My First Kitchari Cleanse
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I first heard about Kitchari through Jordan’s blog The Balanced Blonde. While I’ve been interested In Ayurveda since taking my teacher training, I didn’t know much about the practice beyond my own personal body type. When I finally saw an Ayurvedic practitioner, she taught me the ropes of managing my personal bodies balance. She also recommended a Kitchari cleanse to pacify my body type or dosha. She told me what Kitchairi is, how to make it, and what a Kitchari cleanse does for our bodies.
What Is Kitchari?
Kitchari is a traditional Indian dish made from split mung beans, basmati rice and an array of spices. When cooked together, the consistency is similar to a stew. You can add different vegetables into the mix for added flavor and variety, (which I highly recommend since during a kitchari cleanse, Kitchari is all you’re eating!)
The veggies you add all depend on your Ayurvedic body type. For example, I am a vata body type. My digestion is not as strong as the other body types, so I need easy to digest veggies such as spinach, asparagus, and zucchini. You can find out your body type and the veggies that compliment your digestion through an ayurvedic practitioner.
How Does It Work?
When I first heard of kitchari I wasn’t really convinced it was much of a cleanse. Most cleanses you hear about these days involve lots of juice, and hardly any solid foods. So how does something so heavy in comparison help to clear out our digestive tract?
It just so happens that both mung beans and basmati rice are very pacifying for our stomachs. When soaked and cooked thoroughly our stomach has an easier time digesting, and everything runs smoothly through our gut. Additionally, the spices in kitchari, such as turmeric and ginger, are warm in nature. Theses spices promote healthy digestion while decreasing inflammation.
So yes, you are eating solid foods on a Kitchari cleanse. However, the combination of easy to digest food and warm, anti-inflammatory spices is what makes kitchari unique.
Why Cleanse?
I like to think I’m a relatively healthy person, I eat as much fresh produce as I can. I love cooking at home, and leafy greens are some of my favorite veggies! So when my Ayurvedic practitioner recommended I go on a kitchari cleanse, I was a little surprised. Still, a good cleanse every once in a while can be extremely beneficial for maintaining our digestion and energy levels.
While we can eat all the
By cleansing through kitchari, we can eliminate ama and aid our bodies natural ability to digest. not only is kitchari easy on our stomachs, but the natural astringency of the mung beans helps pull toxins out of our gut as it moves through our intestinal tract. Plus, you actually get to eat solid, satisfying food! Getting hangry on this cleanse is nearly impossible.
My Kitchari Experience
Kyle and I cleansed together so we only did three days of full cleansing. Meaning we ate k
After just one day I could feel the kitchari starting to work its magic on my body. My digestion was smooth and the bloating in my stomach started to diminish. I didn’t even know I was bloated to begin with!
Kyle and I are both very active people, we love to rock climb, hike and hang out at the beach. Normally at the end of the day, I am exhausted, and I don’t want to do anything active. When we cleansed though, I had massive amounts of energy (and still do)! With the combination of mung beans and basmati rice, Kitchari contains a complete protein. This meant that we were not only satisfied after a smaller serving, but we felt more energized and strong as we cleansed.
While we are no longer fully cleansing, we still have Kitchari regularly. It’s yummy, satisfying, and a relatively cheap dish. Overall, the cleanse made both Kyle and I more aware of the food we put in our bodies. I now take a moment after each meal to check in with my body and see how I feel. It has made me eat more consciously and shown me what good food can do for my overall health!
No Hassle Kitchari Cleanse Kit
The difficult part was finding all of the ingredients needed to make kitchari. While most health food stores carry some or all of these ingredients, here on the island, our options are limited.
There are a few pre-made kitchari cleanse kits you can order online. Since I already had some of the ingredients I ended up ordering the hard to find stuff off of Amazon individually. Here’s what you will need…
The best part about ordering everything was that I got a lot of ingredients for a decent price. The spices were already mixed together which made measuring plain and simple. Plus, everything I bought was plentiful. It’s been almost two weeks since I received the ingredients and I’m just now running out of supplies.
If you purchase the kitchari spice mix or split mung beans linked above, the kitchari recipe is on the back of the package. Literally, everything you need is right there!
I hope this post was helpful! If you try a kitchari cleanse I would love to hear how it goes. Leave me a comment or email me if you have any questions.
Love always,
Sarah
