Part 7 (1/2)

In addition to one's given dosha const.i.tutional type, from birth to the teen years the kapha dosha is the predominant force since kapha governs growth. Because kapha is predominant, no matter what one's const.i.tution, kapha will tend to go out of balance the most easily during these years. This is why one sees a tendency for so many colds, flus, runny noses, and earaches in young children. These mucous conditions are typical of unbalanced kapha energy. This is often made worse by the excess consumption of dairy products in our culture. It is also true that many in our Western culture are outright genetically predisposed to be intolerant of dairy. During these years it is best to slant the diet toward those foods which balance kapha. That means minimal ice cream, cake, cookies, candy, and dairy.

From p.u.b.erty to the sixties, pitta predominates. It is most obvious in the teenage years when the fire of life begins to express itself in such well-known forms as high s.e.xual energy, pimples, heightened emotions, and rock and roll music. During the teenage years, more emphasis should be put on avoiding pitta-unbalancing foods, such as hot, spicy pizzas and Mexican foods. Alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs should be avoided, especially after the teen years and early twenties. Young adults need less focus on the pitta-unbalancing foods and more attention on avoiding foods and habits that unbalance their particular dosha.

After age sixty or seventy, the vata force tends to predominate. Of course, if one doesn't take care of oneself, pitta will ”burn out” more quickly and the vata phase will arrive sooner. The vata phase shows itself with the tendencies toward arthritis, emaciation, nervous system disorders, sensitivity to cold weather, and a decrease in the power of both digestion and memory. These vata-unbalancing tendencies are balanced in the same way that one balances const.i.tutional vata (as outlined in the vata section).

Dosha Energy Cycles of the Day.

The day cycle begins with the movement of vata from 2 AM to 6 AM. The vata force creates movement and lightness and is the upward awakening force. Kapha predominates from 6 AM to 10 AM. It is the time when those with a predominant kapha const.i.tution are most easily thrown out of balance. Kapha people do well not to eat or drink too much for breakfast, especially if the food is still cold from being in the refrigerator. People with the const.i.tution of a kapha may even want to take a little ginger or cayenne to bring heat to the system and clear the mucus at this time.

From 10 AM to 2 PM pitta predominates. This is the time of best digestion for most everyone. Because of this it is the optimal time to eat the largest meal of the day in the Ayurvedic system if all other factors are in balance. Whereas a kapha or vata person may enjoy some sun and do exercise to warm up, the pitta person will do well to avoid the sun and other heating activities during this time of day.

From 2 PM to 6 PM the vata dosha predominates. This is the time of day that many people may experience bloating and fatigue. Kapha then begins to predominate from 6 PM to 10 PM; therefore, it is better to eat early in the evening because kapha has a slowing force on digestion. It is particularly advisable for kaphas to eat lightly and earlier in the evening. Pitta again predominates from 10 PM to 2 AM. Pittas may find that their appet.i.tes are stimulated during this time. Although generally it is not recommended to eat late at night, pittas can get away with it if they eat lightly.

The Changing Dosha Forces of the Seasons.

The seasons and the change of seasons have a powerful effect on the balance of the dosha. By maintaining an awareness of the predominant dosha-unbalancing force with each season, one is able to s.h.i.+ft diets, clothing, and lifestyle to maintain the doshas in a balanced state.

The healthy practice of eating with the seasons is well-known in Chinese medicine also. In the Ayurvedic system, the change of seasons is a time of significant dosha imbalance. The peak energy change times are the equinoxes on March 21 or 22 and September 21 or 22, and the solstices on June 21 or 22 and December 21 or 22. During these transition times when the natural energies are in the extremes, it is beneficial to eat lightly and be particularly careful to follow a balanced, harmonious lifestyle.

Fall is usually a time of cooling temperatures and increased wind. These two forces aggravate the vata dosha. For vata people in particular, it is important to dress warmly in order to minimize exposure to the cold and wind. It is a time to eat more warming foods and to increase the intake of foods that have a more sweet, salty, and sour taste. These are foods that balance vata. Moderate amounts of pungent and warm foods may have a healing effect at this time. In the Chinese system, fall is a time when the air element (vata) and lungs and large intestine meridians tend to become most easily unbalanced. Fall is an important time to make sure one's bowels are moving regularly and to eat high-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to aid the elimination process. It is also a time to work on the a.s.similation of vitamin O, oxygen, with a focus on breathing exercises to build lung function. Ginger root is a good tonic for the whole system and especially the lungs and sinuses during this time. Other good lung teas are burdock and comfrey Coltsfoot is another good general lung herb to have occasionally. Licorice root is good for the adrenals and is a mild laxative to support the bowels. Grief is the emotion in the Chinese system that is a.s.sociated with the lungs and large intestine. Repressed grief can inhibit the function of these organs, so the fall is a significant time to get in touch with one's grief and express it and release it.

