1. Ask the Vaidya
In this new column, our resident expert in Maharishi Ayurveda will answer questions from Health and Enlightenment readers. To submit a question, please e-mail us at news@lancasterhealth.com. We hope you’ll enjoy the practical wisdom of Maharishi Ayurveda that our expert well be sharing each month.
Question: I’ve heard that sweet taste is good for balancing Pitta dosha. Summer is a Pitta season so I would like to know what other dietary guidelines would be good to follow?
Answer: There are two main guidelines for Pitta season:
- Avoid heavy and greasy foods, (such as barbecued food, pizza, hard cheese, yeasted bread, etc.)
- Consider occasional fasting.
Our digestive fire—Agni—is less strong during the hot season so the foods we eat have to be lighter. It is also good to avoid overeating.
Favor light Pitta-balancing foods which include: steamed or stewed vegetables (such as zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, fennel, artichokes, green beans), sweet juicy fruits (such as mango, peach, grapes, melon, watermelon, cantaloupe, cherry, stewed apples or pears), grains (white basmati rice or other white rice, bulgur wheat, semolina, barley, couscous, quinoa), yellow mung dahl soup, lassi (a drink made from one part fresh yogurt and two or three parts water), chapatis (unyeasted flat breads), and small amounts of milk (boiled with a small slice of fresh ginger and a pinch of turmeric or cardamom).
It is also recommended to avoid or reduce Pitta increasing foods such as: hot spices, chilies, bell peppers, sour foods (like vinegar, citrus, yogurt, sour cream), tomatoes, ketchup, yeast, pickles, soy sauce, aged cheese, packaged or canned foods and leftovers.
Fasting can be done once a week in one of the following ways:
- Skip one meal on your chosen fast day. Most people find that skipping dinner is the easiest.
- Liquid food fast: Have only liquid foods throughout the day. You can choose from fruit juices (see fruit list above), pureed cooked vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, and asparagus are especially good), kanjee soup (white basmati rice cooked in lots of water with a pinch of salt, cumin and/or black pepper), and lassi. Fruit and fruit juices should be taken apart from meals. If you can’t make juice or puree, just take juicy fruits and well cooked juicy vegetables instead. (back to top)
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3. Recipe From Our Kitchen
Asparagus Soup
- 2 cup asparagus stems minced
- 3 cup asparagus tops cut ¼ inch
- 1 cup fennel (vegetable) diced
- ½ cup chopped leeks
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth
- ½ cup cilantro minced
- 4 tablespoons white unbleached flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric for color
- In a soup pot, sauté minced asparagus stems, fennel and leeks in olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Make a very thin batter by mixing 4 Tbs. of flour with some of the water (or vegetable broth) you measured before. Set aside.
- Add turmeric, remaining water (or vegetable broth) and asparagus tops to the sautéed vegetables and let it all simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.
- When the vegetables are soft, add the thin batter to the soup. This acts as a soup thickener for a more creamy consistency.
- Add fresh cilantro and then serve.
Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha): The three fundamental operating principles in our physiology. Vata is responsible for all movement in the body—circulation of blood, movement of food down the digestive tract, mental activity, etc. Pitta governs transformation and metabolism such as digestion of food and its transformation into bodily tissues, “digestion” of ideas and experiences, and more. Kapha gives solidity to the tissues, holds together different parts of the body and balances the bodily fluids.
Traditional Vedic texts associate each dosha with specific qualities. Vata is associated with cold, lightness, dryness and movement; Pitta with heat, light, sharpness and acidity; Kapha with cold, heaviness, oiliness and slowness.
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are found everywhere in nature—wherever their qualities are present. Different foods, geographic locations, seasons, times of the day, etc. each have a predominant dosha associated with them. When a certain dosha increases in the environment it will tend to increase the same dosha in our physiology and vice versa.
Subdoshas: Each dosha has five subdivisions, which operate in specific areas of the body.
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