Kapha is balanced by a diet of freshly cooked, whole foods that are light, dry, warming, well-spiced, and relatively easy to digest—ideally served warm or hot. These foods calm Kapha by balancing mucous production, regulating moisture levels, maintaining adequate heat, and by supporting proper digestion and elimination. Because Kapha is so substantive in nature, an appropriate diet is actually one of the most effective ways to limit Kapha. Kapha thrives on a fairly minimalistic diet with smaller meals, little to no snacking, fewer sweets, an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of legumes, minimal alcohol, and lighter fare all around. That said, finding a diet that is appropriately satisfying is crucial to your success; so it’s extremely important that you enjoy the foods that you do eat.
The following recommendations illuminate the general attitude and food choices Kapha people should seek: light meals, eating only when truly hungry, eating after the previous meal has been digested, warm and dry foods, well spiced foods, less oil, mustard oil, spicy condiments (hot peppers, ginger, turmeric, black pepper), popcorn, rye crackers, corn tortia, steamed vegetables, green vegetables, root vegetables, occasionally some animal protein (long term vegetarian diet might not benefit Kapha).
It’s best for Kapha to avoid eating after dark, when their body is tired and metabolism starts to wane. Kapha people who eat late at night will store their calories as fat and quickly gain weight. Kapha’s do best on a diet of light and dry foods with plenty of vegetables and legumes.
Most Kapha’s have trouble resisting food cravings. Since discipline is a struggle for Kapha, sweets and cakes should be removed from the home. Foods with bitter taste can help Kapha overcome food cravings, as bitter taste refreshes the palate. Bitter taste gives Kapha an opportunity to be more disciplined. It is also the most cleansing taste, which may help Kapha lose weight.
Kapha’s nature is cool and dull. Generous amounts of spices can add vitality to their cooking and energize their life. Hot spices such as cayenne, black pepper, and fenugreek reinvigorate Kapha. These spices will make you feel hot and increase your heart rate, positive signs that your fluids are circulating and that the spices are working to stimulate you from within.
Kapha people tend toward slow, heavy digestion and do well avoiding dairy, wheat, and sugar. Cold foods are generally contraindicated. Raw food astringes Kapha’s moist nature and the roughness of raw vegetables scrub their GI tract clean.
Remedies for the following imbalanced qualities:
Heavy – light foods, exercise, avoiding oversleeping and eating at night
Dull – spices, movement
Oily – astringent, bitter, and pungent tastes, dry massage
Cool – spices, warm foods and drinks
Static – movement, trying new things
Cloudy – pungent spices, rising early
Getting ready to shake it off
If you enjoy a food that is Kapha-aggravating, notice how you feel when you do eat it. Does it increase the symptoms of excess Kapha in your digestive tract (heaviness, sluggish digestion, lethargy, brain fog, or stools that feel sticky or incomplete)? Is there anything that you can do to serve this food in a more Kapha-pacifying manner by reducing the quantity, serving it warm, or adding digestive spices (like ginger, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and turmeric)? And if so, do these adjustments change your digestive experience?
Qualities to Favor
By nature, Kapha is heavy, cool, oily, and smooth, so eating foods that neutralize these qualities—foods that are light, warm, dry, and rough—can help to balance excess Kapha.
Favor Light and Airy over Dense and Heavy
Foods that embody the light quality are the antithesis to kapha’s heaviness. Lightness can be determined both by the sheer weight of a food and also by its density. Fruits and vegetables are typically wonderfully light, so a diet that is built around a tremendous abundance of fruits and vegetables—preferably cooked—is a great start. A modest amount of raw fruit may be suitable, and, in moderation, Kapha is also balanced by salads and other raw vegetables when seasonally appropriate (usually in the warmer spring and summer months). Green or black teas are quite light, especially when compared with coffee. In general, foods that are a bit heavy for Kapha include hard cheeses, puddings, nuts, cakes, pies, wheat, most flours, breads, pastas, red meat, and deep fried foods, which are also excessively oily (see below). Eating too much in one sitting also leads to excess heaviness, so it’s important to try not to overeat. A good rule of thumb is to fill the stomach half full of food, one-quarter full of liquid, and to leave one-quarter empty for optimal digestion. Very heavy meals and highly processed foods also tend to aggravate the heavy quality in Kapha and are best reduced or eliminated.
