Foods
Ordinary food read as medicine — which taste, which quality, which dosha it settles and which it stirs up.
Ajwain (culinary)
Sharp digestive seed; a household remedy for gas and bloating.
Almonds (soaked, peeled)
Nourishing, building nut; soaked and peeled they are an ideal Vata tonic.
Amaranth (Rajgira)
Light, warming pseudo-grain good for kapha and gluten-free diets.
Apple
Astringent-sweet fruit; best cooked for Vata, good raw for Pitta and Kapha.
Asparagus
Light diuretic vegetable; cooling, supports the urinary tract.
Avocado
Rich, unctuous, grounding; nourishing for vata, reduce in kapha.
Banana (ripe)
Sweet, heavy, grounding fruit; nourishing for Vata, heavy for Kapha.
Barley
Light, drying, diuretic grain that reduces Kapha and excess fluid.
Basmati rice
Light, easy-to-digest white rice; the most tridoshic grain in moderation.
Beetroot
Sweet, grounding root; blood-building, cook for best digestion.
Beets (cooked)
Sweet, warming, blood-building root; grounding for Vata.
Bell pepper
Light, mildly heating; fine cooked, can aggravate pitta raw.
Bitter gourd (Karela)
Bitter, drying, cleansing; supports blood sugar and skin.
Black beans
Dense, drying beans; good for Kapha, potentially gas-forming for Vata.
Black pepper
Sharp, heating spice that stimulates digestion and clears Kapha.
Bottle gourd (Lauki)
Light, cooling, easy-to-digest gourd — excellent for pitta and detox.
Broccoli
Light, astringent cruciferous vegetable; reduces Kapha and Pitta.
Brown rice
Heavier, warming whole rice; more grounding but harder to digest.
Buckwheat
Warming, light, drying grain — good for kapha, reduce in vata.
Buttermilk (Takra)
Cultured, light dairy; the classical digestive, esp. for the gut.
Cabbage
Light, drying, astringent vegetable that reduces Kapha; gas-forming for Vata.
Cardamom
Aromatic, warming-yet-gentle spice that aids digestion and freshens; fairly tridoshic.
Carrots (cooked)
Sweet, grounding root vegetable; nourishing cooked for Vata.
Cashews
Sweet, heavy, building nut; nourishing for vata, reduce in kapha.
Cauliflower
Light, drying, gas-forming raw; cook with spices, reduce in vata.
Chickpeas
Hearty, drying, astringent legume; reduces Kapha but can aggravate Vata gas.
Cinnamon
Sweet-pungent warming spice supporting circulation, digestion, and healthy blood sugar.
Coconut (fresh)
Sweet, cooling, unctuous; excellent Pitta-pacifier and gently nourishing.
Coconut water
Cooling, hydrating; excellent for pitta, thirst and summer.
Coriander
Cooling, calming digestive spice; excellent for pacifying Pitta.
Corn (Maize)
Sweet-drying grain, warming; kapha-neutral, can aggravate vata.
Cow's ghee
Foremost fat in Ayurveda; kindles agni without aggravating pitta.
Cucumber
Very cooling, hydrating vegetable; excellent for Pitta and summer heat.
Cumin
Cooling-to-neutral digestive spice that reduces gas and balances all doshas.
Curry leaves
Aromatic digestive leaf; supports agni, hair and the gut.
Dates
Very sweet, heavy, building fruit; excellent Vata tonic and energy source.
Date syrup
Sweet, grounding syrup; nourishing for vata, reduce in kapha.
Edamame
Young soybeans, lighter than mature; moderate portions.
Eggplant (Brinjal)
Warming nightshade; best cooked with spices, reduce in high pitta.
Fennel
Sweet, cooling digestive that eases gas without aggravating Pitta.
Figs (Anjeer)
Sweet, grounding, mildly laxative; nourishing for vata and pitta.
Fresh chenna
Fresh unsalted curd cheese; building, best fresh and warm.
Ghee
Clarified butter; the premier Ayurvedic fat, kindles digestion while nourishing tissues. Tridoshic in moderation.
Ginger (fresh)
The 'universal medicine'; warming digestive that kindles agni and clears ama.
Goat milk
Lighter than cow milk; easier to digest, good in convalescence.
Grapes
Sweet, cooling, juicy fruit; soothing for Pitta and Vata.
Green beans
Light, easy vegetable; tridoshic when cooked with spices.
Green peas
Light, slightly drying; kapha-friendly, mildly vata-increasing.
Hing (culinary)
Pinch of asafoetida makes legumes digestible and calms vata gas.
Honey (raw)
The one sweetener that reduces Kapha; scraping and drying in quality. Never heat it.
Jaggery
Unrefined cane sugar; building and mineral-rich, more grounding than white sugar.
Kale
Light, drying, bitter green that reduces Kapha and Pitta; rough for Vata.
