What Is the Best Breakfast for Vata? [video]

What's the best breakfast for vata? Honestly, any breakfast at all! And that's because vata people have a tendency to forget, so they'll grab easy on-the-go convenience foods like granola, a breakfast bar, or a cold smoothie.

While any breakfast is better than no breakfast, those are not the most supportive foods for vata folks. What's really supportive are warm and foods that are easy to digest. My personal favorites are rice porridge with dates, ghee, and cinnamon, or sweet potato with collard greens.

I also love a warm fruit soupy! A fruit soupy is basically cooked fruit blended together. It's really delicious—I love it. So as a vata person, you just have to eat breakfast, make sure it's warm, and create a routine around it.

Here are three delicious vata balancing breakfast recipes to get you started! 

Breakfast Fruit Soupy

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, chopped (or other seasonal fruit, such as pears and apples, or berries)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• ½ cup water

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté spices in ghee. Add chopped bananas or other seasonal fruit, and add water. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit 5–10 minutes. Blend if desired, then drink!

Sweet Rice Porridge

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white basmati rice
• ½ tablespoon ghee
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon dry ginger, or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk or alternative milk (almond, coconut, cashew)
• 2–3 dates, thinly sliced or chopped

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté spices in the ghee until the aroma begins to lift. Add the basmati rice, stirring into the spiced ghee until fully coated. Add the water and milk and bring to a simmer. Add the dates. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until thick and soupy.

If you want a thicker consistency, blend half the mixture and stir together.

Savory Vata Breakfast

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, diced (about 1 ¼ cup)
• 1 cup collard greens, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon cumin seed
• ½ teaspoon fennel seed
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon ghee
• ¼–½ cup water

Toppings (optional):

• Chopped cilantro or
• 1 tablespoon whole milk unsweetened yogurt

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté the cumin and fennel seeds in ghee until aroma begins to rise, then stir in the cardamom and sweet potato. Stir until fully coated. Add ¼ cup water and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes, then add collard greens, mixing thoroughly. If the liquid has fully cooked off, add another ¼ cup of water. Cover, and let cook on low another 7–10 minutes, then remove from heat.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt or cilantro and enjoy!

Have you got a question for us? Feel free to Ask Banyan! You can do this below in the comments or use the #AskBanyan tag on social media.