Favor Warm over Cool or Cold
The warm quality can be emphasized by eating foods that are warm in temperature or that have a warming energetic, and by using heating spices generously (most spices are naturally heating, and almost all of them balance Kapha). Cooked foods tend to offer a warmer energetic and are typically easier to digest; so cooked food is preferable to raw—especially in the colder months. Kapha does best to drink room temperature, warm or hot beverages and often benefits from sipping hot water throughout the day as well. If you like that, you can also try sipping warm water with a dab of raw honey in it which is detoxifying. On the other hand, it is best to reduce or minimize foods with a cooling energetic, cold and frozen foods or drinks, carbonated drinks, and even leftovers that have been kept in the refrigerator or freezer. The cold quality is inherently increased in these foods, so freshly cooked is best. Consuming large quantities of raw fruits and vegetables can also be quite cooling, so it is best to enjoy these foods in moderation and when seasonally appropriate (primarily in the warmer months).
Favor Dry over Moist or Oily
Kapha’s oiliness is offset by exceptionally drying foods like beans, white potatoes, dried fruits, rice cakes, popcorn, and an occasional glass of dry red or white wine. When cooking, it is important to use as little oil as possible. You can even play with substituting water for oil to prevent sticking. Do your best to minimize oily foods like avocado, coconut, olives, buttermilk, cheese, fried eggs, cow’s milk, wheat, nuts, and seeds. It is also important not to over-hydrate because Kapha can and does retain water easily. So do your best to drink only the amount of fluid that your body requires, according to your climate and activity level. In addition, reduce your consumption of especially moist foods like melons, summer squash, zucchini, and yogurt, as these can also be too watery for Kapha.
Favor Rough over Smooth
There’s a reason that fruits and vegetables are sometimes called roughage; their fibrous structure gives them a very rough quality. This is why Kapha responds so well to eating large quantities of fruits and vegetables. That said, these foods are often much easier to digest when cooked, so be careful not to overdo raw foods, and adapt your enjoyment of them according to the season. Some foods, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, and many beans, are exceptionally rough and are therefore wonderful for countering kapha’s smooth, oily nature. Conversely, eating foods and preparations that are smooth in texture—things like bananas, rice pudding, hot cereal porridge, milk, cheese, and the like—can quickly aggravate Kapha.
Tastes to Favor
Kapha is pacified by the pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes and aggravated by the sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Understanding these tastes allows us to make better choices whether or not we have an extensive list of Kapha-pacifying foods handy.
Emphasize
Pungent: the pungent taste cleanses the mouth and clarifies the senses. It stimulates digestion, liquefies secretions, clears the channels of the body, encourages sweating, and thins the blood. Pungent is a spicy, hot flavor like that found in chilies, radishes, turnips, raw onions, and most spices. In fact, most spices are tremendously Kapha pacifying. The pungent taste is light, hot, rough, and dry—all beneficial for Kapha. In essence, if you like spicy or fiery hot, go for it. And even if you don’t, favor a wide variety of milder spices in your dishes—things like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, garlic, paprika, and turmeric.
Bitter: bitters cleanse the pallet and improve the sense of taste. They tone the skin and muscles, improve appetite, support digestion, and help to absorb moisture, lymph, muscle fat, adipose tissue, and sweat.The bitter taste is rough, drying, light, and generally reducing—all qualities that benefit Kapha, but it is also cooling, so it’s important to add some warming spices to bitter foods. The bitter taste predominates bitter greens (like kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, etc.), and is also found in bitter melon, Jerusalem artichokes, burdock root, eggplant, dark chocolate, and in Kapha-pacifying spices like cumin, neem leaves, saffron, and turmeric.