Winter is a time of dampness and coldness. Damp and cold unbalance kapha and kapha-vata most strongly. Disorders of excess mucus such as bronchitis, colds, flus, and pneumonia happen more frequently during the winter. Heating activities such as physical exercise, saunas, certain breathing exercises, and consumption of warming herbs and foods that are dry, pungent, hot, bitter, and astringent will help to balance kapha. The winter is a time for kaphas to minimize fatty, oily, sweet, sour, salty, and dairy foods. It is distinctly not a time to eat ice cream. Raw, unpasteurized honey in small amounts, although a sweet, is a warming kapha balancer. In the Chinese system, winter is a time for the water element to become most vulnerable to imbalance. This often correlates with the tendency for the mucus imbalance of the kapha. The kidneys and bladder meridians are most easily unbalanced at this time. Herbs that support the kidneys include juniper berry, flaxseed, marshmallow root, nettles, fenugreek seeds, cornsilk, and parsley. Ginger and cayenne are particularly good for this season as well. Aerobic exercises that heat the body and stimulate circulation, and hatha yoga to keep the muscles loose, are also good for maintaining balance during this season. According to the ancient Chinese system, the kidneys are said to hold fear. Winter is a good time to make yourself feel safe and secure and even to work on your fears. Meditation and prayer are both soothing to the mind and help to eliminate fear.

Eating with Doshas of the Seasons SUMMER Eat more sweet, cool, bitter, astringent, raw, and high water-content foods: fruits, melons, vegetables, greens, sprouts SPRING Eat similar to winter but increase raw food, greens, sprouts, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat foods and decrease grains WINTER Eat more pungent, bitter, astringent, warm, dry, and light foods: ginger, cayenne, vegetables, grains, greens, and sprouts FALL Eat more sweet, naturally salty, sour, warming, heavy, and high-fiber foods: ginger, grains, vegetables, soaked nuts and seeds Spring, with the melting of the snow and the arrival of wind and rain, is another time of kapha and kapha-vata imbalance. In addition to the balancing activities recommended for winter mentioned above, spring is a good time to fast to clear out the excess kapha buildup from winter. It is a time to eat more lightly and to eat more raw fruits, vegetables, and raw, soaked nuts and seeds, and to cut down on grains. Spring is the time for green foods, sprouts and salads; they should be eaten abundantly. In the ancient Chinese system, it is the time the wood element, which involves the liver and gallbladder, is most easily unbalanced. Thus these organs need the most support during the spring. Sour foods are particularly balancing for the wood energy as well as for vata. Lemon is a great cleanser for the liver. Foods that unbalance kapha, such as alcohol, fatty, fried and oily foods, dairy, and an excess of grains, also stress the liver. These should be avoided, as well as junk foods and processed foods. Avoidance of these foods gives the liver a chance to do its spring cleaning. A short fast during this time is also beneficial for this cleansing process. Herbs that are supportive of this process are dandelion, chaparral, milk thistle, barberry, and chelidonium. In the Chinese system, the liver is where anger is stored. During this spring season it is beneficial to the liver and the whole organism to begin to express these feelings in ways that are not harmful to others.

In late spring and summer the pitta energy of the sun predominates. Those who are predominantly pitta will do best to avoid the noontime sun, excessive physical exertion, and oily, hot, salty, and sour foods. Balancing agents are cool baths and sweet, cool, and high-water-content foods, such as watermelon and cuc.u.mbers. Foods with sweet, astringent, and bitter tastes are also good for balancing pitta. Late spring and summer is a time to maximize raw foods, sprouts, salads, greens, fruits, and vegetables in the diet. It is a time to minimize grain and dairy. Stimulants such as coffee and tobacco are best avoided. It's a time for less heating grains and beans. In the Chinese system summer corresponds to the fire element. The heart and small intestine meridians are the most easily unbalanced. Hawthorn berry is a good herb to take occasionally to support the heart, as well as peppermint, tansy, and sorrel. Although ginger is good for the heart, it is also heating and thus best taken in the fall. The emotions a.s.sociated with the heart and small intestine are joy and sorrow. If there is some sorrow, try to let it be released so the joy of summer can be expressed without any holding back.

