Summertime often results in me swaying away from living the most healthy and routine lifestyle. I find myself on the move a lot more, eating out with friends, sipping white wine on terraces and kind of ‘letting loose.’
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all! I do not believe in rigidity, I believe in balance.
But I noticed some digestive imbalances, a bit of fatigue and a few other little invitations from my body to slow down and reset. This is when I always return to the wisdom of Ayurveda.
Enter a Kitchari Cleanse Mono-diet:
Taking a mono-diet of primarily kitchari for several days gives the digestive system a chance to reset because the diet is so simple and the body does not work so hard. Kitchari is a traditional cleansing food in Ayurveda. It is a combination of basmati rice, split mung dal, warming spices and ghee. It gives us a chance to heal the gut, give our digestive system a chance to rest so the body can restore itself, and gently remove toxins.
Benefits of Eating Kitchari
IT'S TRI-DOSHIC
This warming dish is balancing for all constitution types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. You can add veggies for your dosha to the pot to make it balancing for your constitution and what is available seasonally.
EASY TO DIGEST + NOURISHING
The combination of basmati rice and mung dal provides all the essential amino acids needed to form a complete protein. The protein content of kitchari supports stable blood sugar levels (crucial for us hormone-balancing gals!) so that energy and mental clarity are balanced during the cleansing process. Taking a mono-diet of primarily kitchari for several days gives the digestive system a chance to reset because the diet is so simple.
REMOVES TOXIC BUILD UP
Mung dal has an astringent (dry) quality which has a natural pulling action that helps remove toxic build up from the intestinal lining. This particular pulling action is much gentler than the harsh or abrasive “scraping” that can happen with cold or raw foods, particularly raw vegetables. Once the toxins are loosened from the body, it’s essential that they are properly eliminated. Split mung dal provide 15grams of fiber per 1 cup serving, thus making it easy to move the toxins through the G.I. tract and out of the body.
GUT HEALING
With 95% of the body’s serotonin produced in the gut, it’s clear we process our stress through the intestinal wall. Chronic stress will irritate the intestinal wall and compromise digestion, the ability to detoxify through the gut, and cope with stress. During a kitchari cleanse, the digestive system can heal because it does not need to spec tons of energy on the process of breaking down different foods. This gives the body a chance to reset and restore.
HOW TO PERFORM THE CLEANSE
The ideal amount of time to do a Kitchari cleanse is 5-7 days. But if you want to try out a weekend and do 3 days, that is totally fine as well!
You will be enjoying Kitchari for lunch and dinner during the days you choose to cleanse. For breakfast, you may have Kitchari or a fresh celery juice or a stewed apple with cinnamon and cloves. See what is calling to you each day.
Have enough Kitchari so that you are satisfied, but not overly full. The best way to think about this is eating till your stomach is about 2/3 full.
See the Recipe Below!