Astringent: The astringent taste is basically a flavor of dryness—a chalky taste that dries the mouth and may cause it to contract. The astringent taste is dry, rough, somewhat heavy, and it reduces Kapha. But like the bitter taste, it is also cold, so it’s best to add warming herbs and spices to astringent foods. Kapha benefits from the compressing, absorbing, nature of the astringent taste, which also helps to tone bodily tissues and utilize excess fluid.Legumes like adzuki beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, and soybeans are classically astringent in taste and very Kapha-pacifying. Some fruits, vegetables, grains, baked goods, and spices are also astringent in taste—things like apples, cranberries, pomegranate, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, popcorn, rice cakes, crackers, basil, coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, and turmeric.
Minimize
Sweet: the sweet taste is cold, heavy, moist, oily, and Kapha-provoking, especially in excess. Sweet foods tend to aggravate kapha’s tendency toward heaviness, obesity, lethargy, and excess sleep. They can also cause excessive mucus, aggravate colds and coughs, and depress the appetite in an unhealthy way.Reduce or eliminate the intake of refined sugar and sugary sweet foods as much as possible.It would be impossible to eat a nutritious diet and avoid the sweet taste altogether. But it is certainly reasonable to reduce the portions of naturally sweet-tasting foods like fruits, grains, milk, ghee, yogurt, eggs, nuts, seeds, oils, and meats.
Sour: the moistening and oily qualities of the sour taste aggravate Kapha.The sour taste can increase thirst, create heaviness in the eyes, cause laxity in the body, and aggravate water retention or swelling.Minimize sour foods like vinegar, cheese, sour cream, green grapes, oranges, pineapple, and grapefruit. An occasional squeeze of lemon or lime juice is the best way for Kapha to ingest the sour taste.
Salty: much like the sour taste, it is salt’s moist and oily nature that aggravates Kapha.In excess, the salty taste can cause water retention, high blood pressure, intestinal inflammation, grey hair, wrinkles, excess thirst, and it can impede the sense organs. Further, it tends to spark a sharp desire for stronger flavors and excess water.
How to Eat
When it comes to pacifying Kapha, how we eat can have a profound impact on our degree of success, so this is an especially useful place to focus, if the prospect of radically changing your diet feels overwhelming right now.
As most people with Kapha digestion know, kapha’s love of food and tendency toward emotional eating can easily lead to overindulgence. For this reason, Kapha does well to stick to three square meals each day, and sometimes, just two meals are sufficient. Eating at consistent times from one day to the next also helps to strengthen the digestive fire while regulating the appetite. You can further counteract sluggish digestion by chewing a slice of fresh ginger (about the size of a nickel), about 30 minutes before both meals. This helps to prepare the digestive system to receive food and to process it effectively.
During meals, it is very important to eat in a peaceful environment and to give your full attention to the act of being nourished so that your body registers satisfaction. This will help reduce overeating and emotional eating. Fast foods, sweets, and excessive amounts of bread and other comfort foods can be especially Kapha-provoking. While you will likely not succeed in avoiding all Kapha-aggravating foods, their detrimental potential can be minimized by making sure that they are served warm, in small quantities, and with the support of heating herbs. Lastly, because Kapha digestion is generally a bit boggy, periodic fast or cleanses can be very helpful—especially if you tend to be able to sustain your energy over long breaks between meals. A short fruit or juice fast (think apple or pomegranate), or a longer mono-diet of vegetable soup can be very supportive.
Foods that Increase Kapha Dosha:
Fried foods, oily foods, cold or frozen foods or drinks, sweets, bread, excess liquid, excess salt, milk and most milk products, soy milk, wheat, meat.
Specific Kapha-Pacifying Foods
Kapha can be brought back into balance by eating the right foods. Read below to find out what you can eat to help pacify Kapha. The list of foods is meant to help you deepen your understanding and begin to see overarching patterns—not to create a sense of restriction or deprivation. If food lists tend to have that effect on you, do your best to internalize the qualitative guidelines above. Embrace eating regular meals without snacking much in between, eat your main meal at lunch with a lighter dinner, and make an effort to be fully present with all of your meals. That is as good a starting place as any.
Fruits
Fruits should be consumed moderately since they are mostly sweet, cooling and moistening. On the other hand, fruits may increase the sense of lightness in the body when eaten separately from other foods. Fruits that pacify Kapha will generally be somewhat astringent and only mildly sweet. Dried fruits are acceptable, on occasion, but should only be enjoyed in small quantities because they are so dense and concentrated. Sour fruits such as lemon and grapefruit can encourage fat burning. Other good fruits are apple, pear and pomegranate. Fruits to avoid are those that are exceptionally sweet or sour (like oranges or grapes), and any that are especially heavy, dense, or watery—like bananas, coconut, dates, melons, pineapple, or plums.
Fruits and fruit juices are best enjoyed alone—30 minutes before, and ideally at least 1 hour after, any other food. This helps to ensure optimal digestion. Note: this rule does not apply to fruits that we typically consider vegetables (avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.). You will find these fruits listed among the vegetables.
Favor
Apples
Applesauce
Apricots
Berries
Cherries
Cranberries
Figs (dry)
Grapes (red, purple, black)
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Peaches
Pears
Persimmons
Pomegranates
Prunes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Avoid
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Coconut
Dates
Figs (fresh)
Grapes (green)
Kiwi
Mango
Melons
Oranges
Papaya
Pineapple
Plums
Tamarin
Watermelon
Vegetables
Most vegetables, steamed or baked, are good for balancing this condition because of their light and dry quality. It is better to eat well spiced vegetables to counteract their cooling quality. Vegetables that pacify Kapha will generally be pungent, bitter, and astringent. Most vegetables include some combination of these tastes, so vegetables are an important centerpiece of any effective Kapha-balancing diet. Cooked vegetables are generally easier to digest than raw ones, so it’s best to have raw veggies, salads, and Kapha-aggravating vegetables in small quantities and at mid-day, when digestive strength is at its peak. Raw vegetables are often more appropriate for Kapha in the spring and summer seasons. The only vegetables for Kapha to reduce or avoid are those that are particularly heavy, dense, oily, or watery – like avocado, cucumber, olives, and the other vegetables listed in the reduce or avoid column below.
Cooked vegetables:
Favor
Artichoke
Asparagus
Beet Greens
Beets
Bell Peppers
Bitter Melon
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Burdock root
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chilies
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Corn
Daikon Radish
Dandelion Greens
Eggplant
Garlic
Green Beans
Horseradish
Jerusalem artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leafy greens
Leeks
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Okra
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Peppers, Sweet & Hot
Potatoes, White
Radishes
Rutabaga
Spaghetti squash
Spinach
Sprouts
Squash, winter
Tomatoes (cooked)
Turnips
Watercress
Wheat Grass
Reduce or Avoid
Avocado
Cucumber
Olives
Pumpkin
Squash, summer
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes (raw)
Zucchini
Algae:
The most appropriate are Nuri and Wakame seaweed, followed by Higiki.
Grains
Cereals general quality is heavy and nutritious, and they contribute to weight gain. Therefore, cereals suitable for this condition are whole grains with a cleansing, diuretic and drying effect. A menu based on these grains and steamed vegetables is usually beneficial. Bread is less appropriate because it is considered stickier and causes blockages. Grains that pacify Kapha are light, dry, and rough. In general, grains tend to be staples in our diets because they are somewhat heavy and nourishing. But when it comes to balancing Kapha, these qualities are best minimized, so reducing grain consumption overall can be a huge benefit. Avoid grains that are exceptionally heavy, moist or dense (like wheat, flours, breads, cooked oats, and pastas) as much as possible, and eat smaller quantities of appropriate grains. It often works well to supplement meals with extra vegetables or legumes, which are nutritionally rich, but also more balancing for Kapha.
Favor
Amaranth
Barley
Buckwheat
Cereal (unsweetened, dry)
Corn
Crackers
Granola (roast dry oats)
Millet
Oat Bran
Polenta
Quinoa
Rice (brown basmati, wild, red)
Rice Cakes
Rye
Spelt
Sprouted Wheat Bread
Wheat Bran
Avoid
Bulgur
Couscous
Durham Flour
Muesli
Oats (cooked with milk)
Pancakes
Pasta
Rice (white)
Seitan
Semolina
Tapioca
Wheat
Yeasted Bread
Legumes
Legumes are relatively difficult to digest, and therefore their preparation is critical and they must be well-cooked and well-spiced to make them more digestible. Assuming digestion allows, legumes are a very good food for Kapha, thanks to their drying and diuretic quality. Legumes are generally astringent, which is one of the tastes that balanceKapha. Kapha can enjoy a wide variety of legumes. Even well-cooked tofu, tempeh, and warm, spiced soy milk are acceptable. The only beans that don’t work for Kapha are simply too heavy or oily to be balancing.
Favor
Adzuki Beans
Black Beans
Black-Eyed Peas
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Kidney Beans
Lentils
Lima Beans
Miso (barley miso)
Mung Beans
Mung Dal
Navy Beans
Pinto Beans
Split Peas
Soy Milk (hot, spiced, occasionally)
Soy Meats
Soy Sauce (tamari style)
Tempeh
Tofu (cooked and spiced)
Toor Dal
White Beans
Avoid
Soy Beans
Soy Cheese
Soy Flour
Soy Powder
Tofu (served cold)
Urad Dal
Milk and dairy products: (quality is very significant)
Dairy products are best minimized when trying to reduce Kapha because they tend to be heavy, unctuous, and can increase mucus production. As a rule, dairy milks should be taken at least one hour before or after any other food. Ideally, milk is boiled and served hot with a pinch or turmeric or ginger—to make it more digestible and less congesting. Goat’s milk and goat’s milk products are the best option for Kapha because they are lighter, but are best in moderation. Almond and rice milks are good substitutes.
Favor
Buttermilk
Ricotta Cheese (ideally from goat’s milk)
Ghee
Goat’s Cheese (unsalted, not aged)
Goat’s Milk (skim)
Yogurt (fresh, diluted and stirred)
Avoid
Butter
Cheese
Cow’s Milk
Frozen Yogurt
Ice Cream
Sour Cream
Yogurt (store bought)
Nuts & Seeds
Nuts and seeds tend to be heavy, dense, sticky and oily and are generally not terrifically balancing for Kapha. But there are a few types of nuts and seeds that are acceptable in small quantities. When trying to balance Kapha, nuts and seeds are best enjoyed only on occasion.
Favor
Almonds (unpeeled, dry)
Chestnut
Flax Seeds
Nigella
Popcorn (without salt or butter)
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Avoid
Brazil Nuts
Chia Seeds
Cashews
Coconut
Filberts
Macadamia Nuts
Peanuts
Pecans
Pine Nuts
Pistachios
Sesame Seeds
Tahini
Walnuts
Meat & Eggs(quality is very significant)
Kapha people do not require large quantities of animal protein because tissue depletion is rather rare. On the other hand, a vegan diet for many years is could cause excess Kapha, since it contributes to a buildup of excess cold quality in the body. Kapha does best with animal foods that are light and relatively dry, as opposed to those that are heavy, oily, or especially dense.For most, the recommendation is to eat small amounts of turkey or chicken (preferably low fat, breast) and eggs, not very often, either once or twice a week in average, or less often. Fish may be consumed infrequently, and usually it is better to avoid beef, pork and lamb. Eating less meat all around is generally beneficial. In fact, Kapha can be easily pacified without any animal foods, if your diet doesn’t already include them.
