Consider following this diet if you have tendencies toward heartburn, skin rashes, anger, temper flares, or during the summer, when the weather is hot.
SPICE MIX:
Here is a spice mix for balancing pitta dosha. Mix the spices, keep the mix in a shaker, and use with meals:
Fennel 10 teaspoons, coriander 4 teaspoons , turmeric 2 teaspoons
GENERAL APPROACH:
Favor foods that are sweet, bitter, astringent, cooling, and moderate in terms of oil. Avoid sour, salty, pungent, hot spicy foods. Stay away from vinegar and acidic foods.
GRAINS:
Favor: Wheat, rice, barley, oats.
Reduce: Corn, millet, rye, buckwheat.
LEGUMES:
Favor: yellow split mung beans, small kidney beans, lentils, tofu
Reduce: other beans
VEGETABLES:
Favor: asparagus, artichokes, yellow squash, zucchini, okra, spinach (in small amounts), cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, celery, sweet potatoes, peas, bell pepper, sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, tender eggplant, leafy greens,
Reduce: tomatoes, tomato sauce, radish, onions.
DAIRY:
Favor: milk, butter, ghee (clarified butter), sweet lassi, cream, cream cheese, panir (homemade cheese from milk).
Reduce: yogurt, aged or salty cheese, salty butter, sour cream.
SWEETENERS:
Favor: cane sugar, raw honey (but not in excess), date sugar,
Reduce: molasses, brown sugar.
OILS:
Favor: olive, sunflower, ghee, coconut.
Reduce: almond, corn, safflower, sesame, canola.
NUTS & SEEDS:
Favor: sunflower and pumpkin seeds, blanched almonds.
SPICES:
Favor: coriander, cilantro, cumin, fresh ginger root (in small amounts), turmeric, saffron, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper (in small amounts), lemon juice, thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram (in small amounts).
Reduce: chile peppers, cayenne, garlic, mustard seeds, cloves, celery seeds, fenugreek, salt
FRUITS:
Favor: sweet grapes, avocado, mango, coconut, melons, kiwi, sweet oranges, sweet plums, papaya, sweet pineapple, persimmon, pomegranate, cherries.
Reduce: grapefruit, olives, sour orange, peach, sour grapes, sour pineapple, berries, cranberries, prunes