If you are a Pitta dosha, have a Pitta imbalance, or simply want to know what to eat when it’s hot outside, then this post is for you! Learn which foods are the best for balancing this dosha, and stay cool and chill during the summertime.
The science of Ayurveda looks at food as a tool to restore balance and heal illnesses, both physical and mental. Pitta energies are hot, sharp, oily, liquid, spreading, and light.
However, when Pitta becomes imbalanced, it can manifest in the form of diarrhea, reflux, acne, inflammation, ulcers, skin problems, burnout, anger, irritability, impatience, competitiveness, or jealousy.
Since like increases like, to bring Pitta back to balance, you should eat foods with its opposite qualities. This means that, if you are a Pitta, you should consume more dry, mild, cooling, grounding foods, and drinks.
Avoid anything spicy, oily, stimulant, hot or heavy. Focus on sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes, and minimize foods with salty, sour, and pungent flavors.
Pitta is the dosha that rules the summer. Ayurveda recommends eating seasonally, so even if you are not predominantly a Pitta, you would want to include more of these foods during the season.
Click here for the list of Vata and Kapha pacifying foods.
Foods to favor
Cool, dry, and mild
Fruits: sweet and a bit astringent. Mangoes, apricots, coconut, avocados, apples, pears, sweet berries, sweet cherries, ripe peaches, bananas, melons, figs, dates, raisins.
Vegetables: sweet potato, beets, carrots, pumpkins, asparagus, leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, arugula), zucchini, leeks, cucumbers, cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, kale), green beans, artichokes, olives, etc.
Grains: rice, dry oats, quinoa, amaranth, whole-grain pasta, couscous.
Legumes: most beans are good for Pitta. Moong dal, red lentils, tofu, tempeh, chickpea, adzuki beans, black beans, brown lentils.
Dairy: always organic. Cottage cheese, butter, ghee, yogurt, goat’s dairy.
Fats: healthy oils (coconut oil, olive oil), ghee, avocado, raw almonds, seeds (flax, chia, sunflower, pumpkin seeds).
Animal products: fish, white chicken, rabbit.
Sweeteners: erythritol, xylitol, coconut sugar, dates, raw honey, maple syrup, stevia.
Spices: focus on mild, cooling spices. Cumin, basil, fennel, dill, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, parsley, tarragon, turmeric, vanilla.
Foods to reduce or avoid
Spicy, oily, and hot
Fruits: acidic and sour fruits, such as lemon, grapefruit, and tart berries.
Vegetables: hot peppers, eggplant, raw onion, raw garlic, tomatoes, radishes.
Grains: buckwheat, corn, millet, rye, yeasted bread.
Legumes: miso, soy meat, soy sauce.
Dairy: aged cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, salted butter.
Fats: all nuts (except raw almonds), canola oil, refined sunflower oil, palm oil, peanut oil.
Animal products: lamb, venison, beef, pork, duck, shellfish.
Spices: avoid excess chili, garlic, onion, spicy mustard.
Sweeteners: artificial sweeteners, white sugar, brown sugar, honey (heated or cooked).
Drinks to favor
Mildly warm, room temperature, and cold
Teas: non-caffeinated herbal teas, such as camomile, rooibos, etc.
Milk: organic and with spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Goat’s is the best.
Non-dairy milk: almond, coconut, oat, rice.
Drinks to avoid
Any caffeine-based drinks or stimulants since they can be disruptive for the nervous system
Coffee, black tea, energy drinks.
Soy milk.
Fruit and milk smoothies.
Alcohol.
Some of my favorite Pitta pacifying recipes are:
