Anti-Pitta Diet

Anti-Pitta diet is one defense way to help with the heat aspects in your life that ranges from inflammation on and in the body, as well as feeling overheated in anger, overreaction, and irritated feelings.

This article breaks down how to calm Pitta with an Anti-Pitta diet and listing beneficial foods.

If you’re a natural Pitta body you will express Pitta on the body. And a natural Pitta mind will express in thoughts and feelings or the mind.

And if you’re an overall dominant Pitta mind-body then you will likely gravitate toward the foods and beverages below. They’ll be preferences at least temporarily until off-balance.

You can tell if you’re high in Pitta by how you feel in your mind and your body.

If you are not high in Pitta, and for example are a natural dominant Vata, this is not your balanced diet… unless, you’re imbalanced in your Pitta at any time. This is where I found myself one season as a dominant Vata body and Pitta-Vata mind. I need to soothe and pacify Pitta.

And when my mind was high in Pitta, then that affected my body in the mind-body connection. So an annoying situation, can turn into irritation, that can turn into anger. Or go from 1 to 100 with a few triggers.

Usually that would be from something else like past trauma never dealt with but still showing up in daily life. But like me, you can change and transform any of these areas of your life.

Unlike anxiety that is managed and better managed avoiding anxious triggers, anger can be controlled. And anger can be completely transformed into peace.

Changing perspectives can be one effective way. Instead of looking at anger triggers as sources of frustration, seeking to find a better way and solutions. And seeing the better sides. What positive has come out of the situations? You can always find them when you seek.

So now you know a few methods that balance Pitta. And you can do this daily restoration in your balancing diet routines. You can be purposeful in adding more to a pitta dosha diet (for balancing Pitta dosha).

Whether you’re leaning more into your Pitta, or balancing your Pitta sides, you’ll do better with an Anti-Pitta diet and these foods that will keep Pitta balanced.

They’re also anti-inflammatory foods good for prevention so you can look at it like double-win. Pitta minds love that! 

One primary category is astringent foods that are more drying. A perfect example is turmeric. You can feel the drying effect with the dry powdery texture in the mouth with turmeric astringent tastes. When combined with black pepper, synergistic food chemistry happens enhancing turmeric’s healthy curcumin absorption.

Astringent Foods for Anti-Pitta Diet

Fruits: Apples, banana, berries, cranberry, fig, lemons, peaches, pears, plums, and pomegranates

Vegetables: Artichoke, asparagus, avocado, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cilantro, corn, cucumber, green beans, greens, microgreens, mushrooms, okra, peas, potatoes, spinach, and squash

Plant-based protein and carbs: rice, wheat, beans and legumes such as mung beans, lentils, and split peas

Lean protein: tofu, fish, lean poultry such as chicken and turkey

Most nuts such as peanuts, and seeds such as sunflower seeds and sesame seeds

Spices such as oregano, parsley, turmeric, rosemary, and chamomile

Beverages: some teas, kombuchas, and flavored waters

Bitter for Anti-Pitta Diet

Coffee, green tea, lime, kale, mustard greens, some olive oil

Bitter taste buds are more sensitive at the back of the tongue, so we taste bitter better back there.

And most of us taste in the front or the sides of our tongues where the sweet, salty, and sour tongue taste buds are.

Cooling Foods 

For an Anti-Pitta diet, most sweet and dairy are favorable. And it’s sweet when it’s served cool such as a fruit smoothie or Greek yogurt are good go-to’s. And quinoa cereal (see recipe below). And maybe a drizzle of cooling maple syrup.

When it’s hot or when the body or mind is heated, try cool foods such as salads over cooked veggies. Enjoy raw and whole foods that are soothing.

Rosewater and mint tea also have these cooling effects.

To learn more about Ayurveda and your primary imbalance, you can take the body balance quiz.