My Kitchari Cleanse Experience
I know a lot of people may be unfamiliar with what kitchari is and why people use it as a cleanse. Before I dive into my experience with it, here’s the background info you need to know:
What is it? Kitchari is a dish that mixes rice and lentils into a warm porridge with various spices. It is an Ayurvedic recipe that is said to balance all doshas (in Ayurvedic medicine, the doshas are 3 different energies that are said to govern physiological activity), with some variations in the recipe. While the base is usually split yellow mung beans (mung dal) and white basmati rice, you can also add in variations of cooked vegetables, play with the spices to meet your liking, and add in a small amount of ghee (clarified butter) as well.
Why a kitchari cleanse? A kitchari cleanse is simply eating only kitchari for every meal for anywhere between 3-7 days. The dish is very easily digestible and so it allows the gastrointestinal system to rest, while still providing you with plenty of nourishment (unlike other cleanses). Other than GI restoration, it can also assist in balancing your body out, boosting the immune system, and can provide opportunity for spiritual deepening.
My Experience: I’m going to be super honest with how I felt during this 3-day cleanse, as it was not always a positive experience for me. One of the biggest shifts I noticed while eating only kitchari was the dramatic decrease in anxiety. I seriously felt like I smoked a huge joint during the first day and a half. I felt incredibly relaxed and my sleep was crazy deep.
As the evening of the second day approached, I started to feel really lethargic, tired, and kind of sad. I think this is where the emotional & spiritual release starting to kick in. The third day was when I started to come to so many realizations about myself. I started to become aware of how much I use food to cope with my emotions and to change the way I feel. There were times where I really wanted to eat something else, but realized all these cravings were coming from a purely emotional place rather than from physical hunger. This heightened my awareness around the emotional connection we all have with food.
I also realized the energetics of different foods. Kitchari is so grounding and makes you feel very mellow. After the cleanse was over, all I wanted was raw fruits and veggies and could see how my energy lifted tremendously just by the shifting towards more raw food.
Overall, I certainly learned a lot about myself and my relationship with food during this experience. I would recommend doing it during the winter/ cold months or if your feeling super ungrounded, have high anxiety, and need something gentle and nourishing for your digestive system. I also recommend pairing the food with gentle nature walks, yoga, meditation, journaling, and time to self reflect. There are plenty of recipes available online to choose from, but just for your curiosity this is what mine looked like:
1 cup mung dal
1/2 cup white basmati rice
5-6 cups water
Spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon
Various vegetables: cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, zucchini
I originally tried adding in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and ghee to my recipe, but these did not agree with me very well so I decided to omit.