pitta — ayurvedicyogalifestyle.co.uk

Pitta is made up of fire and water and is hot, fiery and intense.

The qualities of Pitta are pungent, salty and sour. If you develop an access of pitta in your system, it is important to use the opposite qualities of sweet, bitter and astringent to bring the body and mind back into balance.

Avoid hot spicy food. Cool foods and drinks will help to balance excess pitta.

Recipes for Balancing Pitta

Coconut Porridge

40g Porridge Oats

150 ml almond milk

150 ml water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp muscovado sugar

1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Bring the water and milk to the boil then leave to simmer. Add the oats and stir well. Then stir in the sugar, cinnamon and coconut. Leave to cook for roughly 10 minutes. Serve with sprinkles of coconut on top.

Super Greens Juice

1/4 cucumber

Handful of Kale

Handful of Rainbow Swiss Chard

1 Stalk of celery

1 apple

Fresh mint leaves

Wedge of lemon with peel

1 tbsp aloe vera gel (optional)

This cooling juice is great for pitta people and will help to combat inflammation, high acidity and skin irritations. Put ingredients through the juicer except lemon. Squeeze in lemon juice (add aloe vera gel if using) and dilute the recipe 50/50, half with room temperature water. Scrape off the foam and then enjoy!

Rainbow Salad

100g edamame soya beans

2 Handfuls of Spinach

2 Handfuls of rainbow chard

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 carrot, grated

Pomegranate seeds

1 beetroot, grated

For the dressing: 1 tbsp almond oil, 1 tbsp lemon, 1 tsp mint (2 Servings)

Mix all salad ingredients together. Add the ingredients for the dressing together and mix well. Pour over salad and serve.

Butternut Squash Kitcheri

100g green mung beans

100g basmati rice

1 pint water

1 tbsp of ghee

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mint

1/2 tsp turmeric

½ butternut squash

15 soaked and peeled almonds that have been dried

(4 Servings)

Soak green mung beans overnight. Wash rice and mung beans before cooking. Boil water, add the mung beans and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.

Peel and dice the butternut squash. Crush the fennel seeds, heat some ghee in a pan and add the spices.

Add the butternut squash to the mix for 5 minutes ensuring to get all the flavour mixed. Add the butternut squash and spice mix into the mung beans along with the rice and cook for around 20-25 minutes. Toast the almonds in a pan and add to the top of the kitchari when served. Melt a little more ghee over the top and garnish with coriander.