In some cases, when the diagnosis of excess cold is pronounced, and when digestion is very familiar with processing animal protein and when the consumption of grains distinctly creates heaviness, a diet based upon animal protein and vegetables may be the most appropriate.
Favor
Chicken (white)
Eggs (not fried, and in moderation)
Fish (saltwater, small)
Rabbit
Turkey (white)
Venison
Avoid
Beef
Buffalo
Chicken (dark)
Duck
Fish (freshwater)
Lamb
Pork
Salmon
Sardines
Seafood
Shrimp
Tuna Fish
Turkey (dark)
Oils (cold pressed)
Most oils are heavy and, well, oily for Kapha. However, in very small quantities, the oils in the favor column are acceptable, if they are of good quality. Because toxins tend to concentrate in fats, buying organic oils may be more important than buying organic fruits and vegetables. When trying to balance Kapha, you can minimize reliance on oil by sautéing foods in water instead of oil or by simply steaming them. For those occasions when a tad of oil is needed, the best oils for kapha are corn oil, sunflower oil or ghee.
Favor
Corn Oil
Flax Seed Oil
Ghee
Olive Oil (occasionally)
Sesame oil
Sunflower Oil
Avoid
Avocado Oil
Apricot Oil
Coconut Oil
Primrose Oil
Safflower Oil
Soy Oil
Walnut Oil
Sweeteners
In this category there is no great variety to say the least. As the sweet taste is not particularly supportive to Kapha, most sweeteners are better avoided. Aged raw honey on the other hand – which is solid, dry and light—is the one exception, when used in small quantities. Honey also scrapes toxins and fat from the tissues, so it benefits Kapha on multiple levels. Foods and drinks that contain refined sugars or corn syrup can be especially detrimental and should be avoided as much as possible.
Favor
Fruit Juice Concentrates
Honey (raw and unprocessed, aged over one year, solid texture)
Avoid
Artificial Sweeteners
Barley Malt
Date Sugar
Fructose
Honey (cooked, heated or processed)
Jaggery
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Rice Syrup
Sucanat
Turbinado
White Sugar
Spices
Spices are an essential addition to a Kapha diet, and can also allow and improve the digestion of less appropriate food items with minimal damage. Almost all the spices are good, especially the sharp ones, which heat and dry, increase the metabolic rate and prevent the accumulation of water in the tissues. Feel free to experiment with a wide variety of new and exotic spices. Kapha is the only dosha that can usually handle fiery hot foods. Even if those don’t suit you, a variety of mild spices will help to strengthen the digestive fire and can improve overall metabolism. In particular, the pungent and digestive qualities of green onions, ginger, black pepper, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper benefit Kapha.
Favor
Ajuwan
Allspice
Anise
Basil
Bay Leaf
Black Pepper
Caraway
Cardamom
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander (seeds or powder)
Cumin (seeds or powder)
Dill
Fennel
Fenugreek
Garlic
Ginger (fresh or dried)
Hing (Asafoetida)
Mace
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard Seeds
Neem Leaves
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Peppermint
Pippali
Rosemary
Saffron
Savory
Spearmint
Tarragon
Thyme
Trikatu
Turmeric
Vanilla
Wintergreen
Avoid or minimize
Nutmeg
Poppy Seeds
Salt
Beverages
Kapha people need less water, and should avoid cold drinks and ice drinks. Drinking black tea or herbal tea is recommended, especially ginger tea, cinnamon, sage, hyssop and so on. A little honey can be added to the tea, but it is better to avoid sugar and milk. Black coffee with cardamom is appropriate in low doses. Cereal milk such as spelt milk or quinoa milk or brown rice milk is best used occasionally or moderately. Suitable Alcoholic beverage is dry red wine, and in special occasions a short drink of liquor is acceptable.
Drink options following awakening: hot water or herbal tea or chicory coffee or chai without milk or with a touch of cereal milk.
