DIET FOR PITTA
& Summer Food Guide
Anti-Pitta Diet Food List
Pittas, or fire types are require a diet which is cool, slightly dry, and a little heavy.They usually possess the best appetites and strongest digestions, and can get away with excessive eating or bad food combinations. The effects of bad diet may manifest more through toxic blood and infectious diseases than simple digestive upset. Tastes that decrease Pitta are sweet, bitter and astringent. It is increased by sour, salty and pungent. Sharp or strong tastes increase Pitta; mild or bland decrease it.
FRUIT
Most fruit is good for Pitta as it tends to be cooling, calming, harmonizing and thirst releiving. Sour fruits can be taken seasonally. Bananas are good, except in acute conditions like ulcers or urinary tract infections. Fruit juices are also good.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Apples, pomegranates, pears, pineapple, cranberry, persimmon, melons, dates, prunes, grapes, figs, coconut, watermelon.
YES - but limit intake: Oranges, raspberries, mango, plums
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Lemons, limes, bananas, cherries, peaches, apricots, strawberries, papayas
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Grapefruit, sour apples.
VEGETABLES
Most vegetables are good for Pitta, raw unless low in vitality, or during the winter. Steamed and taken with ghee is also good, but not fried, particularly deep-fried. Nightshades can aggrivate Pitta with their acid content (especially tomatoes, also eggplant. peppers, potatoes) as well as spinach and chard.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Califlower, cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts, celery, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, asparagas, lettuce, green beans, fresh peas, cucumber, okra.
YES - but limit intake: Potatoes, parsley, bell peppers, fresh corn, squash.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): weel-cooked onions, carrots, beets, spinach, chard, sweet potatoes, eggplant, turnips, watercress, seaweeds.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Tomatoes (cooked and raw), avacado, radish, garlic, horseradish, olives.
GRAINS
Most whole grains are good for Pitta, as they are strengthening and harmonizing without being overheating. Most wholegrain breads are also good.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Wheat, basmati rice, oats, barley, granola, quinoa, cous cous, wholegrain pasta.
YES - but limit intake: long grain brown rice, blue corn, millet.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): short grain brown rice, corn, rye, buckwheat, chips and crackers, corn
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Yeasted bread white flour products, white rice.
BEANS & LEGUMES
With their good digestive systems, Pittas are better able to digest beans, although spices like cumin help the process. Most beans are nuetral for Pittas, unless refried in lard, which aggrivates Pitta.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Mung, aduki, tofu, lima.
YES - but limit intake: Kidney, split peas, chickpeas, black, navy, pinto.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Peanuts, lentils, soy.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Refried beans with lard, tempeh.
NUTS & SEEDS
Nuts are generally oily and warm so increase Pitta, more so if roasted and salted. However, when a strong, nourishing protien food is needed, they are preferable to meats and fish.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: coconut, sunflower
YES - but limit intake: seseme, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, filberts, pecans.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Brazil nuts, roasted and salted nuts.
DAIRY
Oils are hot in nature and therefore should be avoided by Pittas. Animal fats are hottest, vegetable oils are least warm. Ghee and butter are best as they are cooling in nature.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Ghee, cocnut, butter
YES - but limit intake: Sunflower, soy, corn.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Olive, canola, safflower.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Seseme, almond, peanut, mustard, lard, margerine.
ANIMAL PRODUCTS
Meat is fire increasing and provokes anger and aggression, red meat being the worst offender. Pittas feel strong and powerful eating meat but it brings out their bad side. They should really remain lacto-vegetarians.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: none
YES - but limit intake: Organic white meat turkey or chicken, egg whites.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): fresh water fish, eggs
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: red parts of chicken and turkey, pork, beef, salt water fish, shellfish, beef, lamb.
OILS
Oils are hot in nature and therefore should be avoided by Pittas. Animal fats are hottest, vegetable oils are least warm. Ghee and butter are best as they are cooling in nature.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Ghee, cocnut, butter
YES - but limit intake: Sunflower, soy, corn.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Olive, canola, safflower.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Seseme, almond, peanut, mustard, lard, margerine.
SWEETENERS
Pitta types can best handle sugar. They need something sweet to cool and calm them down and harmonize their emotions, but they can overindulge. Honey is good fresh, but becomes heating when over 6 months old. Honey should always be used raw, and not even heated in hot tea (cool tea a bit before adding).
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Raw sugar (Sucanut), raw fresh honey, barley malt.
YES - but limit intake: fruit sugar, maple sugar
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Old honey, molasses.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: White sugar, saccarin, nutri-sweet.
SPICES
Spicy foods are one of the main causes of high Pitta. Nevertheless, Pittas can take spices that are nuetral or cooling in energy, particularly when eating heavy foods.
YES! - Pitta Pacifying: Coriander, cilantro, fennel, dill, safferon, tumeric.
YES - but limit intake: cardomon, tumeric, mint, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, vanilla, anise.
NO - but can be antidoted (small amounts): Cloves, basil, nutmeg, rock salt, celery seed, caraway, mild curry, sage, oregano, rosemary.
NO! - Disturbs Pitta: Ginger, asafoetida, fenugreek, allspice, cayanne, black pepper, hot curry, garlic, mustard seeds, horseradish.
BEVERAGES
Pittas need adequate fluid intake, cool spring water is good. Green or black tea can be taken, but not coffee. Astringent herb teas such as alfalfa, raspberry leaf, hibiscus, dandelion and comfrey help cleanse and cool the blood and liver. Fruit juices such as pineapple, cranberry and pomegranate are good, as are vegetable and green drinks. Milk is benificial if of pure quality. Alcohol, beer and wine are to be strictly avoided.
SUPPLIMENTS
Pitta does well with B vitamins. Vitamin K is good for stopping bleeding. Pittas can handle mineral suppliments without weakening the digestive fire, unlike the other humors. Iron, and calcium are important. Pittas digest raw vegetables enough to extract most of what they need from food. Ayurvedic Rasayanas (herbal pastes) include Brahmi Prash to calm anger and aggression; and Chyavan Prash for physical rejuvination.
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WISDOM OF THE SEERS
Ayurvedic Medicine