Pitta-Balancing Foods for Radiant Summer + Cheat Sheet for Download
Summer: a season of joy, sun-kissed skin, fresh vegetables and fruits, outdoor activities, and an abundance of colours. All you need to leave the house is a dress and shoes. We tend to travel more and simply enjoy our lives.
However, summer is also the season ruled by the hot, sharp, and intense dosha Pitta. Prolonged high temperatures can become difficult to handle and lead to unpleasant symptoms. Long days, calendars filled with social gatherings, and staying up until late - all these things increase Pitta in all of us.
To balance the aggravated Pitta, we need to incorporate opposite qualities, such as sweet, soothing, calming, and cooling. We can achieve this by engaging in calming and cooling activities, but one of the best ways to bring Pitta down is to make a few dietary changes. Thankfully, these changes are mostly intuitive, as during summer we have access to plenty of seasonal vegetables and fruits that naturally have cooling and soothing properties.
Common Symptoms of Excess Pitta
An imbalance in the Pitta dosha can manifest through various symptoms. The most common ones are:
Anger
Irritation
Intensity
Impatience
Skin rashes
Skin redness
Inflammation
Increased acidity and heartburn
Loose stools
Feeling hot or overheated
Tastes and Pitta dosha
Tastes that increase Pitta dosha include pungent, sour, and salty - these are the tastes we should cut back on in our diet during the summer season. On the flip side, tastes that help balance Pitta are sweet, bitter, and astringent. So, go ahead and incorporate more of these tastes into your meals!
Tastes to balance Pitta:
Sweet: has heavy, moist and cooling qualities; very nourishing, helps to build tissues, soothing, comforting, healing
Examples: grains, bread, honey, meat, milk, most oils, nuts
Bitter: has drying, light and cooling qualities; helps to detoxify the body and purifies the blood
Examples: leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green tea, thyme, dill
Astringent: has drying, heavy and cooling qualities; shrinks overly open channels and pores, removes mucus, helps to reduce inflammation
Examples: green apples, lentils and beans, cranberries, acai berries, lemon, okra
Tastes that aggravate Pitta:
Pungent: has dry, intense and heating qualities; warms the body, improves digestion, cleanses sense organs, brings up the digestive fire (agni), in excess may be drying and cause burning sensations in the body
Examples: chilli, garlic, onion, leek, mustard seeds, buckwheat, black pepper, cardamom, cloves
Sour: has heavy, warm, hot and oily qualities; increases appetite, boosts metabolism, encourages sweating, sharpens the mind
Examples: sour apples, raspberries, fermented foods, citrus fruits
Salty: has heavy, hot and moist qualities; softens organs, decreases tightness, improves circulation, works as a mild sedative and laxative
Examples: salt, seaweed, seafood
Balancing Pitta in Summer: A Refreshing Summer Diet Guide
To keep your Pitta in check during the summer, focus on embracing those sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes in your diet. But no worries, that doesn't mean you have to give up on all the other delicious flavours! Just remember to enjoy them in moderation, keeping in mind your personal needs and the current weather.
When it comes to summer food, keeping things light and easy is the key. Opt for lightly cooked dishes that won't weigh you down. If your digestion is strong and you don't experience issues like loose stools, constipation, acidity, gas, or bloating, you can even incorporate some raw veggies into your meals. Don’t forget to include some cooling herbs and spices to beat the heat.
Make sure to load up on leafy greens and water-dense veggies - they'll help keep you hydrated and feeling refreshed. Also, remember to treat yourself to the delightful sweetness of juicy fruits that summer has to offer.
Try to stick to regular mealtimes and stay properly hydrated throughout the day. Summer is a time for enjoyment and feeling your best, so let's embrace a well-balanced and revitalizing approach to our diet!
Remember to pay close attention to your body's signals and listen to your own sense of health. There is no one-size-fits-all list of recommended foods, and you are the expert when it comes to your own health.
Vegetables
If your digestion is strong, you can eat raw vegetables
Best: alfalfa sprouts, artichoke, asparagus, bean sprouts, bell peppers, bitter melon, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cilantro, cress, cucumber, green peppers, kale, leafy greens, lettuce, mushrooms, onions (well-cooked), peas, pumpkin, seaweed, squash, zucchini
In moderation: avocado, beets (best in early summer), carrots, corn, eggplant, garlic (well-cooked), parsley, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes
Limit: chillies, hot peppers, mustard greens, onion (raw), radishes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, any hot or pungent vegetable
Fruits
Best: apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, coconut, cranberries, dates, dried fruit, figs, grapes, lemons, limes, nectarines, pineapple, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries
In moderation: apricots, bananas (very ripe only), cherries, grapefruit, oranges
Limit: all sour fruits, such as oranges (mandarin), sour pineapple, sour plums, papaya, olives, tangerines, and all unripe fruit
Dairy
Best: unsalted butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ghee, milk
In moderation: hard cheeses
Limit: buttermilk, salted cheeses, sour cream, kefir, cultured milk, yoghurt
Meats
Limit consumption of meat to 2-3 per week
Best: chicken, turkey, freshwater fish (especially trout), egg whites
In moderation: beef, duck, egg yolk, lamb, pork, sea fish, venison, and any other red meat
Grains
It is best to eat them cooked
Best: barley, white basmati rice, millet, oats, white rice, unprocessed whole wheat
In moderation: brown rice
Limit: buckwheat, corn flour
Legumes
Best: black lentils, chickpeas, mung beans, split peas, soybeans (soy products), tofu
In moderation: aduki beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans
Limit: red and yellow lentils
Oils
Best: ghee, olive
In moderation: avocado, canola, corn, coconut, soy, sunflower
Limit: almond, castor, flaxseed, margarine, mustard, peanut, safflower, sesame
Nuts & Seeds
Best: coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
In moderation: pine nuts, sesame seeds
Limit: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, peanuts, and any other nuts
Spices:
Best: cardamom, chamomile, coconut, coriander, dill, fennel, lemon verbena, peppermint, saffron, spearmint, turmeric
In moderation: basil, bay leaf, black pepper, caraway, cinnamon, cumin, ginger (fresh), oregano, rosemary, thyme
Limit: anise, asafetida, calamus, cayenne pepper, cloves, fenugreek, garlic (raw), ginger (dry), horseradish, hyssop, marjoram, mustard seeds, nutmeg, poppy seeds, sage
Sweeteners
Best: maple syrup, rice syrup
In moderation: honey
Limit: molasses, raw sugar, white sugar
Beverages
Best: water, milk, coconut milk, coconut water, bitter and astringent herb teas such as alfalfa, chicory, dandelion, hibiscus, strawberry leaf, wheatgrass, and other green juices
In moderation: chai tea or black tea, fruit juice diluted by half with water
Limit: alcohol, carbonated water, coffee, sweet fruit juices, spicy herb teas, soft drinks, tomato juice
Condiments
Best: carob sweetened with maple syrup or rice syrup
In moderation: mayonnaise, sweet mustard
Limit: chocolate, salt, vinegar
Feeling overwhelmed? No worries! I've got you covered. To make it easier for you to balance excess Pitta this summer, I've prepared a handy cheat sheet filled with all the recommended foods. Simply print it out, hang it on your fridge, and let the coolness of these tips sink in. With this cheat sheet, you'll be a Pitta-balancing pro in no time!
Click the button below to grab your cheat sheet!