Optional daily menu for this condition:
Breakfast
Breakfast is often somewhat optional when Kapha is elevated. Kapha benefits tremendously from the unforced, overnight fast between dinner and breakfast. If the appetite has not returned upon waking, it’s likely that a light breakfast of fresh fruit or tea will suffice. If breakfast does feel important to you, consider:
Fluffy Buckwheat with stir-fried / oven baked vegetables and green salad
“Tabula” salad – quinoa and millet
Granola without nuts with carrot juice / pomegranate juice / green smoothie /warm quinoa milk
Sprouted bread Toast / rye toast / chapatti with olive oil and hyssop / homemade pesto / bean spread / vegetable spread / honey
Stewed or baked apples and pears
Hot cereals, like seasoned barley or rice porridge. Add a little dried fruit or a dab of honey if you like
Snack:
Best avoid
A few raw vegetable slices such as carrots, radishes, kohlrabi
A fruit
Lunch:
Ideally, lunch is the main meal of the day, meaning it’s the largest and the most nourishing. Build your lunches around consuming lots of steamed and sautéed vegetables, and complement them with beans, appropriate grains, non-yeasted breads, a suitable meat, or an occasional egg. Try something like:
Vegetarian meal: barley Grits / brown basmati rice / friki with baked Vegetable and legumes
Non vegetarian meal:Buckwheat / quinoa / millet with Baked Vegetable or green salad, and chicken/turkey breast, a cup of green tea.
Red lentil-lemongrass soup and a side of steamed kale. The kale can be garnished with olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.
Vegetable soup made with vegetables like onions, garlic, broccoli, celery, carrots, green beans, and celery, and a slice of rye toast.
Kitchari and a side of sautéed dandelion greens with lemon and mint.
Black beans, sautéed onions and bell peppers, shredded romaine lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice and serve over steamed corn tortillas.
Snack:
Best avoid
A fresh fruit
A few items of dried fruits and a handful of lightly roasted pumpkin seeds
Dinner
Dinner is ideally significantly smaller and lighter than lunch. Soups and stews are often a wonderful choice because they are warm and nourishing, even when light. A smaller serving of lunch can often work, too. For some, especially when weight loss is indicated, it’s best to forego dinner altogether in favor of a healthy breakfast and lunch, or to eat a more substantial breakfast and make dinner the ultra-light meal of the day. Try:
Green Vegetable omelet and rye/sprouted toast/cracker with homemade pesto and green salad
One of the recommended cereals and oven-baked vegetables
Buckwheat noodles and stir-fried vegetables, with Mung bean sprouts
Homemade chickpea omelet, one of the recommended spreads, cooked vegetables (green beans, peas, asparagus, corn, etc.)
Vegetable millet pie / millet-mung patties and green salad
Adzuki beans, green salad and a small serving of quinoa.
Red lentils with basil and a small serving of brown basmati rice.
Rye toast, a small salad and a stimulating dressing, like lemon-ginger.
Before bedtime:
Avoid
Summary
Enjoy:
Foods that is pungent, bitter, or astringent in taste
Warm foods, both energetically and in temperature
Heating spices—like chili, black or cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and cumin
Whole, freshly cooked foods
Light, dry, and warm foods
Honey, raw and solid
Only room temperature or warm drinks
Most beans
Lots of veggies
A minimal amount of high-quality sesame oil, sunflower oil, or ghee in your daily diet
Routine times for your meals
Avoid:
Foods that are sweet, sour, and/or salty
Cooling foods, both energetically and in temperature
Heavy and oily foods (e.g. cheese, pudding, nuts, cake(
Highly processed foods (e.g. canned or frozen foods, “TV” dinners or pastries(
Cold or carbonated drinks
Overeating or eating heavy meals
Eating fresh fruit or drinking fruit juice within ½ hour of any other food
Red meat
Foods or drinks that contain refined sugar or corn syrup
Deep fried foods
Alcohol, except for an occasional glass of dry red or white wine