pitta can usually digest raw vegetables better than vata and kapha, but midday is often the best time of day to have them because digestive strength is at its peak. The only vegetables for pitta to reduce or avoid are those that are particularly spicy, heating, sharp, or sour—like garlic, green chillies, radishes, onion, and mustard greens.

Favor

Avoid

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

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

 

Grains

Grains that pacify pitta are cooling, sweet, dry, and grounding. Grains tend to be staples in our diets, and overall, pitta benefits from their sweet, nourishing nature. You’ll also notice that many of the grains that benefit pitta are rather dry; this helps to offset pitta’s oily nature. When it comes to balancing pitta, avoiding grains that are heated (like buckwheat, corn, millet, brown rice, and yeasted bread) is the most important guideline.

Favor	Avoid
Amaranth Barley Couscous Crackers Durham Flour Granola Oat Bran Oats Pasta Quinoa Rice (basmati, white, wild) Rice Cakes Seitan Spelt Sprouted Wheat Bread Tapioca Wheat Wheat Bran	Buckwheat Cereal Corn Millet Muesli Pancakes Polenta Rice (brown) Rye Yeasted Bread

Legumes

Legumes are generally astringent in taste and are therefore largely pitta pacifying, so feel free to enjoy a wide variety of them. Beans that are not appropriate for pitta are those that are especially sour or oily and, not coincidentally – also heating.

Favor	Avoid
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 Tempeh Tofu White Beans	Miso Soya Meats Soya Sauce Soya Beans Soya Cheese Soya Flour Soya Milk Soya Powder Urad Dal

Dairy

Dairy products tend to be grounding, nourishing, and cooling, so many of them are balanced for pitta. Those to avoid are exceptionally sour, salty, or heating. As a rule, dairy milk (cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, etc.) should be taken at least one hour before or after any other food. For this reason, avoid drinking milk with meals. Almond and rice milk are good substitutes, if you need to combine milk with other foods, or if you don’t digest dairy milk well.

Favor	Avoid
Butter (unsalted) Cheese (soft, unsalted, not aged) Cottage Cheese Ghee Goat’s Milk Goat’s Cheese (soft, unsalted) Yogurt (homemade, diluted, without fruit)	Butter (salted) Buttermilk Cheese (hard) Cow’s Milk Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Sour Cream Yogurt (store bought, or with fruit)

Nuts & Seeds

Nuts and seeds tend to be extremely oily and are usually heating, so most of them are not terrifically balancing for pitta. That said, there are a few types of nuts, and several seeds that are acceptable in small quantities; these varieties tend to be less oily and are either mildly heating or cooling in nature.

Favor	Avoid
Almonds (soaked and peeled) Charoli Nuts Coconut Flax Seeds Popcorn (buttered, without salt) Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds	Almonds (with skin) Brazil Nuts Cashews Chia Seeds Filberts Macadamia Nuts Peanuts Pecans Pine Nuts Pistachios Sesame Seeds Tahini Walnut

Meat & Eggs

Pitta does best with animal foods that taste sweet, are relatively dry (like rabbit or venison) and are either mildly heating or cooling in nature. Meats that don’t work are those that are especially oily, salty, or heating (things like dark chicken, beef, salmon, or tuna).

Favor	Avoid
Chicken (white) Eggs (white only) Fish (freshwater) Rabbit Shrimp Turkey (white) Venison	Beef Chicken (dark) Duck Eggs (yolk) Fish (saltwater) Lamb Pork Salmon Sardines Seafood Tuna Fish Turkey (dark)

Oils

Despite being oily, pitta does well with a moderate amount of oil – as long as it is cooling. The very best oils for pitta are sunflower oil, ghee, coconut oil, and olive oil. It’s also important to keep in mind that toxins tend to concentrate on fats, so buying organic oils may be more important than buying organic fruits and vegetables.

Favor	Avoid
Coconut Oil Flax Seed Oil Ghee Olive Oil Primrose Oil Sunflower Oil Walnut Oil	Almond Oil Apricot Oil Corn Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Soya Oil

Sweeteners

Since the sweet taste is one that soothes pitta, most sweeteners are well tolerated by pitta, but some are simply too heated or too processed for pitta. In general, naturally occurring sweet tastes are far more balancing than sugary sweets, so even the appropriate sweeteners should be used in moderation.

Favor	Avoid
Barley Malt Date Sugar Fructose Stevia and other Sugar substitutes Maple Syrup Rice Syrup Sucanat Turbinado	Honey Jaggary Molasses White Sugar

Spices

Most spices are heated by nature and therefore have the potential to aggravate pitta. The spices to favour are only mildly heating, help to maintain a balanced digestive fire without provoking pitta, and, in some cases, are actively cooling. In particular, the cooling qualities of cardamom, cilantro, coriander, fennel and mint help to calm pitta’s heat. On occasion, these spices can be used to make foods that would otherwise be too hot for pitta more tolerable. Cumin, saffron, and turmeric, though heating, also offer some particularly valuable pitta pacifying properties.

Favor	Avoid
Basil (fresh) Black Pepper (small amounts) Cardamom Cinnamon (small amounts) Coriander (seeds or powder) Cumin (seeds or powder) Dill Fennel Ginger (fresh) Himalayan / Pink Salt Mint Neem Leaves Orange Peel Parsley Peppermint Saffron Spearmint Tarragon Turmeric Vanilla Wintergreen	Ajwain 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 Savory Thyme Trikatu

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, including cooling, calming, and hydrating foods in your diet is an important step in balancing Pitta and promoting overall health and well-being. Choose a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, and oils to support a healthy, balanced diet. Consult with a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner to develop a personalized diet plan that is tailored to your individual needs and health goals.