Enjoy:

– Foods that are naturally sweet, sour, and salty in taste.

– Warm foods, both energetically and in temperature.

– Whole, freshly cooked foods.

– A limited selection of legumes, including mung dal, tofu, or tempeh that is well-cooked and warm soy milk spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

– Warming spices like ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and cumin, but not extremely hot spices like cayenne pepper.

– Plenty of warm drinks and herbal teas.

– Dairy, as long as it is not very cold. Avoid drinking milk with your meals. It is best to have it warm and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, at least an hour before or after other food.

– A generous amount of high-quality oils or ghee in your daily diet.

– Eating your meals at consistent times each day.

– Taking a deep breath after swallowing your last bite and heading off to your next activity.

– Eating your meal in a peaceful environment.

Avoid:

– Foods that are bitter, astringent, and pungent.

– Foods that are cooling, both energetically and in temperature.

– Dry and light foods, such as popcorn and crackers.

– Too much raw food, especially in the mornings and evenings (e.g., salads, carrot sticks, raw fruit, fresh fruit and vegetable juices).

– Most beans, including cold soy products.

– Highly processed foods (like canned or frozen foods, "TV" dinners or pastries).

– Cold or carbonated drinks.

– Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants.

– Overeating or eating very heavy meals.

– Eating fresh fruit or drinking fruit juice within 1/2 hour of any other food.

– Foods or drinks that contain refined sugar or corn syrup.

– Deep-fried foods.

– Hard alcohol.

Enjoy:

– Live as you would imagine a master would: with calm awareness and a gentle pace.

– A regular, daily routine with regular times for eating, sleeping, and working.

– A daily abhyanga, or Ayurvedic self-massage with warm Sesame Oil or Vata Massage Oil.

– A gentle exercise routine, such as a calm, grounding form of yoga, tai chi, qi gong, walking, or swimming.

– Keeping warm, no matter what the weather. Try warm baths, warm drinks, and warm sweaters!

– Sweet, soothing music, smells, scenes, and company.

– Taking time to slow down and turn inward with meditation or a good book.

Our lives, environments, and health naturally shift and change on a regular basis. We recommend taking our dosha quiz periodically to see where you're at and what you may need to focus on in order to regain balance. It may be helpful to learn more about vataso that you can understand why following these simple guidelines really can help.