Stewed Fruit

Stewed Apple with Mango, Grapes, Cherries & Blueberries

What to Eat and When

Make your specific choices of foods and method of preparation according to your configuration of Doshas and the season. Keep in mind the general principles given under Guidelines.

Breakfast
Lightest meal of the day. If you aren't hungry or are still digesting your dinner, skip it in favor of a warm beverage. Otherwise, choice of:
  • Fruit, e.g., lightly stewed apple or pear with spices (ginger, clove, cinnamon &/or cardamom); For extra nourishment or to satisfy mid-morning hunger, after at least half an hour you could also have boiled milk or a date-almond shake
  • Milky Grains: oatmeal, basmati rice or bulgur wheat cooked in milk
Penne pasta with okra and chard

Penne with cottage cheese, okra, chard, fennel, leek, coconut, pumpkin seeds & fresh basil

Lunch
Main meal of the day taken between 11 AM and 1 PM featuring a balance of all six tastes
  • In general, the kind of food that most people are accustomed to eating for dinner
  • A grain, a vegetable, poultry or fish (if not vegetarian), lentils (dal), lassi, dessert (optional)
Afternoon Snack (Optional)
Don't eat if lunch is not fully digested. Choice of:
  • Fruit
  • Roasted, unsalted nuts or seeds
  • If weight is normal, could also consider cookies or similar light dessert
  • Boiled milk
  • Lassi (if not taken at lunch)
Split Yellow Mung Dal and White Basmati Rice Kichari

Classic Kichari: white basmati rice and split yellow mung dal

Dinner
Lighter in quality and quantity than lunch. Avoid fruit, cheese, lassi, animal flesh and other heavy foods. Aim to eat before 7 PM. Choice of:
  • Dal or vegetable soup with or without chapati
  • Kichari (dal & grains cooked together with a smaller amount of vegetables than you’d have at lunch)
  • Milky Grains: oatmeal, basmati rice, or bulgur wheat cooked in milk. Do not add salt.
Bedtime (Optional)
Boiled milk (maybe ½ glass)