Cooling Foods in Ayurveda
Updated: Sep 3
Cooling foods to reduce Pitta, heat in your body and mind. Learn how to eat and drink your way out of excess Pitta.
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How to Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat with Ayurveda Ayurveda Treatment for Heartburn, Acid Reflux and GERD Hot List of Common Pitta Imbalances
Cooling Foods in Ayurveda
It’s been a long, sweaty, smokey, hot summer and Pitta may have accumulated in your body and mind.
It’s time to alleviate that excess heat with cooling foods in Ayurveda. Before we learn how to to reduce excess heat from the body and mind with Ayurveda, let's learn about where this heat comes from and how it manifests in the mind and body.
Which Dosha is Responsible for Body Heat?
In Ayurveda, Pitta dosha is responsible for body heat. Pitta is described as hot, sharp, oily, and penetrating. When fiery Pitta flares up – we burn up and burn out. That’s why reducing body heat with Ayurveda starts with reducing Pitta dosha.
Pitta heat manifests in many ways, including inflammation, skin conditions, migraines, acid reflux, loose stools, nausea, constipation, body odor, excessive sweating, unpleasant menstrual cycles, burn-out, and more. Beyond physical symptoms, Pitta shows up as mental heat – think short-fuses, hot tempers, burn-out, and fatigue.
Signs of Pitta Imbalance in the body and mind:
Migraines, rashes, response to insect bites, and hot flashes, and night sweats
More argumentative, judgmental, competitive, angry, irritated, frustrated, and nit-picky (short fused)
Inflammation or any of the "itis” conditions
Feel nauseous or hangry if they don’t eat
Heat avoidant or intolerant
Heavy, clotty cycles
Heated digestive system issues such as heartburn, GERD, inflammatory bowel conditions and flare ups
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Believe it or not, it’s easy to get heat out of the body with Ayurveda. Here are some ways to eat your way out of excess Pitta.
How to Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat with Ayurveda
Eat Cooling, Pitta-Reducing Foods
Your diet is one of the best ways to reduce body heat with Ayurveda. Foods with high water content, like watermelon and cucumber, can be both cooling and hydrating. You may want to start making your own green juices as well. Make a point of eating around noon, when your digestive fire is strongest. It's important to feed that fire, so you don’t burn up!
Along the same lines, you'll want to avoid foods that will heat up your body. Ingredients that can warm your body include chili, garlic, and most citrus fruits. If you normally enjoy hot beverages like tea, allow them to cool to room temperature before you drink them. While ice-cold drinks may seem like a great way to cool off, you should stay away from these beverages as well. Overly cold beverages can inhibit digestion, which can lead to overheating and discomfort.
Enjoy our popular article How to Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat with Ayurveda
What foods cool down the body (and mind) by reducing Pitta dosha?
List of Cooling Ayurvedic Foods
Water-Rich Foods (Cucumber, asparagus, squash, zucchini, celery, etc.)
Beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cilantro, green beans, okra, parsnip, peas, potatoes, and rutabaga
Bitter greens (Dandelion greens, kale, spinach, chard, and beet greens. Avoid mustard greens)
Juicy Fruits (Mango, Papaya, Grapes, etc.)
Berries (Strawberries, Raspberries, Cherries, etc.)
Melon (Watermelon, Muskmelon, Cantaloupe)
Whole Grains (Rice, Quinoa, Oats, etc.)
Dairy (milk, butter, ghee)
Coconut
Almonds (soaked and peeled)
Moong dal (sprouted whole green moong makes a great cooling snack, or yellow moong dal)
Flax seed (cooling and helps relieve constipation)
Cooling Herbs (Dill, Cilantro, Corrainder, Rose)
List of Cooling Ayurvedic Recipes
Enjoy Saumya Ayurveda's Online Pitta Recipe Box
List of Cooling Ayurvedic Drinks
Coconut Water
Herbal Teas (Hibiscus and Rose)
Melon Juice
Cooling Foods in Ayurveda can reduce Pitta, heat and help you start feeling your best.
More Tools to Help Your Maintain or Regain Your Cool
Eat Cooling, Pitta-Reducing Foods
Do Light Exercise in the Morning or Evening as part of your Ayurvedic daily routine
Reduce Pitta with Ayurvedic Oil Massage
Dress in Pitta-Cooling Clothing
Hydrate with Cooling Herbs
Reduce Intensity in the Mind and Life
Find Relief and focus with our Nasya Oil
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus of the Meditation Center and former staff member of the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee. She remains passionate for over 30 years, helping clients feel their best physically, emotionally, and spiritually with Ayurveda.
Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven into your daily life, naturally.