What if you could make full use of your creativity? What if you didn’t have to jump from one task to the next, but could complete your work calmly and consciously? With the right diet, this is no problem from an Ayurvedic point of view. Grounding and nourishing foods and dishes can help you to balance your restless vata dosha.
What can the wrong diet do to Vata types?
In Ayurveda, the Vata dosha is characterized by the elements air and ether. It stands for lightness, agility and creativity. Vata types are often characterized by a quick mind and great creative energy, are very communicative and constantly on the lookout for new challenges.
However, it is precisely this airiness that, if present in excess, can lead to restlessness, stress and physical complaints. Dry skin and increased wrinkling, digestive problems, constant freezing, severe menstrual pain and stiff or cracking joints are typical complaints that Vata dosha has to contend with.
This condition can be exacerbated by the wrong diet. Cold, dry or raw foods, such as salads or bread, put a strain on the digestive system of sensitive Vata types. The consequences are flatulence, constipation and a weak digestive fire (Agni). Mental symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, sleep problems and inner restlessness are also typical. It is therefore all the more important to adapt your diet so that it balances out the airy characteristics of your Vata dosha.
What is a suitable Vata diet?
A Vata-balancing diet is extremely important, especially in winter. This is because winter is the time when, from an Ayurvedic point of view, Vata increases in all constitutional types. As a Vata type, the risk of your dominant dosha becoming too strong is therefore particularly high.
To banish the cold from your limbs, as a Vata type you should focus on nourishing and warm foods that give you stability. Soups, stews or curries with a creamy consistency are ideal for this. Cook your dishes fresh and with plenty of ghee, cream or vegetable fats such as coconut oil or sesame oil to balance out dry Vata!
The diet for Vata dosha should also be predominantly sweet, sour and salty. These Ayurvedic flavours, which are dominated by the elements earth, water and fire, stabilize the lightness of Vata. They are particularly recommended:
- Sweet foods such as root vegetables, potatoes and sweet potatoes, legumes, milk, nuts and grains such as oats, rye, wheat, spelt or rice.
- Acidic foods such as citrus fruits, vinegar or acidic dairy products such as buttermilk and yoghurt.
- Salty foods such as sea salt, rock salt and mineral-rich ingredients.
The sweet foods give you warmth and substance, while the sour foods support your digestion. Minerals such as salt, zinc and magnesium also have an effect on your digestion, support your water retention and give you stability.
When and how often should Vata types eat?
Make sure you eat at least three warm meals a day! It is best to refine these with balancing spices such as cinnamon, cardamom or turmeric.
- For breakfast, a porridge with cinnamon and ghee is ideal, for example.
- At lunchtime, a creamy curry is really beneficial.
- A nourishing soup is perfect in the evening.
- Small snacks such as warm tea with cardamom or a steamed apple with honey can also support your well-being.
Recipe ideas for everyday life: how to stabilize your Vata dosha
In our Ayurveda restaurant at the Ayurveda Resort Mandira, you can expect finely tuned Ayurvedic cuisine that specifically caters to the needs of your dosha. Enjoy dishes prepared with fresh, Styrian ingredients and traditional spices.
To give you a little taste, we have published one of our favorite recipes for vata doshas here.
Potato and cauliflower curry with glazed beet
You will need the following ingredients:
- 500 grams of potatoes and cauliflower,
- 50 grams of chickpeas and oat flakes,
- one fennel,
- half a stalk of leek,
- one liter of vegetable stock,
- three tablespoons of ghee,
- two teaspoons of turmeric,
- one teaspoon each of black mustard seeds, coriander and ajwain,
- three curry leaves,
- two teaspoons of salt
- and a teaspoon of kala namak
Fry the fennel, oat flakes and leek in ghee. Then add the spices and pour in the vegetable stock. Then leave everything to simmer for 10 minutes. Then blend and pass the sauce through a sieve. Fry the peeled and diced potatoes and add the sauce and cooked chickpeas. Leave everything to simmer for 25 minutes. Then add the cauliflower florets and cook for a further 10 minutes.
During this time, you can prepare the glazed beet.
You will need:
- 500 grams of beet,
- 20 grams of ghee,
- a teaspoon each of cumin and ajwain,
- some salt, fresh coriander and horseradish
First wash and cook the beet. Then briefly fry the spices with ghee in a pan and glaze the beetroot. Place the beetroot on top of the finished curry and garnish with fresh horseradish and herbs.
