Use this diet to help relieve nervous tension, cramps, pain, anxiety, insomnia, bloating, constipation, dryness.
General rules
Just eat what is appropriate for you. If you are intolerant of any food or simply do not like it then avoid it. This diet is to enhance the assimilation of nutrients which will help calm the nervous system.
- Emphasize foods that are warm, soupy and easy to digest.
- Eat at regular times.
- Eat to less than full.
- Practice relaxation.
- Avoid yeast, refined sugars, coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, poor quality oils and extremely spicy foods as these aggravate the digestion and the nervous system.
- Favor foods that are warm, heavy, and oily as these nourish the nervous system.
- Reduce foods that are cold, dry, and hard as these aggravate digestion.
- Favor foods that are sweet (e.g. wheat, milk, rice), sour (e.g. vinegar, yogurt, plums, citrus fruit), and salty as these are all nourishing.
- Reduce foods that are very spicy, bitter (e.g. coffee, chilies, green leafy vegetables), and astringent (e.g. apples, beans) as these aggravate digestion and disturb the nervous system.
Dairy
All dairy products nourish the nervous system. Always boil milk before you drink it, mix with cardamom seeds and drink it warm. Don’t take milk with a full meal or with fruit. Use organic milk. If allergic substitute with almond or rice milk. Avoid ice cream, powdered milks and soya milk.
Oils
All oils reduce dryness and nourish the nervous system. Emphasize Flax, hemp, sesame, ghee, olive, sunflower, evening primrose, borage and fish oils. Use these internally and externally.
Fruits
Favor sweet, sour, or heavy fruits, such as berries, bananas, avocados, grapes, cherries, lemons, limes, fresh figs, peaches, melons, plums, pineapples, mangoes, and papayas. Avoid dried fruits, uncooked apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries as these can create wind.
Spices
Most of them, especially; asafetida, cardamom, cumin, coriander, ginger, fennel, dill, cinnamon, salt, cloves, mustard seed, black pepper all help reduce gas and spasms in the digestive system.
Beans
Avoid all beans, except for marinated tofu and mung lentils and occasionally red lentils. Eat all lentils after adding little asafetida and ghee tadka.
Sweeteners
All sweet flavors are good for nourishing the nervous system. Reduce refined white sugar. Avoid all sugars if bloating is present.
Grains
Rice (basmati, brown, and wild), wheat, oats (cooked) and quinoa are very good for nourishing the nervous system. Reduce intake of barley, corn, millet, buckwheat and rye as these are a bit drying and can be difficult to digest creating wind. Avoid the rest.
Vegetables
Asparagus, beets, cucumbers, carrots, and sweet potatoes are the best. Peas, green leafy vegetables, celery, summer squash, winter squash, and potatoes are best. Seaweeds are very beneficial. It’s best to avoid the Brassica family; sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Also avoid Solanaceae family; peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. Raw vegetables, especially onions are banned as these all create wind.
Nuts
All nuts and seeds are good in moderation, especially soaked.
Use this diet to help clear skin inflammations, itching, joint pain, hot flushes, acidity, ulcers, anger, irritation, infections, fever, late spring.
General rules
Please just eat what is appropriate for you. If you are intolerant of any food or simply do not like it then please avoid it.
- Include Aloe Vera juice and rosewater daily
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, yogurt, and animal products. Low quality oils are a major cause of inflammation.
- Avoid sour, salty, and pungent foods as these aggravate inflammation.
- Favor foods that are cool, refreshing and liquid. Fresh organic fruits and vegetables.
- Favor foods that are sweet, bitter, or astringent as these reduce heat.
- Reduce foods that are spicy, salty or sour as these increase heat.
Dairy
Milk, butter, and ghee are good for pacifying heat. Avoid yogurt, cheese, sour cream, and cultured buttermilk; these sour tastes aggravate inflammation.
