Dosha Summaries
Dosha Summaries
I’m so glad you took the dosha quiz I designed! At Eat Live we’re all about getting to know you so that we can serve you beautifully on your self care journey.
I hope the dosha result you got felt true for you and the recommendations were helpful, however, doshas are tricky because our doshic profiles change all the time depending on the season, the time we are in our life and even on where we are living. We tend to come into this world with a certain doshic profile and often the thing we really need to is to move back in that direction - you know, to who we were before the world told us who we should be!
So what I’m sending you now is a transcript of each doshic profile so you can get a feel for each one and see what feels like the best fit. Remember you can be one dosha in mind and another one in body. Once you have a feel for each dosha and the recommendations that go along with each it makes tuning into your own natural wisdom and working out what to eat and how to care for yourself a little easier.
I’l be in touch again over the next few weeks with some personal Ayurvedic guidance for you. When you read this if you feel like another dosha seems more you email me and let me know and that way I can tweak it for you. We keep things very personal at Eat Live :) If you’d like to join me in our next seasonal Ayurvedic Cleanse you can get more dets here.
Welcome to the Eat Live tribe.
Emma xo
Plant Alchemist and Your Wellness Guide
VATA
Vata is made up of air energy. This means they tend to be the big thinkers, very creative and full of ideas. It also means that when out of balance they are prone to anxiety and restlessness. Physically Vatas tend to be thin, with bony, cracking joints. They are prone to digestive issues like bloating and gas. When your Vata is out of balance you need grounding and heating.
Vatas are the dosha most likely to be drawn to veganism. Intense diets like raw veganism particularly appeal to Vatas because they are the most philosophical, however, you are the dosha least suited to this way of eating because you actually need the most protein and need your veggies to be well cooked because you have a weaker digestion.
As a Vata you should get lots of protein to build you up and will even do well with dairy if it's heated - warm milk for example. If you're a vegan any kind of nut mylk or oat mylk would be great. If you're a vegetarian or vegan all types of nuts are fine. Beans will be more difficult for you to digest but contain lots of protein so ensure they are well soaked before cooking. When you do cook them do so with mustard seeds to help break them down. Focus on easy to digest pulses like the yellow split dal I use in my kitchari on the 3 Day Cleanse. If you're a Vata you're probably draw to raw vegetables like salads and green smoothies but for you vegetables are best well cooked, ideally in warming stews and soups made with gently heating earthy spices like ginger and cumin. To incorporate raw vegetables you can just make sure they're fermented. Fermented veggies are broken down by the lactic acid that cultures them so they're super digestible but are still raw so all the enzymes and benefits ofeating raw veg are retained. Plus you get all the probiotics - win win!
Generally speaking, Vatas should not fast. Like with raw veganism this is something they tend to be drawn to but should resist. Psycologically Vatas need the structure and routine of eating three meals a day at the same time each day. This is also essential for your sensitive digestive system. A very gentle Vata friendly fast is to simply to allow 12 hours from finishing your dinner to eating your breakfast, but if you're on the thin side and get hungry before bed a warm cup of golden turmeric mylk and a little snack would be fine. For a detox my 3 Day Kitchari Cleanse is absolutely perfect for Vata, see below for more information on this.
Eat Live Recommendations
The Eat Live products I recommend for Vata are Kimchi - Original or Sea. Some Vatas struggle with too much spice but if you know you can take some extra cayenne heat without it upsetting your stomach then feel free to go for the hot version. The Red Kraut with Beetroot and Caraway is particularly suited to Vata as it is very earthy and grounding.
Raw chocolate is fine in moderation for Vata. It is a stimulant though and can aggravate in large quantities so having it earlier in the day would be fine.
Magnesium Salts - pretty much everyone, everywhere would benefit for magnesium baths as we all tend to be magnesium deficient, however, Vatas are the dosha most in need as you tend to suffer from joint issues, anxiety and restlessness, all of which magnesium is perfect for.
Rosy Tea - this tea needs to be very dilute for the other two doshas, but is great for Vata who can have a bit more sweetness. It is full of warming earthy Ayurvedic spices like ginger and cinnamon and should be served warm as lovely, grounding, invigorating drink full of Vitamin C and antioxidants.
3 Day Detox - This involves eating Eat Live kitchari for lunch and dinner with well cooked vegetables. This is the perfect menu for Vata, warming, digestible with lots of gut healing Ayurvedic spices. Stick to the recommended veggies - steamed celery and carrots. You can also sauté your veg in sesame oil or ghee if you’re not a vegan. If you don't have weight to lose and maybe are looking to gain weight you can drizzle sesame oil or ghee over your kitchari and even have some root vegetables like sweet potato and swede. When you do the detox make sure you choose the porridge option for breakfast and soak the oats as guided. Don't go for the smoothie option unless you have weight to lose as it will be too light and cooling for you.
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Kapha
Kapha is the element of water and earth. Kaphas are loving, loyal and grounded. They tend to have thick, lustrous hair, gorgeous skin and big, beautiful eyes. They have great stamina and sleep well.
If your Kapha is out of balance you will find you often feel lethargic and gain weight. Emotionally you will hold onto old emotions and tend stay in situations that are no longer serving you and feel frustrated and stuck.
To balance Kapha you need to literally shake things up. So exercise, ideally something fast paced first thing in the morning and outdoors if you can, which has the added benefit retuning your body's circadian rhythms because of the morning sunlight.
Food wise you need to think light and spicy to counteract the heavy, dull qualities of out of balance Kapha. Bitter, astringent foods like greens are great for Kapha.
