Vata dietary Guidelines

In general choose a diet that emphasizes warm, soupy, and easy to digest foods. The vata gut prefers cooked vegetables to raw.  Most sweet and juicy fruits are beneficial for vata. Avoid unripe fruit or large amounts of astringent fruits such as pomegranate and cranberry. Vata types can best utilize animal foods in their diet. Combine legumes with sweet grains such as rice. Vata individuals should especially avoid caffeine and sugar.

FOOD TYPE	Prefered foods	Best to avoid foods
Fruits	Apricots, Avocados, Bananas, Berries, Cherries, Coconut, Dates, Figs, Grapefruits, Grapes, Lemons, Mangoes, Melon, Nectarines, Oranges, Papaya, Peaches, Plums	Cranberry, Pomegranate, Dried Fruits, Apples (except Cooked)
Vegetables	Asparagus, Beets, Carrots, cooled Celery, Sweet Potatoes, cooked Onion, Green Beans, Veggie Juices W/ Ginger	Eggplant, Spinach, Mushrooms, Peas, Most Raw Vegetables
Grains	Wheat, Oats, Quinoa, Rice (Eaten With Added Ghee, Butter, or Oil)	Corn, Millet, Rye, Buckwheat, Yeasted Bread
Legumes	Mung Beans, Red Lentils, Black Lentils, hummus, organic Tofu	Chick Peas, Soy Beans, Peas, Lima
Flesh Food	Eggs, dark Turkey, dark chicken, Venison, Fresh Fish, Goat	Lamb, Beef, Shellfish
Nuts & Seeds	Almonds (soaked and peeled), pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, nut butters and milks	Excess Sesame, peanuts
Dairy	Fresh Yogurt, Milk Cooked With Ginger, Cardamom, And Turmeric	Ice Cream, Smoothies, Hard Cheeses
Sweeteners	Maple Syrup, Fresh Raw Honey, Raw Sugar	White Sugar, Excess Amounts of Chocolate, Cooked Honey
Spices	Ginger, garlic, asafetida (in legume soups), nutmeg	Overuse of “Hot” Spices
Vices	Small Amounts of Wine And Beer	Tobacco, Sugar, Caffeine