Oils
Flax, hemp, borage, evening primrose, olive, sunflower, and coconut oils are best. Reduce sesame, almond, and corn oil, all of these increase heat.
Fruits
Favor sweet fruits such as grapes, limes, cherries, melons, avocado, coconut, pomegranates, mangoes, apples, berries, sweet and fully ripened oranges, pineapples, and plums. Reduce sour fruits such as grapefruits, lemons, olives, papayas and sour, not-yet-ripened oranges, pineapples, and plums as they can increase heat and acidity.
Spices
Cinnamon, coriander, dill, aniseed, cardamom, fennel, turmeric, fresh ginger and small amounts of black pepper are good, but the following spices strongly increase heat and should be taken in moderation: Asafetida, dry ginger, cumin, fenugreek, clove, celery seed, salt, and mustard seed. Chili peppers and cayenne should be avoided.
Beans
Take all lentils in moderate amount.
Sweeteners
All sweeteners are good except for honey and molasses.
Grains
Wheat, basmati rice, barley and oats are anti-inflammatory. Reduce corn, rye, millet, and brown rice as they are a little heating.
Vegetable
Favor asparagus, cucumber, cooked beetroots, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, pumpkins, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, okra, lettuce, sprouted beans, peas, green beans. Avoid Solanaceae nightshade family; hot peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, potato (can be consumed in small portions). Also avoid Allium family; especially raw onions, garlic, radishes. Also avoid and raw beetroots, raw spinach and mustard greens as these all increase heat and acidity.
Use this diet to help clear mucus, heaviness, sinus congestion, thick tongue coating, tiredness, sluggishness, high cholesterol, edema and during winter months.
General rules
Please just eat what is appropriate for you. If you are intolerant of any food or simply do not like it then please avoid it.
- Avoid yeast, salt, cheese, yoghurt, chocolate and refined sugars and flours as these increase mucus.
- Avoid overeating, especially at night.
- Do not eat when you are not hungry. Do not eat between meals.
- Do not eat cold foods
- A primarily vegetarian diet is highly recommended.
- Include ginger in your daily diet: take a pinch of fresh ginger root with a few drops of lemon juice before each meal.
- Favor foods that are light, dry, and warm as these reduce mucus.
- Reduce foods that are heavy, oily, and cold as these increase weight and mucus.
- Favor foods that are spicy, bitter, and astringent (e.g. ginger, asparagus, tea) as these help to dry excess fluids in the body.
- Reduce foods that are sweet, salty, and sour (e.g. cakes, crisps, vinegar) as these increase fluids in the body.
Dairy
Low-fat milk is better. Always boil milk before you drink it (making it easier to digest) and take it warm. Do not take milk with a full meal, or with sour or salty food. Add some cardamom or ginger to whole milk before boiling it to help reduce any mucus generating properties. Use goat’s milk or water milk down 50/50. A little ghee (clarified butter) is fine. Avoid eggs, cheese, yoghurt and buffalo milk.
Sweeteners
Use a little honey (2 tsp/day) as it helps to reduce mucus. Reduce all other sugar products.
Nuts
Reduce all nuts as they are too oily.
Vegetables
Increase asparagus, aubergine, beetroots, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, garlic, ginger, green leaves, kale, onion, potato, pumpkin, radish, sprouts. Reduce okra, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and summer squash as these increase fluids.
Fruits
Lighter fruits, such as apples and pears, are better. Reduce sweet, heavy or sour fruits such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, figs, dates, avocados, coconuts, and melons, as these fruits increase mucus.
Beans
All beans are fine, except tofu as it is very cold.
Oils
Reduce all oils but flax, corn and sunflower is ok.
Grains
Increase barley, corn, buckwheat, quinoa and millet as these are slightly drying or warming. Avoid or do not take too much wheat, rice, or oats, as they increase heaviness and mucus.
Spices
Include all spices except for salt. Salt increases water retention and mucus whereas spices increase warmth in the body.
