Kitchari is considered the ultimate healing meal in Ayurveda because it’s simple, warming, and easy to digest. Here’s what you need to know about the ins and outs of a kitchari cleanse, including how to make a basic kitchari recipe from scratch.
Eating only kitchari is a nice break from the hard-to-digest salads and smoothies that are popular these days. The soothing food is exactly what your body needs from time to time in order to cleanse, heal, and recover. You can keep eating kitchari even after the cleanse is complete, as it contains all three macronutrients—carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—to keep you nutritionally satisfied. Ayurveda suggests eating your largest meal around noon, when the sun is highest in the sky and your digestive fire (agni) is strongest. If you get up early in the morning, your breakfast can be your other meal, or if you stay up at night, you could eat your other meal for dinner. The serving size is up to you, but Ayurveda suggests eating until your stomach feels two-thirds of the way full, and you feel satiated but not bloated. Eat until you get the feeling, “I could still eat, but I don’t need to.” The most important thing is to listen to your body, observe how you feel, and act accordingly. While on this cleanse, it’s better to eat only when you are truly hungry, not when you are frustrated or stressed, as this is also a way of healing your relationship with food. You can drink as much herbal tea as you like on your cleanse. In fact, an Ayurvedic test for dehydration is to take a sip of herbal tea or hot water every 20 minutes for a couple of days. If you notice that you start craving water every 20 minutes after this exercise, you are dehydrated (and should keep drinking!). The key is frequency over quantity, so take small sips throughout the day to keep your digestive tract hydrated instead of gulping down a lot at once. A kitchari cleanse helps balance your agni by promoting detoxification. So after undergoing a cleanse, you can expect to feel energized and clearheaded. You might also notice that your taste buds feel reset and you are able to recognize more flavors and feel more satisfied with the foods you eat. Another benefit of this cleanse is that it can make you more aware of your eating tendencies. After streamlining your diet, you might realize that you have always been reaching for something sweet after meals, for example.
