Are You Vata, Pitta, or Kapha? What Each Type Should Eat

Dr. Shivani Gupta watched diabetes move through her family in India, then studied Ayurveda to find out what could be done for it. She explains Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, what each type tends to eat and how each sleeps, her daily clock and seasonal eating, and the rockstar power of turmeric! Plus her proposal that menopause is a Vata shift. Code DRMOTLEY will give you 15% off Dr. Shivani’s incredible Ayurvedic formulas at Fusionary Formulas: https://fusionaryformulas.com/. Head here for Dr. Shivani’s first episode of the Ancient Health Podcast! https://youtu.be/i4QXlf4VIHY

Key Takeaways

Vata types are told to eat three regular meals. At [00:18:56], her first homework for the thin, airy, always-in-motion type is "three square meals a day," and if that fails, keep nuts and tea within reach. She has meals delivered to wherever she is working. 

Pitta types are told to cool down, and Kapha types to move. Pitta (medium build, runs hot, driven and organized) gets cooling foods and a warning about summer heat. Kapha (sturdy, loyal, tends to sluggishness) gets a push to walk or move each day before the evening slump. 

Turmeric in food is one thing, concentrated capsules are another. She recommends cooking turmeric with black pepper or a healthy fat, which is traditional and low-risk. Ask your prescriber first, especially if you take any medicine or have liver or gallbladder problems.

Educational only, not medical advice. Do not stop or reduce any prescribed medicine, including insulin, without your prescriber. If you take any medicine or have liver or gallbladder problems, ask your prescriber before starting turmeric or curcumin supplements.

00:00 Cold open: the spice she wrote her dissertation on

00:41 Sponsor: Timeline and Mitopure (urolithin A)

02:07 Welcome back, Dr. Gupta, in person in Nashville

03:54 A Houston kid, summers in India, and diabetes in every generation 05:33 The night she touched her grandfather's feet

07:07 Why she went to India to study Ayurveda, and the pattern she repeats

12:30 Kitchen spices, a master's, a turmeric dissertation, and black pepper 16:36 Pillar one, your dosha: Vata, the thin and airy type