Dual-Dosha Const.i.tutions.

RARELY DO PEOPLE HAVE JUST ONE DOSHA. Most people have a const.i.tution that is a mixture of two doshas. One is usually the primary const.i.tutional energy and the other the secondary const.i.tutional energy. The combination dosha const.i.tutions are vata-kapha, kapha-vata, pitta-kapha, kapha-pitta, vata-pitta, pitta-vata, and vata-pitta-kapha. In denoting a combination dosha, the predominant dosha is named first. A vata-kapha, for instance, would be more vata energy than kapha. A kapha-vata would have more kapha than vata.

Under certain conditions either one or the other dosha may be unbalanced at a particular time. Although a two-dosha const.i.tution can be thought of as a dual const.i.tution, it still is one const.i.tution with more tendencies of which to be aware. Sometimes these tendencies cancel each other out, and other times they may reinforce each other. Often the symptoms of only one dosha aspect will appear at a time if one is living in a way that is unbalancing that particular dosha.

An example of how one learns to work with this is my experience with my const.i.tution, which is kapha-vata. The vata and kapha tendencies amplify each other in their coldness. Yet the kapha gives some protection against the cold that a regular vata does not have. Kapha-vata types tend to have a low digestive fire, are sometimes constipated, and produce much mucus. My raw-food diet minimizes the mucus production and stimulates bowel function by its high fiber. After several years on raw foods, my body heat has increased as my circulation and overall health have improved. Because most of the energetic and nutritional value remains in fresh live foods, I am able to eat less and get the same, or greater, nutritional value than if I ate more cooked food. Less food means less strain on my kapha-vata low digestive fire. The digestive fire and general health of a kapha-vata are improved by pungent, salty, and sour foods.

As the seasons change, one dosha may tend to predominate. Warm weather is best for me since vata and kapha both do better in warmth, but being aware of vata imbalances in the fall, and kapha tendencies to unbalance in the winter and spring, allows me to be more in tune with the appropriate foods and balancing activities.

The vata creative, theoretical, explorer, and spiritual tendencies balance my kapha tendencies to be too grounded and routine. The kapha grounding tempers my vata spiritual, inspirational life. My homebody kapha aspects allow me to be grounded enough to write books, have a 30-year marriage, and to raise and support my two children through college. My dosha tendencies express themselves in different ways. If I fast too much, I tend to lose my kapha buffer and fall into vata imbalances. However, my kapha dosha makes it easier for me to regain lost weight after fasting.

Food selection of a dual dosha requires some awareness and trial and error. For example, some oily foods in moderation, such as avocado, which are not the best for a pure kapha, turn out to be balancing for me, particularly during the summer when it is easy to get too dry. By understanding one's dosha characteristics, one learns to use the tendencies of the different doshas to best advantage.

Each combination has its own unique limitations and strengths to work out. Vata-pitta people need warmth, but their pitta dosha limits their tolerance of heat. They like to eat, but their vata tendencies limit how much they can eat without getting indigestion. An unbalanced vata-pitta may not be able to control their fiery emotional const.i.tution and will alternate between pitta anger and vata fear. A vata-pitta has the pitta leaders.h.i.+p drive and some of the lack of confidence of a vata. This can blend to make a humble and good leader, or result in the possibility of becoming a domineering, insecure leader. A balanced vata-pitta combines the vata capacity for original thought with the pitta ability to manifest the theory. Vata-pitta types have a tendency to amplify instability if they become unbalanced. Since vata and pitta are balanced by the moderate intake of sweets, vata-pitta people benefit from a moderate use of sweets, such as sweet fruits and grains. Sweets that are helpful do not include white sugar, which unbalances everyone.

Pitta-kapha types combine the pitta leaders.h.i.+p, ability to balance energy, and adaptability with kapha's stability Pitta's strong metabolism balances a kapha's tendency to a slow digestion, and adds to the kapha's strong physical body to bring robust health. The mental stability, calmness, and patience of a kapha helps to modify the anger, impatience, and irritability of the pitta. The pitta-kapha can do well in any climate. Pitta-kaphas tend to unbalance with an excess of oil. Pitta's overconfidence combined with the kapha's lack of openness to change may result in poor response to feedback. The pitta-kapha combination amplifies the drive, insight, and lack of spiritual discipline of the kapha. Pitta-kaphas tend to be the great business leaders, school princ.i.p.als, warriors, and athletes, but not the great saints.

