VATA PACIFYING DIET

Enjoy these foods that pacify or reduce the vata dosha:

• Sweet fruits such as bananas(only in summer), coconuts, figs, grapes, melon (in summer), papaya and dates.
• Dried dates and raisins should be soaked in water for several hours, or eat them with a little bit of ghee.
• Cooked vegetables, including beets, carrots, french green beans, onion (not raw)
• Sweet potatoes, all kinds of squashes and pumpkins such as ridge gourd, bottle gourd, snake gourd, and red and white pumpkin
• Cooked rice, especially basmati and brown rice, and cooked oats
• Cooked whole mung beans, split mung dal, masoor dal and red lentils
• All nuts, and especially nut butters, in moderation for nourishment.
• Jaggery (natural, unrefined sugar available at Indian grocery stores), molasses, honey, palm sugar, unrefined sugar such as Sucanat,
• Ghee, olive oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil.  We recommend consumption of oils in moderate quantities.
• If you eat animal products, eggs, seafood and dark meat poultry pacify vata

Note: Eat more soupy foods and cooked vegetables rather than raw.  Cooked veggies are definitely your friend. All your food should contain a moderate amount of oil or ghee.  Remember:  Plain boiled or steamed vegetables and grains without oil cause excess vata.  Avoid chilled water, cold drinks, cold milk, curd and ice cream, which increase vata. Excessive fasting also increases vata.

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