Diet And Lifestyle Advice For Vata Dosha Body Type

In Vata Dosha body type person, Vata Dosha is naturally dominant. It will benefit if the person follows these rules of sexual health, lifestyle, diet and mental health.

Introduction

The Dosha body type is also called Prakruti. In Vata Dosha body type, the Vayu is naturally dominant in the person. The body constitution comes naturally to us and it is classified based on Doshas.

If you are new to dosha body types, then learn about Prakruti here and here (As per master Susruta)

Skin

The skin of a Vata body type person will be rough, dry and body parts will be cold to touch. This is because dryness and coldness are two natural qualities of Vata Dosha, which are exhibited in the Vata prakriti person.
Read related: The Easiest Way To Understand Doshas

Advice:
These skin features in a Vata person is not a disease. The skin is just dry, cold and rough, naturally. But if they are not taken care, it may lead to extreme dryness and roughness which can be categorized as disease.p

To avoid excessive coldness and dryness of skin, It is best for Vata person to undergo oil massage and steam therapy at least once a week.
Good oils for massage are –

Nalpamaradi taila – if you have other skin problems like itching, ring worm infection, dermatitis, psoriasis etc.
Dhanwantaram thailam or Mahanarayana taila – if you have general body pain.
Balashwagandhadi taila – if your body is lean and weak and if you suffer with lack of body strength.

If you do not have facility for steam therapy, you can do self massage and after 30 minutes, take hot water bath. This will be sufficient.

Hot water bath –
Because Vata persons usually have cold hands and legs, it is best for them to take hot water bath.
Read related: Hot water bath or cold water bath?

General appearance

Due to roughness, dryness and lean body, Vata persons are usually have unpleasant unattractive body shape (lack of photogenic body).
Hands and legs have prominent veins due to less body fat.

Advice:
It is best to undergo oil massage and steam.
It is best for them to take oils, fats and protein rich food which helps them to put on weight and to grow muscles.
Intake of at least 1 teaspoon of ghee helps them with digestion strength and body weight.
They may use Kumkumadi taila oil on face to enhance beauty and to keep facial skin well moistened with good glow.
Read related: Ayurvedic Remedies, Medicines for Skin Glow, Complexion

Exercise: 
Vata prakriti persons are not advised for heavy exercise. They already have lean body and exercise further increases Vata Dosha.
But if you are accustomed to daily or weekly oil massage and healthy foods, you can take up Yoga and mild form of exercises – 10 – 15 minutes a day.

Hair nails and moustache

These are rough, dry and less in quantity.
Overall, low quality hairs and less hairs.

Advice:
Include at least a tablespoon of oil in your diet. Any oil that you like.
Calcium rich diet for strong bones and strong hairs – green leafy vegetables, cabbage, soya food, lady finger, beans, almonds, sesame seeds, flax seed. garlic, basil

Regular hair oil application –
Daily hair oil application will keep the mind calm and helps in hair growth.
Example –
Kuntalakanti hair oil

Sexual health

Generally Vata persons have weak sexual health and stamina.
They may use sexual supplements such as Shilajit, Ashwagandha Lehyam, etc., based on doctor’s advice.
Because of their weak sex power, it is best to have sex once a week and avoid sex on daily basis.

General body parts

Cracked palm, feet, lean, underweight, dwarf body
Mobile, unstable joints – eyes, eye brows, jaw, lips, tongue, head, shoulder, hands and legs, mind

Remedy –
Oil massage and steam therapy helps a lot to improve stability of all parts of the body. They make the body parts firm, strong and stable.
Oil massage to feet helps in cracked feet.
Read related: Cracked heels remedies and Ayurvedic treatment

Action, movement

Vata persons have hurried gait, speech and actions. They like speed.

Advice:
Do the reverse. Practice slowness.
Practice methodical work.
Do slow walking
Practice Pranayama. Learn how to do Pranayama
Think slowly. Do not rush on to anything.
Do not speak before you have thought it out.

