Balancing Pitta Dosha (Ayurvedic Medicine)
Annie Sawyer, PhD
In balancing Pitta Dosha I am using the Ayurvedic principle of the opposites for reducing the level of Pitta dosha that can become aggravated. Since the characteristics of Pitta include sharpness, heat, and acidity, qualities that are opposite to these in diet and lifestyle help restore balance to Pitta dosha.
Main Factors that affect Pitta Dosha are:
· Eating hot, spicy, oily, pungent, sour and salty foods. That is why eating main meal at noon with bulk of food being sweet, astringent, bitter in taste and lightly dry. The food should be pure and wholesome.
· Working in a hot sun for long periods of time, in a heavy stressful working media. That is why the opposite should be working in a cool, dry environment where the person should feel in control.
· Being overly critical and judgmental can affect Pitta Dosha. Seeking balance in everything, alternating work and rest will be the bottom line.
· Using stimulants- coffee, tea, and cigarettes is contraproductive for Pitta Dosha balance.
· U Using cooling herbs like aloe, dandelion, cilantro and gentian will decrease the desire to use stimulants.
· For leisure time Pitta must only walk and stay away of very active leisure activity.
· Wearing clothes that are bright red, yellow, orange or black are not suitable for Pitta dosha. They should ware white, yellow, cream, green and purple.
· Excessive heat and hot saunas, hot tubs, or too much sun are damaging Pitta. Cool shower, light warm water, moonlight walks in an open cool gardens are the best choice for Pitta people.
Dietary recommendations:
Dry foods should be included to balance the liquid nature of Pitta, some "heavy" foods that offer substance and sustained nourishment, and foods that are cool to balance the fiery quality of Pitta. So what exactly does this mean in terms of foods you should choose and foods you should stay away from?
· In order to keep Pitta balanced ghee in moderate quantities should be also included as it is cooling both mind and body. Ghee can be used heated without affecting its nourishing, healing qualities, to sauté vegetables, spices or other foods.
· Cooling foods as: sweet juicy fruits, especially pears, can cool a fiery Pitta quickly. Milk, sweet rice pudding, coconut and coconut juice, and milkshakes made with ripe mangoes and almonds or dates are examples of soothing Pitta-pacifying foods. Dairy: Whole milk, cream, butter, fresh yogurt (cooked into foods), lassi, cottage cheese, fresh paneer cheese.
· The three Ayurvedic tastes that help balance Pitta Dosha are: Sweet, Bitter and Astringent. So they should be also included in the daily diet. Milk, soaked and almonds make good snack option. Salty, pungent and sour food must be eliminated, as they increase Pitta Dosha.
· Dry cereal, crackers, granola and cereal bars or cookies as well as rice cakes balance Pitta Dosha and the liquid nature of it. They can be eaten any time. White basmati rice, barley, corn, couscous, oat bran, oats, wheat and bran can be used frequently.
· Vegetables- carrots, asparagus, bitter leafy greens, fennel, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are excellent veggie choices. The main veggies should be selected as follows: asparagus, tender and bitter greens, bitter gourd, carrots, fennel, peas, green beans, zucchini, lauki squash, artichoke, parsnips, okra, celery, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, sweet potatoes, all cooked, small quantities of raw lettuce, carrots or cucumber
· Beans as mung beans, small portions of garbanzos, lima beans, black beans, and lentils (red or brown) are excellent for balancing Pitta. They should be cooked until butter-soft
· Wheat, fresh flatbreads, whole-wheat flour (atta or chapatti flour) and Oats and amaranth are other Pitta-balancing grains. Basmati rice, corn, wheat, barley, oats, amaranth, sago are excellent choice. They should be cooked until tender.
· Spices that are not too heating or pungent as small quantities of turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and fennel offer flavor, aroma are also a good choice for Pitta balance. Herbs: Cilantro, curry leaves, parsley, fresh basil, fresh fennel, fresh mint
· Sweet lassi with lunch will help to enhance digestion and cool, not ice-cold, water to quench thirst.
· Fruits: Avocado, pineapple, peaches, plums, grapes, mangoes, melons, pears, pomegranates, cherries, all kinds of berries, apples, coconut, dates, fresh and dried figs, raisins (soaked), all ripe and sweet.
· Despite Pitta Dosha are mainly vegetarians there are meats as: chicken (white meat), turkey (white meat). The meat should be baked or broiled, but never fried.
· Oils: Ghee, olive oil, and walnut oil.
· Nuts and Seeds: Almonds (soaked and blanched), sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds
· Note * Rice milk, soymilk, sucanat, turbinado sugar, date sugar, and tofu can be used in moderation.
Lifestyle recommendations:
· The primary lifestyle recommendation for balancing Pitta dosha is to stay cool-both physically and emotionally. Going out in the heat of the day is disturbing the Pitta Dosha balance. There should be not when it's hot.
· Not skipping meals, or fasting for more than 4 days is a main rule in Pitta Dosha. You should start my day with cooked fruit, followed by some cereal. Eating a sustaining meal at lunch, and a lighter meal for dinner.
· For snacking, there should be a selection in between juicy fruit-fully ripe mangoes, sweet pears and sweet juicy grapes. Delaying meals can cause excess acidity, so eating on time every day will be a common principle.
· Daily (regular) elimination is the most important thing in order to prevent ama from accumulating in my body.
· Protecting yourself from the heat and staying cool in warm weather by wearing loose cotton clothing by wearing hat and sunglasses to protect my eyes when I go out. Drinking lots of room temperature water is a bottom line.
· If Pitta dosha is out of balance, one may find that he can fall asleep without much trouble, but then wakes up in the very early hours, finding it difficult to get back to sleep. It is important to get to bed early, so that adequate rest will be reassured. A cup of warm milk, with some cardamom, can be helpful before bedtime.
· Water-based activities as swimming or aqua-aerobics are ideal exercise for Pitta-dominant people. Walking after sunset, especially along a waterfront, is also a soothing way to fit Pitta Dosha balance.
· Balancing work and rest is a good choice. Having 30 minutes each day for meditation, can help balancing the heart and the emotions and to enhance body-mind-spirit coordination.
· In order to balance the emotions and to nourish and tone muscles and nerves, ayurvedic massage every morning before bathing is a must. Coconut oil, or lavender and rose oil are a good choice. Sandalwood water or rose water all over can keep the skin cool and dry.
· Natural Formulas: Amalaki can help digestion without aggravating Pitta dosha. It also helps balance stomach acid. Triphala is very important to promote regularity and to prevent ama to accumulate in the body. Aloe, dandelion, cilantro, parsley, and gentian are cooling herbs, which can help Pitta Dosha.
· Yoga for Pitta Dosha- Ayurveda prescribes Hatha Yoga as balancing exercise for Pitta Dosha people. As Charaka Samhita says “when pitta enters in different parts of the body it exhibits inflammation, perspiration, moisture, sloughing, itching, discharge and redness”. So where there is inflammation, Pitta Dosha is involved. Yoga practices, which have a cooling effect on the body and mind, can pacify or balance an aggravated pitta dosha, using the law of opposites to harmonize the system. This is the first approach.
References:
“ Ayurveda the Science of Self-Healing” by Dr. Vasant Lad
“ Ayurvedic Healing “ 2nd revised and enlarged edition by Dr. David Frawley
