Know Your Dosha

Understand your unique body-mind constitution and discover what truly nourishes you

What are Doshas?

In Ayurveda, doshas are the three fundamental energies that govern all physical and mental processes. Every person has a unique combination of these three doshas, which determines their physical characteristics, mental tendencies, and what foods will best support their health.

Understanding your dosha helps you make food choices that bring balance, clarity, and vitality—rather than following generic "healthy eating" advice that may not suit your individual nature.

The Three Doshas

Vata

Air + Space

Vata types are creative, energetic, and quick-thinking. Like the wind, they're changeable and love movement and variety.

Physical Characteristics:

Slim build, dry skin, cold hands and feet, irregular appetite and digestion

Mental Qualities:

Creative, enthusiastic, quick to grasp new ideas, but also prone to worry and anxiety

When Balanced:

Energetic, creative, joyful, adaptable

When Imbalanced:

Anxious, scattered, insomnia, digestive issues, dry skin

Foods to Balance Vata:

✓ Warm, cooked, grounding foods
✓ Sweet, sour, and salty tastes
✓ Healthy fats like ghee and sesame oil
✓ Root vegetables, rice, warm milk
✓ Regular meal times and routines

Avoid: Cold, raw, dry foods; excessive caffeine; irregular eating

Foods to Balance Pitta:

✓ Cool, refreshing foods
✓ Sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes
✓ Coconut, cucumber, leafy greens
✓ Grains like rice, oats, barley
✓ Avoid overheating and excessive spice

Avoid: Spicy, oily, fried foods; excessive heat; skipping meals

Pitta

Fire + Water

Pitta types are intense, focused, and driven. Like fire, they're transformative and powerful, with strong digestion and sharp intellect.

Physical Characteristics:

Medium build, warm body temperature, strong appetite, good digestion, sensitive skin

Mental Qualities:

Sharp intellect, focused, organized, natural leaders, but can be perfectionistic

When Balanced:

Intelligent, courageous, warm, charismatic

When Imbalanced:

Irritable, angry, skin rashes, heartburn, inflammation

Kapha

Earth + Water

Kapha types are stable, grounded, and nurturing. Like the earth, they're steady, strong, and provide support and structure.

Physical Characteristics:

Larger frame, strong and sturdy, smooth skin, slow digestion, tendency to gain weight

Mental Qualities:

Calm, patient, loving, reliable, good memory, but can be resistant to change

When Balanced:

Loving, stable, supportive, patient, grounded

When Imbalanced:

Lethargic, weight gain, congestion, depression, attachment

Foods to Balance Kapha:

✓ Light, warm, stimulating foods
✓ Pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes
✓ Spices like ginger, black pepper, turmeric
✓ Vegetables, legumes, light grains
✓ Regular exercise and activity

Avoid: Heavy, oily, cold foods; excessive sweets; overeating

The Beauty of Tridoshic Meals

Most people have a combination of two doshas, with one being dominant. That's why at Mealosophy, we create tridoshic meals— meals that balance all three doshas simultaneously.

By including all six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent) and balancing hot and cold qualities, our meals support everyone's unique constitution while preventing imbalances.

This is the wisdom of grandmother's kitchen—instinctively balanced, seasonally appropriate, and nourishing for the whole family.

Now backed by both ancient Ayurvedic texts and modern nutritional science.

Ready to Discover Your Unique Constitution?

Take our interactive quiz to learn your dosha and get personalized food recommendations

Take the Dosha Quiz