Cooling vs. Heating Foods
The following lists outline the foods and ingredients that are considered to have a more heating or cooling action in the body, according to Ayurveda. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines—Ayurveda encourages listening to the body and honoring your individual needs first and foremost.
Whether to eat heating or cooling foods, or a mix of both, depends on many factors, including the time of year, your Ayurvedic constitution, and your current state of imbalance. If you do not yet know your dosha, we encourage you to take our free Ayurvedic Profile™ quiz.
Fruits
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Apple
- Avocado
- Dates
- Figs
- Grapes (red, purple, black)
- Honeydew
- Lime
- Melons
- Pears
- Pomegranate
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
|
- Apricots
- Banana (ripe)
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Grapes (green)
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Tamarind
|
Vegetables
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Beet Greens
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cilantro
- Cucumber
- Green beans
- Kale (and most bitter greens)
- Lettuce
- Okra
- Parsnip
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Rutabaga
- Spinach (raw)
- Sprouts
- Squash (summer)
- Zucchini
|
- Artichoke
- Brussels Sprouts
- Burdock Root
- Carrots
- Chilies
- Corn
- Dandelion Greens
- Eggplant
- Leeks
- Mushrooms
- Mustard Greens
- Olives
- Onion
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Spinach (cooked)
- Squash (winter)
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
|
Grains
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Oats
- Pasta (wheat)
- Quinoa
- Rice, Basmati*
- Tapioca
- Wheat
|
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Millet
- Rice, Brown
- Rye
- Seitan
- Spelt
|
*If a food is processed into something else, the quality changes. For example, rice vinegar, and all vinegars, have a heating action in the body due to the fermentation process.
Legumes
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Azuki Beans
- Black-Eyed Peas
- Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
- Lentils, Red
- Mung Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Soy Beans
- Tofu
- White Beans
|
- Kidney Beans
- Lentils, Brown
- Miso
- Navy Beans
- Tempeh
- Tur Dal
- Urad Dal
|
Nuts
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Almonds (soaked and peeled)
- Coconut
|
- Almonds (with skin)
- Brazil Nuts
- Cashews
- Macadamia Nuts
- Peanuts
- Pecans
- Pine Nuts
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
|
Dairy Products
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Buttermilk
- Cow's Milk
- Goat's Milk
- Ghee
- Yogurt (homemade)*
|
- Butter
- Cheese**
- Sour Cream
- Yogurt (store-bought)*
|
*The reason for the difference here has to do with the age of the product and freshness versus prolonged fermentation.
**Paneer and other kinds of soft cheeses have a light, gentle quality to them that is more balancing to vata and pitta than other cheese varieties.
Meats & Other Animal Foods
| Cooling |
Heating |
- Buffalo
- Rabbit
- Turkey
- Venison
- Egg Whites
|
- Beef
- Chicken
- Duck
- Egg Yolks
- Fish
- Lamb & Mutton*
- Pork
- Shrimp
|
*Our Ayurvedic resources don't mention goat meat, but it likely has a heating quality as well.
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