Is your sweet tooth getting the best of you?
Are you feeling sluggish, unmotivated, or just kind of lazy?
Maybe you’re having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, or you’ve noticed you have more mucus than usual. Kapha season can exacerbate these feelings, especially if you’ve already been experiencing them prior to springtime.
When working with Ayurvedic principles, the way to counteract an imbalance is to do the opposite. In addition to the movements I mentioned last week, you can also help bring your body back into harmony simply by going into your kitchen and adding Kapha-pacifying techniques to your daily meals.
To help understand what foods will throw you into a Kapha imbalance or bring you out of the imbalanced state, think in terms of tastes.
The tastes that increase Kapha are:
*sweet (ex: sugars, milk, rice, wheat)
*sour (ex: citrus, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, vinegar, green grapes)
*salty (ex: salt)
The tastes that help reduce Kapha are:
*pungent (ex: cayenne pepper, chili pepper, black pepper, onion, radish, garlic, mustard, ginger)
*bitter (ex: turmeric, dandelion root, aloe vera, coffee, rhubarb)
*astringent (ex: unripe banana, pomegranate, chickpeas, green beans, alfalfa sprouts)
Having a strong digestion is vital to good health. In Ayurveda, your digestive fire is called agni. And this time of year, we want to boost our agni.
Here is a decent list to help you make empowered choices as you stoke your inner fire and reduce Kapha.
Fruits to reduce Kapha:
*apples
*apricots
*berries
*cherries
*cranberries
*grapes
*lemons/limes (in moderation)
*peaches (in moderation)
*persimmons
*pomegranates
*prunes
*raisins
*strawberries (in moderation)
Fruits that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*avocados
*bananas
*coconut
*dates
*grapefruit
*kiwi
*mangos
*melons
*oranges
*papaya
*pineapple
*plums
*watermelon
Vegetables to reduce Kapha:
*artichoke
*asparagus
*beets
*broccoli
*brussels sprouts
*cabbage
*carrots
*cauliflower
*celery
*cilantro
*corn
*dandelion greens
*eggplant
*garlic
*green beans
*horseradish
*kale
*leafy greens
*lettuce
*mushrooms
*onions
*peas
*peppers, sweet and hot
*spaghetti squash (in moderation)
*spinach
*tomatoes (cooked)
Veggies that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*in general, sweet and juicy vegetables
*cucumber
*olives (black and green)
*parsnips
*sweet potatoes
*pumpkin
*summer squash
*tomatoes (raw)
*zucchini
Grains to reduce Kapha:
*amaranth (in moderation)
*barley
*buckwheat
*corn
*couscous
*granola
*millet
*museli
*oat bran
*polenta
*quinoa
*rice (basmati or wild)
*rye
*seitan
*spelt
*sprouted wheat bread
*tapioca
*wheat bran
Grains that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*bread (with yeast)
*oats (cooked)
*pancakes
*pasta (steer clear)
*rice (brown and white)
*rice cakes (stay away from)
*wheat
Legumes to reduce Kapha:
*aduki beans
*black beans
*black-eyed peas
*chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
*lentils (red and brown)
*mung beans (in moderation)
*navy beans
*peas (dried)
*pinto beans
*soy milk
*soy sausages
*tempeh
*tofu (hot, in moderation)
*white beans
Legumes that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*kidney beans
*soybeans (edamame)
*soy cheese
*soy flour
*soy flour
*soy sauce
*tofu (cold)
*miso
Dairy to reduce Kapha:
*buttermilk (in moderation)
*ghee (in moderation)
*goat’s cheese (unsalted and not aged)
*yogurt (diluted)
Dairy that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*butter (salted)
*butter (unsalted, best to stay away from this)
*cheese (soft and hard)
*cow’s milk
*ice cream
*sour cream
* yogurt (plain, frozen, or with fruit)
Meats to reduce Kapha:
*chicken (white meat)
*eggs
*fish (freshwater)
*rabbit
*shrimp
*turkey (white meat)
*venison
Meats that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*beef
*buffalo
*chicken (dark meat)
*duck
*fish (sea)
*lamb
*pork
*salmon
*sardines
*seafood
*tuna
*turkey (dark meat)
Condiments to reduce Kapha:
*black pepper
*chili peppers
*coriander leaves
*horseradish
*mustard (without vinegar)
*scallions
*seaweed (in moderation)
*sprouts
Condiments that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*chocolate
*kelp
*ketchup (best to stay away from this)
*lime
*mayo
*pickles
*salt
*soy sauce
*tamari
*vinegar
Nuts to reduce Kapha:
*charole (I mean, what even is this???)
Nuts that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*almonds
*black walnuts
*Brazil nuts
*cashews
*coconut
*filberts
*hazelnuts
*macadamia nuts
*peanuts
*pecans
*pine nuts
*pistachios
*walnuts
Seeds to reduce Kapha:
*chia
*flax (in moderation)
*popcorn (no salt, no butter)
*pumpkin (in moderation)
*sunflower (in moderation)
Seeds that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*psyllium (best to stay away from this)
*sesame
*tahini
Oils to reduce Kapha:
*corn
*sesame (use externally this time of year only)
*sunflower
*ghee
*almond
Oils that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*avocado
*apricot
*canola (but this should be avoided all the time anyway because it’s horrible for you)
*coconut
*flax seed (best to stay away from this time of year)
*olive
*primrose
*safflower (this one should be avoided all the time as well because eeewwww)
*sesame (internally)
*soy
*walnut
Beverages to reduce Kapha:
*alcohol (dry wine, white or red)
*aloe vera juice
*applie cider
*apple juice (in moderation)
*apricot juice
*berry juice
*black tea (spiced)
*carob
*carrot juice
*chai (hot, spiced milk, in moderation)
*cherry juice (sweet)
*cranberry juice
*grain “coffee”
*grape juice
*mango juice
*peach nectar
*pear juice
*pineapple juice (in moderation)
*pomegranate juice
*prune juice
*soy milk (hot and well-spiced)
Beverages that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*alcohol (hard; beer; sweet wine)
*almond milk
*caffeinated beverages (best to stay away from right now)
*carbonated drinks
*cherry juice (sour)
*chocolate milk
*coffee
*cold dairy drinks
*grapefruit jice
*iced tea
*icy cold drinks
*lemonade
*miso broth
*orange jice
*papaya juice
*rice milk
*sour jices
*soy milk (cold)
*tomato juice
*V-8 juice
Spices that help reduce Kapha:
*pretty much everything except salt
Spices that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*salt
Sweeteners that help reduce Kapha:
*fruit juice concentrates
*honey (raw and not processed)
Sweeteners that increase Kapha (and should be avoided this time of year):
*barley malt
*fructose
*maple syrup
*molasses
*rice syrup
*sucanat
*turbinado
*white sugar
While this wasn’t a complete list, this info will get you well on your way to remaining balanced during this time of year.
One thing to pay attention to, as you spice up your foods: If you’re already a fiery person, check in with yourself often. Spicy foods can have a way of making us spicy people if we already have a firecracker personality. If you notice your fuse is getting a little shorter, dial back the heat in your foods. The goal is to be in balance and not create an imbalance by going too far. An honest personal assessment will help guide you on your daily Ayurvedic journey.
After you’ve followed these principles for a bit, share your findings!