Food to balance Vata
In the following chart you can find out which sources of food -vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, oils and spices - that you need to add to or reduce in to your diet if your PDE is Vata.
Since some of the items can change their natural qualities during the process of cooking, even though something generally is not good for a specific domination, with the right cooking and the combination of spices, it can be used in a moderate level, which I have marked with ‘*’ (star) sign. While a single star after an item indicates the use of that item in a moderate level, double ‘**’ (stars) after an item indicates use only when properly cooked with the right spices. After a few items you can also see three ‘* **’ (stars) with a space after the first star, which means that you can use that item in a moderate level when it is properly prepared.
If you are looking for a food list in Swedish I can recommend my books Ayurveda - Traditional kunskap for en modern livsstil or Maten från min by.
For a printable version click here.
Vata Favour
VEGETABLES
Ash gourd
Asparagus
Beets
Bottle gourd
Cabbage* (cooked)
Carrot
Cassava* **
Chili*
Corn* (cooked)
Cucumber
Daikon radish*
Drumstick
Elephant foot yam
Fennel
Horse raddish*
Lady fingers
Leek
Okra
Olive (black)
Onion* (cooked)
Parsnip
Pumpkin
Radish* (cooked)
Rutabaga**
Seaweed
Spinach* (cooked)
Sprouts*
Squash* (cooked)
Sweet potato
Taro root
Watercress
Yam
Zucchini (cooked)
FRUIT
Apples (cooked)
Apricot
Avocado
Banana
Berry
Black berry
Blue berry
Cherry
Coconut
Dates (fresh/soaked/cooked)
Figs (fresh/soaked/cooked)
Grape
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mango
Melon
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pineapple
Plum
Prune (soaked/cooked)
Raisin (soaked/cooked)
Raspberry*
Rhubarb
Strawberry
Tamarind
GRAINS
Amaranth*
Couscous*
Durham flour
Oats (cooked)
Quinoa (cooked)*
Rice
Wheat
LEGUMES
Green beans (cooked)
Lentils (red)
Mung beans
Mung dhal
Peas (cooked)
Split pigeon peas
Vegan paneer*
Yellow split mung beans*
NUTS & SEEDS
Almond
Brazil nut
Cashew nut*
Chia seeds
Flax seed
Hazel nut
Hemp seed
Macadamia nut
Peanut*
Pecan nut
Pine nut
Pistachios
Psyllium*
Pumpkin seed
Sesame seed
Sunflower seed
Walnut
OIL
Almond oil
Avocado oil
Coconut oil*
Flaxseed oil*
Mustard oil
Olive oil
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
SPICES & HERBS
Ajwan
Allspice
Anise
Asafoetida
Basil
Bay leaf
Black pepper
Caraway
Cardamom
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Clove
Coriander powder*
Cumin
Curry leaves
Dill
Fennel
Garlic*
Ginger
Long pepper
Mace
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard seed
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika powder
Parsley
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage*
Salt
Star Anise
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla
Vata Avoid/Reduce
VEGETABLES
Artichoke*
Arugula*
Aubergine
Bell pepper**
Bitter melon
Brocoli
Brussel sprouts
Burdock root
Cabbage (raw)
Cauliflower (raw)
Cauliflower* **
Celery
Chard*
Chayote squash
Chinese potato* **
Corn (fresh)
Dandelion greens
Ivy gourd *
Jerusalem Artichoke*
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leafy greens*
Letuce*
Mushroom
Olive (green)*
Onion (raw)
Potato
Radish (raw)
Ridge gourd
Snake gourd *
Spinach (raw)
Squash (raw)
Sundried tomato*
Tomato (raw)
Tomato* (cooked)
Turnip
Zucchini (raw)
FRUITS
Apple
Banana (unripe)
Cranberry
Date (dry)
Fig (dry)
Guava
Lingonberry
Pear
Persimmon
Pomegranate
Prune (dry)
Raisin (dry)
Water melon
GRAINS
Barley
Buckwheat*
Corn*
Millet
Oats (dry)
Polenta*
Quinoa (puffed)
Rye
Spelt
LEGUMES
Aduki beans* **
Black beans* **
Black-eyed peas* **
Broad beans
Chickpeas* **
Kidney beans* **
Lentils (brown/green)
Lima beans
Navy beans
Peas (raw/dried)
Pinto beans* **
Soybeans* **
White beans
NUTS & SEEDS
Corn (popped)
OIL
Canola oil*
Corn oil*
Soybean oil*
SPICES & HERBS
Cayenne pepper*
Chili powder*
Fenugreek*
Neem leaves*
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