Hunger and thirst

Sometimes less, sometime more
Advice: Ghee, spices like cumin, black pepper, ginger, oils, fats and protein in diet.
Frequent fasting is not recommended. Once in a month or so is fine to do.
Eat at regular intervals. Drink water while taking meals.

Mental aspects

Mental aspects / Anger / mood
Quick to get irritated, short temper.
Quick in likes and dislikes
Stealing tendency, jealous
Fond of music
Quick to get angry
Oscillating knowledge, thoughts and decisions

Rx
Yoga and Pranayama
Shirodhara
Head massage with oils with oils like Neelibhringadi taila, Bhrami taila etc.

Memory

Quick to understand quick to forget
Wandering mind
Wailing, moaning, complaining grieving for small matters, incoherently, without any reason.

Advice –
Brahmi Ghrita – half a teaspoon in the morning, before food with half a cup of lukewarm water for 2 months, in a year, is the general advice for a healthy adult with Vata body type.  
Yoga for 15 minutes
Pranayama – for 2 – 5 minutes per day.
Self help books.

Gait

Walking / gait
Constant crackling sound from joints
Wandering tendency:
Walks fast

Advice:
Regular oil massage. If not the whole body, at least apply some oil to knees, 30 minutes before bath everyday.

Cold or hot sensitivity

Intolerance for cold things; often getting afflicted with cold, shivering and stiffness
Comfortable with hot food stuff

Advice:
Avoid excess coolant foods and ice creams.
Include a bit of spices in diet
Take food in freshly made and hot condition.
Hot water is good for drinking and bathing.
Read related: Diet And Lifestyle Advice For Pitta Dosha Body Type

Voice

Dry, low pitch, broken, obstructed and hoarse voice
Advice –
Chew a piece of licorice
Kantakari ghrita – quarter a teaspoon per day, for a month.
Read related: Hoarse Voice Causes, Ayurvedic Treatment, Home Remedies

Talk

Excess talk
Advice –
Try to enjoy and respect silence
Bhramari pranayama helps to keep silence.
Diet And Lifestyle Advice For Kapha Dosha Body Type

Wealth and life expectancy

Less, Quick ageing.
does not store wealth, ornaments or money

Advice –
Let the other members of the family manage your finances.
To avoid ageing, it is good to take Chyawanprash – half a teaspoon in the morning, 3- 4 months in a year. 

Sleep

Less, disturbed.
Advice –
Head massage with ksheerabala taila.
Read related: 20 Simple Ayurveda Tips For A Better Sleep

Eyes

vision is not stable, eyes move all the time

Advice –
If your eyes are healthy, no treatment is required. If not, based on the complaint, medicines like Triphala Ghrita might be required.

Seasonal precautions

During raining season, Vata gets aggressive. Be careful and follow more of the above measures.
Read related:
19 Ayurveda Health Tips For Rainy Season

Panchakarma

Dosha based Panchakarma –
Abhyanga – oil massage
Shirodhara – oil stream therapy
Basti – enema are recommended from time to time.

Vata diet

Ayurveda Vata diet means the diet suitable for those having Vata body type.  Ayurveda explains that a person with Vata body type should consume such food that balances Vata. This is because, people with Vata body type tend to suffer more from Vata related disorders (degenerative and bone, muscle and joint related disorders). So, to avoid such health conditions, they are advised to follow the below mentioned Vata pacifying food types.

Ayurvedic diet for Vata  Dosha –
Slightly oily and unctuous food stuff, sweet, salt and sour tasting food stuff, food articles that are neither heavy nor light to digest, hot food items are usually advised.

Specific Dosha diet for Vata –
below mentioned are the food articles that you should take if you have Vata body type.
Sweet and sour grapes – Both balance Vata dosha.

Horse gram, black gram wheat, red coloured rice, Luffa,  pome granate, dates, sugar prepared from sugarcane, ghee, raisins, milk, berries, garlic, betel leaf, orange, chicken, egg, Carrots, Beets.
Yellow moong bean halwa made with ghee, milk, cardamom, raisins, almond is good for Vata.

