Anxiety Relieving and Nervous System Nourishing Diet (Vata)
Use this diet to help relieve nervous tension, cramps, pain, anxiety, insomnia, bloating, constipation, dryness
General treatments:
- 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. This diet is to help raise the digestive fire and enhance the assimilation of nutrients which will help calm the nervous system.
- Emphasise 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.
- Favour 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.
- Favour foods that are sweet (e.g. wheat, milk, rice), sour (e.g. vinegar, yogurt, umeboshi plums, citrus fruit), and salty as these are all nourishing.
- Reduce foods that are very spicy, bitter (e.g. coffee, chillies, 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.
Sweeteners: all sweet flavours are good for nourishing the nervous system. Reduce refined white sugar. Avoid all sugars if bloating is present.
Oils: all oils reduce dryness and nourish the nervous system. Emphasise Flax, hemp, sesame, ghee, olive, sunflower, evening primrose, borage and fish oils. Use these internally and externally.
Grains: rice (basmati, brown, wild), wheat, oats (cooked) and quinoa are very good for nourishing the nervous system. Amaranth is ok. 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
Fruits: favour sweet, sour, or heavy fruits, such as berries, bananas, avocados, grapes, cherries, lemons, limes, fresh figs, peaches, melons, plums, pineapples, mangoes, and papayas. Cooked apples and pears are ok. Soaked prunes and raisins are ok. Avoid dried fruits, uncooked apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries as these can create wind.
Vegetables: asparagus, beets, cucumbers, carrots, and sweet potatoes are the best. Peas, green leafy vegetables, celery, summer squash, winter squash, and potatoes are best well cooked in oil or ghee with mild spices. Seaweeds are very beneficial. It’s best to avoid the Brassica family; brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Also avoid Solanaceae family; peppers, aubergines, potatoes and tomatoes. Raw vegetables, especially onions are banned as these all create wind.
Spices: Most of them, especially; asafoetida, cardamom, cumin, coriander, ginger, fennel, dill, cinnamon, salt, cloves, mustard seed, black pepper all help reduce gas and spasms in the digestive system.
Nuts: all nuts and seeds are good in moderation, especially soaked.
Beans: avoid all beans, except for marinated tofu and mung lentils and occasionally red lentils.
Meat and fish: chicken, turkey, eggs and seafood are fine; beef should be avoided.
