Vata

Vata (Vayu) is the air element. Vayu is responsible for movements, hence it generates motion and vitality in the body. Vayu is responsible for nervous function. It controls the mind, the senses and motor organs. Vayu also stimulates digestive enzymes for digestion. The serotas - channels in the body are made of vayu. Communication between various organs is also due to vayu. Without the vayu dosha, pitta dosha and kapha dosha becomes ineffective. The elimination of wastes (malas) is also due to vayu.

Being active and mobile, the vayu dosha can transport other doshas to various parts of the body, where they are not required, increasing their levels and causing imblance.

Hence many ailments are due to vayu dosha. The maladies caused only due to the disturbances in the vayu dosha are 80 in number.

General Description

Vata provides the essential motion for all bodily processes and is extremely vital for health. On an annual basis, vatais most prominent in the fall and at the change of seasons, and these are the most important times to be careful of diet and lifestyle. One purpose of lifestyle considerations is stabilize this motion. Routine is very useful in assisting the vata individual to effectively ground all this moving energy.

General guidelines for balancing vata

• Keep warm
• Keep calm
• Avoid cold, frozen or raw foods
• Avoid extreme cold
• Eat warm foods and spices
• Keep a regular routine
• Get plenty of rest

Foods to be favoured

• The foods which are beneficial to Vata Prakriti are those that are sweet and hot in nature. Since Vata Prakriti people have variable digestive capacity, it is recommended to them to follow an appropriate dietary routine. Food should be consumed in small quantities. Ginger and garlic shall be used to maintain proper digestive abilities. Food good for Vata prakriti are as follows:

• Cereals such as wheat, sesame, oats
• Pulses such as black gram, green gram.
• Milk products such as curd, ghee, butter, cheese.
• Oils such as sesame oil, castor oil, cod liver oil.
• Vegetables such as white gourd, drumstick, onion, garlic, asparagus, radish, carrot, ripen cucumber, pumpkin, ajmoda (celery), eggplant, pointed gourd, sponge gourd, changeri (Indian sorrel)
• Fruits such as mango, coconut, grapes, dates, pineapple, almonds, figs, All sweet fruits, apricots, bananas,grapefruit, lemons, mango, melons, oranges, pomegranate, ripen monkey jack.
• Spices: Jeeraka (cumin), ardraka (ginger), sharshapa (mustard seeds), ajwain (Tachyspermum ammi), methika (fenugreek), dhanyaka (coriander), bay leaves, tulsi (basil), keshara (saffron), hingu (asafoetida), ela (cardamom), lavanga (cloves), saunf (fennel), krishna maricha (black pepper)

Foods to be reduced

• Food which are dry, cold and astringent in properties should be avoided.

• Cereals such as barley, horse gram.
• Pulses such as sprouted pulses, peas, masur, chana.
• Almonds, walnut, apples, pear, water chestnut
• Vegetables such as dry leafy vegetables, potato, bitter gourd, tinda (Citrullus vulgaris), aluka (yam), manakanda (Alocasia indica), mushrooms, torai (Luffa acutangula), peas, palakya (spinach), chaulai, (amaranthus), karela (bitter gourd)
• Fruit such as jamun, cucumber, watermelon.
• Spices such as chillies, pepper.
• Honey and sugarcane juice are not beneficial.