Food Lists for Late Winter & Spring

PLEASE NOTE: The next section are foods for late winter & spring.  Take what resonates and leave what does not. These routines are meant as guidelines to deepen your embodiment with the Earth’s seasons. It does NOT need to be perfect. I certainly do not adhere to all of these things. I recommend choosing 1-2 to really integrate into your life this season so that it is truly embodied. The following year, you could  add 1-2 more. This season is about slowing down to regenerate, and it’s only through slowness and presence can we truly integrate and embody something.

Primarily, diet should be seasonal and local. Secondarily, eat from the kapha-reducing food list (see below).

GRAINS: Toasted breads are very good for kapha, as they are drying. 

Best: Amaranth, barley, basmati rice, buckwheat, corn flour, quinoa //  Small Amounts: Millet, rye // Avoid: Oats, long and short grain rice (white or brown), wheat, whole wheat 

OILS: Use all oils in small amounts only. Even the best oils, if overused, will aggravate kapha. 

Best: ghee, mustard, soy // Small Amount: Almond, avocado, castor, coconut, olive, peanut, sesame

SWEETENERS:  Best: Raw honey only (in moderation) // Avoid: Fructose, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, white and brown sugar 

FRUITS: Best: Dried fruits, apples, cherries, cranberries, grapefruit, pomegranate, prunes, raisins// Small Amounts: Apricots, lemon, lime, papaya, pineapple // Avoid: Sweet fruits, avocado, bananas, berries (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry), cantaloupe, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, mango, melons, pineapple, oranges, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, tangerines, watermelon

DAIRY:  Best: Goat milk // Small Amount: Butter, buttermilk, cheese, cream, cottage cheese, ice cream, kefir, sour cream, yogurt

VEGETABLES: Vegetables are best eaten raw during the summer and cooked the rest of the year. 

Best: Alfalfa sprouts, artichoke, asparagus, green beans, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, chilies, cilantro, corn, kale, lettuce, and other leafy greens, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peas, hot peppers, potatoes, radish, seaweed, spinach, rutabagas/ turnips // Small Amounts: Mushrooms, tomatoes, beets, cucumber, eggplant, okra, squash (all), sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, zucchini

NUTS AND SEEDS: Best: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds // Small Amounts: Sesame seeds // Avoid: Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, coconut, filberts, lotus seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachio, peanuts, walnuts

MEATS:  Limit consumption to 2-3 times per week if you wish. Kapha individuals can thrive with much more veggies more than the other two doshas. 

Best: Chicken or turkey, fresh water fish, rabbit // Small Amounts: Eggs, Beef, duck, lamb, pork, seafood, shellfish, venison

LEGUMES:

Best: Mung beans, red lentils, soybeans (tofu and soymilk), split peas // 

Small Amounts: Aduki beans, black gram, black beans, fava beans, kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans // Avoid: Black lentils, chickpeas 

SPICES: 

Best: Anise, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, calamus, chamomile, caraway, cardamom, catnip, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, horseradish, hyssop, marjoram, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, peppermint, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, star anise, thyme, turmeric. Hot spices are best. Any spice not listed is probably fine // Small Amount: Salt 

CONDIMENTS:

Small Amounts:   Ketchup, vinegar // Avoid: Mayonnaise 

BEVERAGES: 

Best: herbal teas (spicy and bitter), cranberry juice, green vegetable juices, wheat grass juice // Small Amounts: Carbonated mineral water, coffee, tea //   Avoid: Apple juice, carrot juice, orange juice, soft drinks

Source: Shakti School and my own embodied experience :)

NEXT POST WILL DISCUSS RITUALS & ROUTINES FOR LATE WINTER & SPRING. STAY TUNED...