Vata Balancing Diet

Ayurveda, an ancient and holistic system of medicine from India, contends that nervous conditions such as anxiety and insomnia, many digestive and joint issues and exhaustion can stem from a state of "excess Vata." A Vata balancing diet is composed of foods believed to be Vata reducing.

Vata Explained

• Vedic scholar David Frawley says that Vata literally means "wind" and is affiliated with the qualities of movement, lightness and adaptability. Too much Vata in your body-mind and lifestyle, however, is thought to create excessive lightness, dryness, roughness and chill.

Vata Reducing Foods

• The typical pumpkin pie seasonings are considered beneficial for balancing Vata.

  To counteract the drying, chilling, crazy-making quality of too much Vata, Ayurvedic wisdom recommends enjoying food, spices and drink possessing the opposite qualities. A Vata balancing diet includes nourishment that is warming, hydrating and grounding. This includes foods such as thick soups, whole grains and cooked, dark leafy greens made succulent with good fat sources and zesty with the addition of such flavors as ginger, mustard seed, nutmeg and cardamom.

About the Dosha

• Vata, Pitta and Kapha each have unique gifts and unique challenges.

  A "dosha" is a mind-body type, of which there are three: Vata (possessing the qualities of ether and air); Pitta (composed of fire and water); and Kapha (which is of water and earth). It's said that we are all a unique blend of all three dosha.