Garlic & Peanuts in Ayurveda

Garlic & Peanuts in Ayurveda: How to Enjoy Them Without the Burn

In Ayurveda, food is medicine. But not all medicine is created equal — especially when it comes to everyday ingredients like garlic and peanuts. They’re flavorful, widely loved, and packed with potential health benefits. But they can also irritate the digestive system if not prepared correctly.

This blog walks you through the Ayurvedic way to enjoy these foods — by removing the parts that cause the most heat, inflammation, and pitta aggravation.

Why Ayurveda Cares So Much About Preparation

Ayurveda doesn’t just ask what you’re eating — it asks how you’re preparing it and how your unique constitution will respond.

Foods that are warming, oily, or heavy — like garlic and peanuts — can disturb the delicate balance of the pitta dosha, the energetic force associated with fire, digestion, and transformation.

When pitta is too high, we might feel:

• Acid reflux

• Bloating and heat in the gut

• Skin rashes or inflammation

• Irritability and short temper

That’s why Ayurvedic practitioners like Vaidya Jay always say: even the healthiest food can cause harm if not prepared with awareness.

Garlic: The Five-Taste Wonder (with a Secret Punch)

Garlic is a complex food in Ayurveda. It actually contains five out of the six tastes (rasa) — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, and bitter — making it deeply nourishing, stimulating, and medicinal.

But it also has a very pungent inner core — the part that wants to sprout — and this is the piece that can be most irritating to the gut lining.

Here’s how to make garlic more digestible:

1. Slice each clove in half lengthwise.

2. Gently remove the soft, greenish center — the “sprout.”

3. Use the rest of the clove in your cooking.

This process is subtle but powerful. Without that inner core, your garlic becomes less inflammatory, easier to digest, and friendlier to the stomach — especially for those with a sensitive or pitta-prone constitution.

It's a simple trick that transforms garlic from a fiery warrior into a healing ally.

Peanuts: Why They Can Be Problematic

Peanuts are another ingredient that Ayurveda treats with care. Despite being full of protein and healthy fats, they are considered heating, heavy, and oily — a triple threat for an already overactive digestive fire (agni).

They’re also hard to digest, and when eaten raw or with the skin, they can cause bloating, discomfort, and even allergic reactions — especially in those with elevated pitta or kapha.

So why do some people react so strongly to peanuts — even without an allergy?
Because of how they’re prepared. Most people eat them raw, unpeeled, or processed — all of which make them harder on the gut.

How to Make Peanuts Ayurvedically Safe

Here’s how Vaidya Jay recommends preparing peanuts:

1. Roast them fresh — roasting reduces heaviness and improves digestibility.

2. Remove the skin — gently rub or roll them between your palms once roasted.

3. Split the peanut open and remove the central shoot — it’s the tiny stem between the two halves.

This center — like garlic’s sprout — is the most pitta-aggravating part. It holds the potential to become a plant, which means it carries intense energy and fire. By removing it, you’re calming the entire energetic impact of the peanut.

🧘♀️ Why This Matters for Your Gut

It’s not just about allergies. Ayurveda reminds us that chronic inflammation, sensitivities, and gut issues often stem from accumulated irritation over time.

By removing the sharpest parts of garlic and peanuts — the parts that want to grow and push out — you make them softer, calmer, and far more balancing for your body.

These aren’t just food hacks. These are ancient methods, passed down for thousands of years, rooted in the wisdom that how you treat your food is how your food will treat you.

In Summary: The Ayurvedic Prep Ritual

Try It & Feel the Difference

Next time you're in the kitchen, try these subtle preparation techniques. See how your body feels. You might notice less bloating, less heat, and more ease — especially after meals.

Ayurveda isn’t about restriction. It’s about refinement. And with just a few adjustments, even “hot” foods like garlic and peanuts can become part of a nourishing, balanced lifestyle.