Wheat – wheat is sweet, coolant, oily and aphrodisiac in nature. It strengthens the body and balances Vata.
Black gram – is aphrodisiac, oily, hot, sweet, heavy to digest, improves body strength  and balances Vata Dosha.
Sesame seeds – is oily and hot in nature.
Rooster and Fish – is good for balancing Vata due to its hot nature, sweet taste and oiliness qualities.
Mango – Sweet mango fruit balances Vata Dosha. Being rich in fibers, it clears bowels and regularizes normal path of Vata Dosha.

Onion – Apart from balancing vata, it also improves strength and vigor. (Harate kevalam Vaatam balaveeryakaro guruhu | – Bhavaprakasha)
Garlic – Balances Vata (Vataghna – Charaka Samhita)
Saffron –  Balances Kapha and vata (shleshma sameera jit – Dhanvantari Nighantu)

Betel leaf – Balances vata and kapha
cinnamon – Balances kapha and vata
sugar cane – It calms Vata,  Sugarcane does kidney bladder cleanse. Click to readSugarcane juice benefits

long pepper –  Balances vata and kaphavata and kapha
ginger – Balances vata and kapha
Curds – How to make curds curds benefits
Buttermilk – It is a very good habit for people with Vata body type to consume Buttermilk regularly
Butter – Click to read about How to make butter according to Ayurveda and Butter benefits
Tamarind – Usually sour tasting herbs and fruits balance Vata
Almond – Badam – known as Vatada in Ayurveda, is mainly for the treatment of nerve disorder, general debility, to improve the memory power and increase the sexual vigor.
Tintideeka – Rhus parviflora

Hedge Mustard
Poppy seeds, Pomegranate
Jaggery
Sesame seed and sesame oil
Kakandoma (a type of shimbi)
Atmagupta (Mucuna prurita Hook.)
Linseed (Uma)

Diet tip: People with Vata body type should not leave the stomach empty. Fasting is not advisable to them.

Generally the diet articles having dryness, cold, very light to digest, are not suitable for them, as these qualities cause Vata imbalance.

Useful herbs

Herbs that balance Vata Dosha –
Flower of Kareera – Capparis decidua
Cotton plant seed – Karpasa – Gossypium herbaceum

Foods to avoid

Avoid:
Cow-pea  (Rajamasha)
Peanut
Indian bean / Lablab bean
Water lily
Parpataka – Fumaria parviflora
Fox nut
Agastya – flower of Sesbania grandiflora
Flower of Asana – Pterocarpus santalinus
Bengal gram, peas, green gram, honey, cold water.
Food with astringent, bitter and pungent properties

Ideal daily routine for Vata

Vata persons are usually lean,fidgety and talkative. Their tissues are not well nourished and they tend to get aches, pains, bloating, hair loss, arthritis etc. early in their lives. They get tired easily.
The way to counter these symptoms is by having nutritious food, proper rest, oil and a fat rich diet.

Good sleep (lack of sleep -> Vata increase).

Attending hunger, thirst and wash room urges as and when they appear.

Regular oil massage with sesame oil or Maha Narayana oil,
Nasal drops – 2 drops to each nostril on an empty stomach with Anu oil.
Oil pulling with sesame oil or irimedadi oil
Lukewarm water bath
Inclusion of good amount of oils and fats
Apply hair oil – Sesame oil or coconut oil or Bhringamalakadi oil.
Read: How To Select Hair Oil  For Yourself? Choices And Examples

Limited exercise (avoid over exercise). Yoga is better than gym.

Avoid fasting, avoid untimely intake of food, avoid less intake of food (have good amount of food)
Lukewarm water intake

Avoid all foods that cause bloating – eg: aerated drinks, junk foods etc.

Have foods rich in sweet, sour and salt taste (these tastes decrease Vata Dosha)
Avoid stress at work, concentrating on planning and scheduling your work.
Avoid excess talking, excess thinking.
Pranayama and meditation
Learn a simple Pranayama technique
Avoid excess travel, roaming or excess walking
Avoid excess sexual activities.
Apply a few drops of sesame oil or coconut oil or your hair oil to your forehead, temple region and soles at night, before sleeping.