It is not necessary to memorize which foods carry which tastes or reduce which
doshas, as there are any number of books offering long lists of food doshas and
tastes. Many people seem to know naturally what their bodies need for balance. See
Table 4.2 for the relationship between the doshas and tastes, and for some foods that
will reduce an excess of each dosha.
Table 4.2 Foods in Relation to Doshas
Dosha Balanced by Aggravated by To Reduce, Eat
Vata Salt, Sour, Sweet Pungent, Bitter, Astringent Asparagus, carrots, green
beans, avocados, bananas,
melons, rice, wheat, chicken,
seafood, chickpeas, and tofu
Pitta Bitter, Sweet, Pungent, Sour, Salty Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce,
Astringent apples, grapes, raisins, bar-
ley, oats, ice cream, chicken,
shrimp, chickpeas, tofu, and
coconut, olive, and soy oils
Kapha Pungent, Bitter, Sweet, Sour, Salty Cauliflower, celery, leafy
Astringent green vegetables, apricots,
pears, dried fruits in general,
barley, corn, rye, skim milk,
chicken, shrimp, sunflower
seeds, and raw honey
To counter an excess of Vata, diet recommendations consist of warm food with mod-
erately heavy textures, salt, sour, and sweet tastes, and added oil. To counter an
excess of Pitta, diet recommendations are for cool or warm (but not hot) foods with
CHAPTER 4 AYURVEDIC MEDICINE 59
SPACE AIR
FIRE WATER EARTH
pungent salty astringent
bitter
sour sweet
FIGURE 4.2
The six tastes
arise from the
five elements