Lifestyle, Food And Factors That Cause Increase Of Kapha Dosha

Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay)
Kapha Dosha is composed of earth and water elements. It has coolness and heaviness as its basic qualities. Any diet or activity that causes increase of coolness and heaviness naturally increases Kapha Dosha.  

Kapha increasing factors

Factors that cause Kapha Dosha increase:
Guru ahara – excessive consumption of heavy to digest foods
Madhura – excessive consumption of foods which have sweet taste
Ati snigdha – excessive consumption of unctuous or oily foods (fried foods). Oiliness (unctuousness) is a Kapha Dosha quality. Hence, any thing that is oily and fatty aggravates Kapha Dosha

Dugdha – excessive consumption of milk. Cow milk, being sweet in taste and heavy to digest, increases Kapha Dosha.
Ikshu – excessive consumption of sugarcane and its derivatives like sugar, jaggery (molasses) etc
Bhakshya – high caloric foods
Coconut milk – being sweet and heavy to digest increases Kapha Dosha.
Drava – excessive consumption of liquid foods. This is due to increase of water elements.

Read related: Activities And Diet For Kapha Balance As Per Ayurveda
Dadhi – excessive consumption of curds, especially sweet curds.
Ati nidra – excessive sleeping
Apupa – excessive consumption of stuffed foods
Sarpi – excessive consumption of ghee, ghee foods. Ghee is known to calm down Vata and Pitta Dosha. In higher doses, due to its unctuousness, it increases Kapha Dosha.
Read related: How To Observe Kapha Dosha Imbalance Symptoms In Your Body By Yourself?

Divasa adau – early part of the day. If we divide day time into three parts, the first part of the day is dominated by Kapha Dosha.
Bhukta matre – immediately after the consumption of the food. If we divide the digestion process into three parts, the first part of the digestion is dominated by Kapha Dosha.
Vasanta – spring season.
Read related: Understanding Effect Of Sedentary Habits Through The Prism Of Tridosha

Avyayama – lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle etc. Anything that causes increase of heaviness and stability increases Kapha Dosha.
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Increase based on qualities

Qualities of Kapha Dosha and how they cause Kapha imbalance:

Oiliness and unctuousness – the oily factor brings in lubrication.
Hence all the lubrication factors in joints (synovial fluid), vertebral discs, cerebro-spinal fluid around brain, pleural fluid etc are Kapha factors.
Oily skin is due to Kapha
Generally all the oils, oily food stuff, deep fried food tend to increase Kapha.

Cold – is due to both Kapha and Vata Doshas.
Kapha is formed by water and earth matters.
Cold is a nature of water, hence it is a quality of Kapha as well.
Winter brings in respiratory diseases. Winter means cold, respiratory diseases are more commonly due to Kapha Dosha.
Cold food stuff like ice cream, cucumber, frozen foods increase Kapha.
During early stage of fever with heaviness of body and joints, do not drink cold water. Coldness will increase Kapha -> worsening of fever

Heavy – Wherever you can observe heaviness, there is definite influence of Kapha. Like heaviness in head. Heavy body, or being overweight has influence of Kapha.
Bulk of the body is formed due to Kapha Dosha.
Heaviness gives shape to the body as well.
All foods that are heavy to digest – such as dairy products, non veg foods etc cause Kapha Dosha increase.
When there is heaviness of joints (as in early stage of fever), do not undergo oil massage – Heaviness of oils will add up with heaviness of joints – > worsening of fever

Mild and viscous – delay in expressing feelings, delay in understanding etc are features of Kapha body type. Person with such a body types will take a long time to make decisions. He usually walks slowly.
Mild and viscous jelly like synovial fluid protects and cushions up the synovial joints in the body.
Sweet Food substances that look sticky and viscous such as Halwa, Cake etc increase Kapha Dosha.

Smoothness, jelly – are qualities of Kapha.
•Mild, viscous, smooth jelly like synovial fluid protects and cushions up the synovial joints in the body.
•Smoothness also applies to thinking process. – Steady, methodical and gradual thinking process.

Stability and immobility are due to Kapha Dosha. Wherever there is stiffness, there is definite influence of Kapha. For example, in rheumatoid arthritis (Amavata), Kapha has influence.
•Sleep – is a stable activity, is influenced mainly by Kapha Dosha.
•A Kapha person sleeps more
•Excess sleep increases Kapha Dosha.
•After a good sleep, we can think more clearly (Clarity is again a Kapha quality).

Causes as per Sushruta

Causes for Kapha increase as per Master Sushruta

Divasvapna – sleeping during day time 
Avyayama – lack of phsycial activities 
Alasya – laziness, lethargy 
Excess intake of sweet, salt, sour substances 
Excess intake of cold food stuffs such as ice cream, cucumber 
Excess oily, fried foods 
Heavy and sticky foods such as halva, sweets 
Black gram, wheat, sesame, milk, sweet curd, Kheer, 
Excess food intake 
Excess non veg food intake 
Ikshu – excessive consumption of sugarcane and its derivatives like sugar, jaggery (molasses) etc
Coconut milk – being sweet and heavy to digest increases Kapha Dosha.
Coconut water, Coconut oil

Drava – excessive consumption of liquid foods. This is due to increase of water elements.
Excess water – low digestion strength, increase of Kapha Dosha
Apupa – excessive consumption of stuffed foods, oily foods, Sweet and non veg sandwich, burgers

Sarpi – excessive consumption of ghee, ghee foods. Ghee is known to calm down Vata and Pitta Dosha. In higher doses, due to its unctuousness, it increases Kapha Dosha

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.

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.
•Raisins, Dates,
•Jaggery
•All oils except mustard oil