Is Yellow Your Color?

By Marcia Zimmerman, M.Ed., C.N.

Each of us embodies some aspects of the three types identified by Ayurvedic medicine to represent different aspects of metabolism essential for health. However one force ? Pita, Vata or Kapha ? tends to predominate in most of us. And once we determine our type, or "color," we can learn how to achieve balance and gain a level of health never before experienced.

How to Tell If You're a Vata
Strongly associated with the color yellow, Vata is characterized by air, wind and movement. Changeability best describes Vata, or Yellow types. They are the people who enjoy a constant change of pace and seek variety in their lives. Most Yellows don't like to follow schedule, preferring to devote time to the interesting tasks at hand. Visionary, imaginative and creative individuals who learn quickly (but tend to forget just as rapidly what they've just learned), Vatas find it difficult to concentrate on anything for very long and seem to be constantly in motion. When presented with several interesting projects, they have trouble prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively.
    When speaking with others, Yellows aren't always comfortable engaging in direct eye contact. When out of balance they can be anxious, fearful and scattered. They may find it hard to fall asleep and, once awakened during the night have trouble going back to sleep.
    Yellows have a fast metabolism and don't easily gain weight; if they do add pounds, it's generally around the middle of the body. They have a variable appetite occasionally forgetting to eat. At other times they may need five or six small meals a day to keep going.
    Vatas tend to be lean, with narrow shoulders and a flat chest. Their joints are usually quite prominent, and they may have long tapering fingers but with large knuckles. Yellow types usually have a long nose that may be a little crooked or have a deviated septum. They also have dry skin and hair and may be troubled with dry, brittle nails or cracking cuticles, especially in cool, dry weather. Cold weather is especially hard on Yellows, who can have cold hands and feet even when it's warm.

Typical Conditions
Yellow's poor digestion often leads to constipation and gas. Foods that are cold, dry or crunchy are difficult to digest because Vata's dry constitution. Snacking on crackers or chips or drinking cold, sparkling beverages is a Vata recipe for digestive problems. Since Yellow's indigestion occurs several hours after eating, it may be difficult for this type to determine which food caused the problem.
    Eating on the run also encourages indigestion in Yellow types, who need to plan time to eat soon after rising in the morning. If they head off to work without breakfast, they will have difficulty focusing on tasks.
    Allergies are common. Undigested food particles in the bloodstream activate immune cells, some of which release histamine.
    Chronic constipation means waste material remains in the colon. This allows the growth of unhealthy organisms that generate toxins, which may enter the bloodstream and lymphatic vessels. As toxins accumulate, the respiratory system tries to eliminate them, irritating the mucous membranes in the sinuses, nose and Eustachian tubes. Changing the diet, eating in a relaxed environment and using digestive enzymes all help to eliminate toxins.
    Other problems for Yellow types include pain, cramping and nervous conditions. Naturally sensitive and high strung, Vatas suffer nervous conditions: muscle spasms, sciatica, neuralgia, loss of short-term memory, confusion and ringing in the ears. The feel pain acutely, so their headaches are intense and stabbing. Lower back pain and stiff neck or shoulders are common complaints. Yellows are prone to scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and joint pain - including arthritis. Stretching exercises, walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, t'ai chi and qi gong help to alleviate these symptoms.
    Yellows don't have a great deal of stamina, so engaging in heavy, sustained exercise can aggravate painful conditions. Adopting a low-impact exercise program is extremely important, even though it takes perseverance - and this type doesn't tend to stick with anything for very long.

Eat the Right Colors
Vatas can eat any yellow, orange or yellow-green food and some red foods, all of which are rich in carotenoids. This family of phytochemical nutrients includes tropical and citrus fruits, melons, squash (summer and winter types), sweet corn, pumpkin, sweet potato, yams, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, kiwi and dark, leafy greens.
    Complementary colors to round out the Yellow diet include tan foods: brown rice, whole grains (breads, cooked cereals, pasta) mung and adzuki beans. Useful white foods include organic dairy products, oils, nuts, seeds, fish and poultry. Vatas can eat red meat from time to time but may find beef hard to digest. Although they can eat more oils than other, the best oils are flax, canola, olive walnut, avocado and sesame.

"Yellow" Spices and Herbs
Adding spices to food is an excellent way to warm Vatas and aid digestion. Ginger is the best choice, followed by cardomom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Fennel helps dispel intestinal gas while adding ajwan to lentils or beans during cooking also reduces gas. Chili peppers and black pepper are useful seasonings, although Yellows don't need as much of these as Green types do.

The three top healing herbs for this type:

� ASHWAGANDHA (Withania somnifera), or winter cherry, is a tonic for muscle, bone, bone marrow, joints, nerves and respiratory and reproductive systems. Rejuvenative and sedative, this herb calms overly anxious Yellows, while balancing their immune response.

� BRAHMI (Bacopa monniera) enhances memory, reasoning ability and concentration. This herb lessens stress and reduces excess mental chatter, without sedation. Since their busy brains can wear out neurochemical pathways, Brahmi helps restore this type to full function.

� TRIPHALA (a combination of Terminalia belerica, T chebula and Emblica officinalis) improves digestion and assimilation of nutrients. It slows aging and enhances resistance to disease. The individual herbs that make up this classic formula reduce anxiety and nervousness. They are also effective antioxidants that reduce high cholesterol and muscle spasms and relieve stomach upsets and upper respiratory conditions.

Supportive Supplements
Yellows can enhance the antioxidant protection of carotenoid-rich foods with natural mixed carotenoid supplement blend that includes alpha, beta and gamma carotene; lycopene; beta cryptoxanthin; lutein and zeaxanthin. In addition, it's important to take a full-range multivitamin/mineral formula.
    To ease pain and help rebuild joint tissue, extra manganese, glucosamine and chondroitin may be helpful. The resin boswellin (Boswellia serrata) reduces pain and inflammation in joints. Its action is similar to that of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) but without the side of these pharmaceuticals. If necessary, apply capsaicin cream to painful, swollen joints. §