What is a pitta body type? Hot and fiery comes to mind. It comes from Ayurveda which is an ancient healing modality from India. Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to health by including all aspects of a person in the process.
A person is looked at wholly for an answer to an illness that even includes the way the person eats, among other things. The name Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” And even though this modality has kept up with modern times, its core is still rooted in the ancient beliefs. The emphasis is on prevention and maintenance of your health.
Within the Ayurveda modality are three “doshas” or body types and constitutions. Each of us has a combination of all three doshas; however, we have one that is dominant with a blend of another.
This is what makes each of us unique as no two people will have the same combinations of these body types comprising of physical, mental and emotional characteristics.
Why Is Your Dosha Type Important?
Your doshas type is important because this is how Ayurveda determines what is out of balance and is making you ill. Ayurveda believes that treating the actual cause of the illness rather than just the symptoms or illness is best so that balance can be restored for your body type.
This is also why Ayurveda believes there is no one type of diet for everyone. If each of us is unique, then we need to learn what works best for our body type to stay healthy.
Studying Ayurveda and determining which “dosha” you are can help you keep your body balanced and continue to be healthy.
I’m mainly a kapha dosha with some pitta thrown in. Pitta is what I’m going to chat about today. What is the pitta dosha all about?
When you know your dosha and start living a holistic lifestyle based on your specific dosha, you will begin feeling more balanced and pretty darn good. When your dosha is out of balance it can leave you in poor health.
Pitta Dosha (pitta body type)
Pitta is a summer dosha that is considered light, mobile, hot and sharp. It is ruled by the elements of fire and water, so think of a pitta nature as fire/heat.
This dosha is responsible for our metabolic system so therefore controls our body temperature, digestion, absorption and metabolism. Heat is what controls all transformation in our bodies such as hormones, appetite, and digestion.
Water qualities would be flowing and cleansing, oily, heavy and liquid.
Additional Qualities of an Unbalanced Pitta
Physically: nausea, heartburn, agitation, excessive sweating, inflammation and burnout
Skin conditions like acne, eczema or psoriasis
Indigestion
Fever
What Can Cause an Imbalance In A Pitta Body Type
Hot climates, excessive heat, humidity
Too much oil in their diet
Too much hot food
Excessive salt, red meat, caffeine and alcohol
Spicy foods just add heat to the fire and can often aggravate the GI tract of the pitta dosha. Instead think “Bitter is better for the liver,” and your digestive tract. The foods listed below keep this mantra in mind.
Food Types for the Pitta Body Type
**Cooling foods for calming.
**Veggies like parsley, collards, watercress – most greens.
**Fresh fruit such as sweet berries, sweet apples, coconut, figs, sweet oranges, plums, watermelon, pineapples—cooling fruits.
**Dairy: milk, soft cheeses, cottage cheese and ice cream. Don’t eat sour cream, hard cheeses or yogurt because they are too high in salt and fat or are sour for the pitta constitution.
**Sweets: brown rice syrup, barley malt and use maple syrup or honey (preferably raw) for sweetners.
**Proteins: Pitta types generally like and need protein, so eat your preferences.
**Spices to use need to be cooling type spices: cumin, parsley, coriander, chamomile, fennel, lemon verbena, peppermint, spearmint, turmeric and dill. Stay away from garlic because it provides too much heat.
**Grains: barley, wheat, basmati rice (unless you are allergic to any of these).
Final thoughts
In this day and age, we don’t have to fight off critters or other tribes or villages, but our sympathetic nervous system, aka our ‘fight or flight” response still comes into play. The main trigger of this response in today’s world is stress.
Unfortunately for pitta body types this response is triggered way too much and often and at greater intensity. To offset this, pittas should try a breathing technique for 3-5 minutes, just once or twice a day.
It’s very simple; inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 6 seconds. Try it a few times to determine the timeframe it takes to help you.
If you are a pitta body type, try not to overheat, but instead do your breathing anytime the need is felt. Spend time in nature or relax with your pet on your lap. While relaxing may be particularly hard for a pitta, it’s of vital importance for you to do so.
There are two other dosha body types, kapha and vata. I will also be doing a post for each of them in the very near future, so stayed tuned…
Stay Awesome!
Cher
Relevant Reading:
What is Ayurveda?
Holistic Lifestyle-What It is and The Benefits
How Your Crown Chakra Works
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