These following recommendations are also useful for those with a combination of doshas , including vata-kapha and pitta-kapha constitutions.
Fruits
Favor | Avoid |
Apples Applesauce Apricots Berries Cherries Cranberries Figs (dry) Grapes (red, purple, black) Lemons Limes Mango Peaches Pears Persimmons Pomegranates Prunes Raisins Raspberries Strawberries | Bananas Cantaloupe Coconut Dates Figs (fresh) Grapes (green) Grapefruit Kiwi Melons Oranges Papaya Pineapple Plums Rhubarb Tamarin Watermelon |
Vegetables
Favor | Reduce or Avoid |
Artichoke Asparagus Beet Greens Beets Bell Peppers Bitter Melon Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Burdock Root Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chilies Cilantro Collard Greens Corn Daikon Radish Dandelion Greens Eggplant Garlic Green Beans Horseradish Jerusalem Artichokes Kale Kohlrabi Leafy Greens Leeks Lettuce Mustard Greens Okra Onions Peas Peppers, Sweet & Hot Potatoes, White Radishes Rutabaga Spaghetti Squash Spinach Sprouts Squash, Winter Tomatoes (cooked) Turnips Watercress Wheat Grass | Avocado Cucumber Olives Parsnips Pumpkin Squash, Summer Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes (raw) Zucchini |
Grains
Favor | Avoid |
Amaranth Barley Buckwheat Cereal (unsweetened, cold, dry) Corn Couscous Crackers Durham Flour Granola Millet Muesli Oat Bran Oats (dry) Polenta Quinoa Rice (basmati, wild) Rice Cakes Rye Seitan Spelt Sprouted Wheat Bread Tapioca Wheat Bran | Oats (cooked) Pancakes Pasta Rice (brown, white) Wheat Yeasted Bread |
Legumes
Legumes are generally astringent, which is one of the tastes that balances kapha. Kapha can enjoy a wide variety of legumes, but they should generally be well-cooked and well-spiced to make them more digestible.
Favor | Avoid |
Adzuki Beans Black Beans Black-Eyed Peas Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) Lentils or Dal Lima Beans Mung Beans Mung Dal Navy Beans Pinto Beans Split Peas Soy Milk Soy Meats Tempeh Tofu (served hot) Toor Dal White Beans | Kidney Beans Miso Soy Beans Soy Cheese Soy Flour Soy Powder Soy Sauce Tofu (served cold) Urad Dal |
Dairy
Dairy products are best minimized when trying to reduce kapha because they tend to be heavy.
Favor | Avoid |
Buttermilk Cottage Cheese (ideally from skim goat’s milk) Ghee Goat’s Cheese (unsalted, not aged) Goat’s Milk (skim) Yogurt (fresh and diluted) | Butter Cheese Cow’s Milk Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Sour Cream Yogurt (store-bought) |
Nuts & Seeds
Nuts and seeds tend to be heavy, dense, and oily and are generally not terrifically balancing for kapha.
Favor | Avoid |
Almonds (soaked and peeled) Charole Nuts Chia Seeds Flax Seeds Popcorn (without salt or butter) Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds | Brazil Nuts Cashews Coconut Filberts Macadamia Nuts Peanuts Pecans Pine Nuts Pistachios Sesame Seeds Tahini Walnuts |
Meat & Eggs
Favor | Avoid |
Chicken (white) Eggs (not fried, and in moderation) Fish (freshwater) Shrimp Turkey (white) Venison | Beef Buffalo Chicken (dark) Duck Fish (saltwater) Lamb Pork Salmon Sardines Seafood Tuna Fish Turkey (dark) |
Oils
Favor | Avoid | |
Almond Oil Corn Oil Flax Seed Oil Ghee Sunflower Oil | Avocado Oil Apricot Oil Coconut Oil Olive Oil Primrose Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Soy Oil Walnut Oil |
Sweeteners
As the sweet taste is not particularly supportive to kapha, most sweeteners are better avoided.
Favor | Avoid |
Fruit Juice Concentrates Honey (raw and unprocessed) | Artificial Sweeteners Barley Malt Date Sugar Fructose Honey (cooked, heated, or processed) Jaggary Maple Syrup Molasses Rice Syrup Sucanat Turbinado White Sugar |
Spices
Favor | Avoid |
Ajwan Allspice Anise Basil Bay Leaf Black Pepper Caraway Cardamom Cayenne Cinnamon Cloves Coriander (seeds or powder) Cumin (seeds or powder) Dill Fennel Fenugreek Garlic Ginger (fresh or dried) Hing (Asafoetida) Mace Marjoram Mint Mustard Seeds Neem Leaves Nutmeg Oregano Paprika Parsley Peppermint Pippali Poppy Seeds Rosemary Saffron Savory Spearmint Tarragon Thyme Trikatu Turmeric Vanilla Wintergreen | Salt |
Please note the general food combining rules.
Sources:
Balvinder Sidhu: Das Ayurveda Glücksbuch: In 6 Stufen zum Herzensziel
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Zentrum: Gesund und entspannt mit Ayurveda