Foods for Body, Heart and Mind
Eating plenty of grounding foods and drinks, with regular mealtimes and being around those with more water and earth in their constitution is recommended. Eat a light diet, with warm, easy to digest, soft foods. Use ghee for cooking. Increase foods that are heavy and oily as these nourish the nervous system.
Reduce foods that are cold, dry, raw and hard, as these are indigestible and aggravate wind. Increase foods that are sweet (e.g. oats, coconut milk, rice), sour (e.g. vinegar, yogurt, citrus fruit) and salty as these are nourishing. Reduce foods that are hot and spicy, bitter and astringent.
Add mild spices to food including fresh ginger, cumin, cardamom, fennel, coriander. Avoid yeast, refined sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco and drugs.
Autumnal berries like blackberries and elderberries are wonderful foods and medicines for vata. A combination of sweet and sour, these tangy fruits stimulate your digestion/agni and are rich in nutrients such as iron, vitamin C and antioxidant bioflavonoids to help protect against the aging process.
Herbs can be taken singly as teas or made into mixtures of your choice.
Beneficial herbs include: fresh ginger, dill, cumin, cardamom, tulsi, clove, fennel, lemongrass, oat straw, peppermint, cinnamon, ashwagandha and marshmallow.
Anne McIntyre
Great Rissington, England