Kaphas are the dosha best suited to fasting and do really well on just two meals a day. So it's absolutely fine to skip breakfast if you aren't hungry and maybe just have a cup of ginger tea to warm and ignite your digestive fire (agni). You are the only dosha that coffee is recommended for! A cup of black coffee in the morning (just one, don't overdo it) is a stimulant that may suit your constitution. Black coffee whilst fasting actually stimulates a process called autophagy (cell regeneration) and is particularly helpful for Kapha. Women shouldn’t fast more than twice a week as more than this can disrupt our hormones.
Eat Live Recommendations
All the Kimchi! Even the hot one. Eat Live kimchi is great for Kapha as it is spicy, light and invigorating. The pre and probiotics are great for getting your sluggish digestion moving and the ingredients are bitter and astringent which balance the qualities of Kapha. If you like the red kraut that's great too and feel free to add a little bit of ginger to it or to the rest of your meal.
Raw Chocolate - chocolate is a natural stimulant which, like coffee, can be helpful for Kapha but go easy because you shouldn't have too much sugar. Our raw chocolate bars are made with natural sweetness from coconut which doesn’t spike your blood sugar. They are naturally very low carb and therefore keto friendly with less than 5g carbs per bar. So a few squares of this after your meal to satisfy that craving for sweetness is a really great choice for Kapha.
Rosy Tea - this tea is great for Kapha in that it can be served warm and is full of invigorating Ayurvedic spices. It is sweet and therefore Kaphas can have it but make sure it is very dilute. You can have about a quarter of a mug of Rosy Tea and top up with boiling water for a lovely, lightly spiced Vitamin C rich tea.
Magnesium Salts - these bath salts are tridoshic (suitable and encouraged for everybody) as most of us are thought to be magnesium deficient. For Kaphas in particular who tend to suffer from sinus congestion and allergies magnesium is particularly helpful for these issues.
3 Day Detox - Kaphas are the dosha that most need to cleanse regularly. In addition to the Eat Live seasonal Kitchari Cleanse you could do a juice and broth fast once a week or month. When doing the Eat Live detox make sure you choose the smoothie option at breakfast and you can skip the optional oats. You could even skip breakfast altogether if you're not hungry and just wait for your kitchari lunch. You can also spice up you kitchari with a little cayenne pepper and other warming spices if you like. Watch your portion sizes - no more than half a plate of veggies with your kitchari. Stick to the veggies suggested - steamed carrots and celery, you can add ginger too. Ensure you finish eating by 7pm and don't eat anything until at least 7am the next day.
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Pitta
Pitta energy is hot and intense. Pittas are bright, clever and charismatic. They have great digestion, beautiful skin and loads of energy when in balance. When out of balance Pittas suffer from indigestion, heartburn and skin rashes. Emotionally they lose their temper quickly, get stressed and almost literally, burn out.
To balance hot, sharp, sour Pitta energy think cool, sweet and grounding. Pittas are naturally very structured and are the ones who have everything organised and colour coded! Plan time in your schedule for rest, relaxation and mind wandering. Diarise it, so you stick to it with the same intensity as you keep all your other commitments.
Food wise you want to go for cooling, sweet and astringent. Think mint, cucumber and sweet fruit. Traditionally raw food isn't recommended in Ayurveda but many modern practitioners agree that Pitta is the one dosha that can have raw (even unfermented) food - so green smoothies with bitter, astringent leafy greens and sweet green apples would be great, just make sure it's room temperature and not too cold so as not to dampen your digestive fire.
Eat Live Recommendations
Cucumber and Mint Kraut - I actually designed this for Pitta energy with cooling, bitter and astringent ingredients. Have a forkful with your main meal to balance Pitta. The Red Kraut would be your next best choice as it's grounding and not spicy. If you really love the kimchi, which is made with hot spice best avoided by Pitta, then avoid the extra hot version and go for the Sea Kimchi which is mildly spicy and contains bitter and astringent coriander and dulse seaweed to balance the spicy flavours.
Magnesium Salts - these are tridoshic (suitable and encouraged for everyone) as most of us are estimated to be deficient in magnesium. For Pitta they are particularly great because they relax your nervous system, also the routine of having an evening magnesium bath for relaxation and transdermal mineral absorption is a great practice for Pittas.
Raw Chocolate Chocolate is a natural stimulant, and like coffee, is not recommended for already highly strung Pittas. If you really love chocolate raw is a good choice as it's full of antixodants and the enzymes are preserved. Flavour wise go for the the more cooling Peppermint or Very Berry and just have a few chunks - half a bar. You can also have sweet, juicy fruit like mango and pineapple for something sweet.
Rosy Tea - This contains alot of ginger but is a great source of natural Vitamin C so if you love Rosy Tea just make sure it is well diluted so it's not overly hot for your constitution.
3 Day Detox - This Cleanse is great for Pittas. You can have either the smoothie or the porridge option for breakfast. Keep it light and have the smoothie without oats if you're trying to lose weight. For veggies to have alongside your kitchari you are the Dosha with the most choice! You can stick with the carrots and celery option or go for steamed leafy green vegetables if you like such as kale or spinach. Have whatever veggies you like. Non starchy, if you are trying to lose weight. You can also lightly saute your vegetables in cooling coconut oil rather than steaming them. The only thing not to do on the detox is to spice up your kitchari - no cayenne or hot pepper sauce please! Fire is drawn to fire and Pittas love to spice up their food up but if you already have too much heat you should avoid this, maybe even have some sliced cucumber on the side to cool things down.