Volume III · Part II · Chapter 22
Cooking for Each Dosha
The Ayurvedic Kitchen
About 2 min read
When a guest's dominant dosha or current imbalance is known, the kitchen can tilt the same menu towards them — usually with small swaps rather than separate meals. The tables below list foods to favour (✓) and to reduce (✗) for each dosha.
Vata-balancing (the default for guests over 55)#
| Food group | Favour | Reduce |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | Rice, wheat, oats (cooked), khichdi, suji | Dry millets without ghee, crackers, puffed snacks, raw oats |
| Pulses | Moong, masoor, toor (well-cooked with hing) | Chana, rajma, kala chana, urad in excess, sprouts uncooked |
| Vegetables | Sweet potato, carrot, beet, pumpkin, gourds, okra, tender drumstick | Raw salads, cabbage family uncooked, potato in excess, dried vegetables |
| Fruits | Sweet ripe fruits, stewed apple and pear, papaya, soaked raisins, dates, figs | Dried fruit unsoaked, unripe fruit, cranberries, watermelon in winter |
| Dairy | Warm milk, ghee, buttermilk, fresh paneer | Cold milk, ice cream, powdered milk drinks |
| Oils | Sesame, ghee | Excessively dry diet |
| Sweeteners | Jaggery, dates, honey (unheated) | White sugar in excess |
| Spices | Ginger, cumin, hing, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, ajwain | Chilli in excess, bitter herbs in excess |
| Drinks | Warm water, herbal teas, golden milk | Iced drinks, coffee, carbonated drinks |
Pitta-balancing (acidity, inflammation, heat, irritability)#
| Food group | Favour | Reduce |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | Rice, wheat, barley, oats, ragi, jowar | Bajra, maize in excess, yeasted breads |
| Pulses | Moong, masoor (lightly), split peas | Urad, horse gram |
| Vegetables | Gourds, cucumber, leafy greens (cooked), cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin | Tomato, chilli, raw radish, beetroot in excess |
| Fruits | Sweet grapes, pomegranate, amla, melons, sweet mango, coconut | Sour oranges, tamarind, unripe mango, sour berries |
| Dairy | Milk, ghee, fresh paneer, sweet thin buttermilk | Sour curd, aged cheese |
| Oils | Ghee, coconut, sunflower | Mustard, sesame in summer |
| Sweeteners | Mishri, dates | Jaggery and honey in excess |
| Spices | Coriander, fennel, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, mint | Chilli, mustard, fenugreek, cloves, garlic |
| Drinks | Room-temperature water, coconut water, rose and fennel coolers | Alcohol, coffee, very hot drinks, sour drinks |
Kapha-balancing (heaviness, congestion, sluggish digestion, excess weight)#
| Food group | Favour | Reduce |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | Barley, millets, buckwheat, old rice in small portions | Wheat in excess, new rice, sweet breakfast cereals |
| Pulses | Most pulses: moong, masoor, toor, horse gram | Urad, heavy fried pulse snacks |
| Vegetables | Leafy greens, cabbage family, radish, drumstick, karela, beans | Sweet potato, potato, arbi in excess |
| Fruits | Apple, pomegranate, papaya, guava, jamun | Banana, melons, dates in excess |
| Dairy | Thin buttermilk, small amounts of warm milk with ginger | Curd, cheese, ice cream, excess paneer |
| Oils | Mustard, sesame in small amounts | Excess ghee and coconut |
| Sweeteners | Honey (unheated) in small amounts | Sugar, jaggery |
| Spices | All warming spices: ginger, pepper, mustard, turmeric, cinnamon, clove | Excess salt |
| Drinks | Warm water, ginger tea, tulsi kadha | Cold and sweet drinks |
Favour & reduce, by dosha
| Food group | Favour | Reduce |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | Rice, wheat, oats (cooked), khichdi, suji | Dry millets without ghee, crackers, puffed snacks, raw oats |
| Pulses | Moong, masoor, toor (well-cooked with hing) | Chana, rajma, kala chana, urad in excess, sprouts uncooked |
| Vegetables | Sweet potato, carrot, beet, pumpkin, gourds, okra, tender drumstick | Raw salads, cabbage family uncooked, potato in excess, dried vegetables |
| Fruits | Sweet ripe fruits, stewed apple and pear, papaya, soaked raisins, dates, figs | Dried fruit unsoaked, unripe fruit, cranberries, watermelon in winter |
| Dairy | Warm milk, ghee, buttermilk, fresh paneer | Cold milk, ice cream, powdered milk drinks |
| Oils | Sesame, ghee | Excessively dry diet |
| Sweeteners | Jaggery, dates, honey (unheated) | White sugar in excess |
| Spices | Ginger, cumin, hing, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, ajwain | Chilli in excess, bitter herbs in excess |
| Drinks | Warm water, herbal teas, golden milk | Iced drinks, coffee, carbonated drinks |
Dosha food map
| Food group | Vata — favour | Pitta — favour | Kapha — favour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grains | Rice, wheat, oats (cooked), khichdi, suji | Rice, wheat, barley, oats, ragi, jowar | Barley, millets, buckwheat, old rice in small portions |
| Pulses | Moong, masoor, toor (well-cooked with hing) | Moong, masoor (lightly), split peas | Most pulses: moong, masoor, toor, horse gram |
| Vegetables | Sweet potato, carrot, beet, pumpkin, gourds, okra, tender drumstick | Gourds, cucumber, leafy greens (cooked), cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin | Leafy greens, cabbage family, radish, drumstick, karela, beans |
| Fruits | Sweet ripe fruits, stewed apple and pear, papaya, soaked raisins, dates, figs | Sweet grapes, pomegranate, amla, melons, sweet mango, coconut | Apple, pomegranate, papaya, guava, jamun |
| Dairy | Warm milk, ghee, buttermilk, fresh paneer | Milk, ghee, fresh paneer, sweet thin buttermilk | Thin buttermilk, small amounts of warm milk with ginger |
| Oils | Sesame, ghee | Ghee, coconut, sunflower | Mustard, sesame in small amounts |
| Sweeteners | Jaggery, dates, honey (unheated) | Mishri, dates | Honey (unheated) in small amounts |
| Spices | Ginger, cumin, hing, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, ajwain | Coriander, fennel, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, mint | All warming spices: ginger, pepper, mustard, turmeric, cinnamon, clove |
| Drinks | Warm water, herbal teas, golden milk | Room-temperature water, coconut water, rose and fennel coolers | Warm water, ginger tea, tulsi kadha |