Lime (Nimbu)
Sour digestive; kindles agni, best in small amounts for pitta.
Mango (ripe)
Sweet, nourishing, warming fruit; grounding for Vata in moderation.
Maple syrup
Sweet cooling syrup; gentler than refined sugar, moderate use.
Melon
Very cooling, hydrating fruit; best eaten alone, away from other foods.
Methi leaves
Bitter warming greens; digestive, good for kapha and blood sugar.
Methi seed
Bitter-warming seed; supports digestion, joints and blood sugar.
Milk (warm)
Sweet, cooling, nourishing dairy; best taken warm and spiced, alone.
Millet
Light, warming, drying grain ideal for reducing Kapha.
Mint (Pudina)
Cooling aromatic herb; calms pitta, freshens digestion.
Mixed berries
Sweet-sour antioxidants; mostly cooling, moderate for pitta.
Mung bean sprouts
Light, cooling, cleansing sprouts good for Kapha and Pitta; cook lightly for Vata.
Mung dal (split)
The most easily digested legume; tridoshic and the base of kitchari.
Mustard seed
Pungent, heating seed; stimulates agni, reduces kapha.
Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
Warming, grounding, sleep-promoting spice — use in small amounts.
Oats (cooked)
Warm cooked oats are nourishing and grounding for Vata.
Okra (Bhindi)
Mucilaginous, cooling; soothing to the gut and joints.
Onion (cooked)
Sweet when cooked, pungent raw; grounding cooked, stimulating raw.
Orange
Sweet-sour citrus; refreshing, warming, can aggravate high pitta.
Paneer
Fresh cheese; heavy, cooling, building; nourishing but Kapha-increasing.
Papaya (ripe)
Sweet warming fruit; aids digestion, gentle on the gut.
Pear
Sweet-astringent, cooling fruit that reduces Kapha and Pitta.
Pistachios
Warming, grounding nut; good for vata in moderation.
Pomegranate
Sweet-astringent fruit that balances all doshas; especially good for Pitta.
Pumpkin
Sweet, grounding, cooked-warm squash; nourishing and calming.
Pumpkin seed
Light, grounding seed; supports the prostate and vata.
Quinoa
Light, warming pseudo-grain, protein-rich and reasonably tridoshic.
Radish (Mooli)
Pungent, warming; cooked is digestive, raw can aggravate pitta.
Raisins (Draksha)
Soaked raisins are a gentle tonic; cooling, laxative, blood-building.
Rajma (Kidney beans)
Heavy, gassy bean; soak well and spice for digestibility.
Raw leafy salad
Light, dry, cooling raw greens; good for Kapha and Pitta, drying and rough for Vata.
Red lentils (masoor)
Light, quick-cooking legume; warming and reasonably easy to digest.
Red rice
Whole red rice, more grounding and mineral-rich than white; balancing.
Ridge gourd (Turai)
Light cooling gourd, gentle on digestion, good for pitta.
Rock salt (Saindhava)
The best salt in Ayurveda; balancing, least aggravating to pitta.
Rye
Dry, heavy grain; reduces kapha, best cooked well for vata.
Saffron (culinary)
Prized aromatic; tridoshic, uplifting to mood and complexion.
Semolina (Rava)
Wheat semolina, light when roasted; easy, comforting.
Sesame seed (Til)
Warming, unctuous, mineral-rich; deeply vata-pacifying.
Soybean
Heavy, cooling protein; can be hard to digest, favor fermented forms.
Spinach
Cooling leafy green; good cooked, astringent, mildly Vata-increasing raw.
Sweet potato
Sweet, moist, grounding root; excellent for Vata, heavier for Kapha.
Tofu
Cooling, soft soy product; calming for Pitta, heavier for Kapha.
Tomato
Sour, heating fruit-vegetable; aggravates Pitta, best cooked and spiced.
Toor dal (Pigeon pea)
Common protein pulse; can be gassy — cook with digestive spices.
Turmeric (culinary)
Golden anti-inflammatory spice; tridoshic, purifying in cooking.
Urad dal (Black gram)
Heavy, building, warming pulse; strengthening but hard to digest.
Walnuts
Warming, oily, grounding nut good for Vata; heavier for Pitta and Kapha.
Wheat
Heavy, nourishing, grounding grain; strengthening but Kapha-increasing.
Whole masoor (Brown lentil)
Warming lentil; nourishing, needs good spicing for vata.
Whole mung bean
Whole green gram; slightly heavier than split, still tridoshic.
Yogurt
Sour, heavy, heating fermented dairy; increases Pitta and Kapha, best diluted as lassi.
Zucchini
Light, watery, cooling squash; easy to digest and gentle for most.
Educational information about Ayurveda, Siddha and Yoga — not a medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult a qualified professional before starting any herb, supplement, or therapy.