Marriages may often serve to balance each mate's dosha. For example, if the wife is vata-pitta it adds fire to a kapha-vata husband. Kapha adds stability to her vata-pitta. A good choice for them might be to live in Northern California because it is neither too warm for her pitta nor too cold for his kapha-vata doshas. A marriage of the doshas doesn't always work out so comfortably. The marriage of a predominant vata and pitta type might amplify instability, anger, and fear. The polarity between the pitta need for coolness and the vata need for warmth is ground for a continual struggle between opening the windows to bring in the cool breeze and closing the window and turning on the heat. The vata will choose sweet, sour, and salty food whereas the pitta does better with sweet, bitter, and astringent foods. It takes some insight and tolerance to work this out in marriage and to have the balancing foods for each dosha at a shared meal. Knowing one's const.i.tution can be of help in finding an appropriate mate as well as an appropriate diet.

Dietary Patterns for Dual Const.i.tutions.

WHEN A PERSON HAS A DUAL CONSt.i.tUTION there are two guidelines to follow. Eat to balance the dosha by the seasons or any other unbalancing force at that time, and practice trial and error. The trial-and-error element is created by the merging of the two doshas. For example, as I previously explained, avocado in moderation, which is aggravating for a pure kapha but balancing for a vata, works well for my kapha-vata const.i.tution in all seasons. I will have less avocado in the winter, however. Generally, those with a kapha-vata const.i.tution may get the best results by eating foods that decrease vata in the summer and fall and decrease kapha in the winter and spring. This means more pungent, bitter, and astringent foods in the winter and spring, and more sweet, sour, and salty foods in the summer and fall.

Pitta-kapha const.i.tutional types do best following a pitta-decreasing diet in the late spring through the fall. Bitter and astringent tastes help to decrease both pitta and kapha. In the summer there can be more sweets and cooling foods and in the winter and spring, more mild, pungent, and heating foods. Salt and sour tend to aggravate both pitta and kapha so they should be minimized.

Vata-pitta const.i.tutional types do well if they follow a vata-decreasing diet in the fall and winter and a pitta-decreasing diet in the spring and summer. Sweets help to decrease both vata and pitta, and pungent, spicy foods may aggravate both vata and pitta. In the summer there can be more bitter, astringent, and cooling foods, such as raw salads. In the winter there can be more sour and salty foods to balance the vata.

Summary.

SMALL IMBALANCES IN THE DOSHA SYSTEM create the seeds for the growth of future disease. Maintaining the doshas in balance helps to bring us toward an optimal level of health. Although our focus in this book is on food, everything we eat, think, say, feel, or act on affects the overall state of harmony and balance in our lives and therefore requires some attention.

The awareness of our dosha const.i.tution increases the knowledge of how to change food and other lifestyle habits to prevent disease and create optimal health. Knowing one's mind-body type makes disease prevention and treatment considerably more specific and individual. The dosha const.i.tution helps us understand how nature specifically intended us to live. Simply eating the foods that balance our doshas can exert an astonis.h.i.+ng positive influence on every aspect of our lives. Eating what is specifically best for ourselves, and not trying to fit into any external, generalized dietary concepts, is a major step in developing an individualized diet.

Preview of Chapter 5.

SOME FOODS WORK BETTER with some types of people and do not benefit other types. In this chapter you will find a detailed discussion of what food and food categories work best with the different const.i.tutional types. Understanding this information is part of the process of conscious eating. This does not mean you necessarily cut out all the other types of foods that are not optimal for you, but that you begin to explore what works best for you and to minimize those foods that tend to unbalance your const.i.tution. Are you ready to take the time to understand what foods are best for your psychophysiological const.i.tution? Are you ready to make the changes necessary to take advantage of this understanding?

I. Vata food guidelines A. Food varieties B. Blended and pre-blended foods C. Oils, vegetables, and salads D. Soups E. Fruits F. Nuts and seeds G. Grains H. Legumes I. Dairy J. Spices and herbs K. Drinks L. Sweets.

II. Kapha food guidelines.

III. Pitta food guidelines.

IV. Guideline chart.