Heavy Foods

Heavy Foods are foods that literally are heavy.  Hot oatmeal, meats, breads, most stews and creamed soups.

Good or bad?  Neither, it depends on the person, the time of year and to some extent, even the time of life you are in.

Heavy is useful when you are trying to balance “too light”.  Both Vata and Pitta share the quality of lightness, with Vata even more so than Pitta.  We don’t typically think of lightness as a problem.  But, it can be!  It can contribute to one feeling ungrounded and fearful.  It can contribute to diseases and conditions of wasting, such as weight loss and osteoporosis for example.

In the Fall when the leaves have dried up and are falling, we typically tend towards heavier foods.  If you are a light person naturally, it is even more important to change your diet at this time of year than say, someone who is heavy by nature.

As we get older (for women, post-menopausal and onward), we are in the Vata time of life.  Again, you may notice the desire for heavier foods.

Use your food mindfully.  Using heaviness in foods should be intentional.  Too much can lead to weight gain but also to clogging up the digestive system.