Ayurvedic Detox 

On the 5th of February I started my ayurvedic detox. So what is an ayurvedic detox? You have a lot of different ways to detox, I’m just gonna show you one. It’s also not suitable for everyone. If you are feeling weak, or too much vata going on, do it another time. I was talking with a friend who did this and was enthusiastic about it, so I wanted to try too. It’s from the book Ayurvedic home remedies from Dr. Vasant Lad. 

On day 1 till 3 you start drinking warm ghee in the morning, I did it with some salt because I’m very vata but it depends on your dosha. In the night time you drink some Triphala tea, a tea mixture of herbs that's slightly laxative but very good for your immune system. They are also helpful in reducing high blood sugars, in cases of diabetes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26593435/ .(don’t take herbs or remedies without seeing a physician. So I had to take this for 9 days in a row. I started having nightmares, I’m not sure why but I think it was because of the toxins who were leaving my body. I decided to take this tea in the daytime instead of the nighttime, because I had some constipation on the last days. 

For the diët you start with 3 days of a tridoshic diët what’s mostly very tasty and nourishing for the soul. On day 4 & 5 I started the kitcheri mono diët with herbs and vegetables. On days 6-8 it was a mono diët with kitcheri only and some herbs, but on day 9 you can eat the kitcheri with vegetables again. From day 6 till 8 you had to do a basti, this is a enema. But from some other sources I found out it’s also possible to do it in another way. I didn’t feel comfortable doing a enema yet. So I did add castor oil to hot water, to release the eliminated dosha in the GI tract. This is also ok to use, but you need to be careful with this. Never use it in high quantities or longer than 3 days or so. It’s an interesting oil because it’s also good for arthritis because of its inflammatory effects (externally). Day 9 and 10 felt really releasing to eat some more tridoshic foods again. Also to get some other tastes in the mouth. It’s also advised to do rasayana afterwards like taking ashwagandha for 3 months or so. I did take ashwagandha before so I decided to not do it, but just slowly build up my strength to still eat healthy.

This cleanse is advised to do in the changing of seasons especially from late winter to spring, to feel more healthy again and release some toxins from the body. I felt heavy and not very balanced before I started, while I was doing it I started feeling better. Although I had a lot of nightmares, what might have had to do with some mental things I needed to let go. 

So, what is kitcheri?

Kitcheri is a good meal for detoxing the body. Why? It’s nourishing and giving the body all it needs without having too much hunger. Although It’s nourishing and building when you eat it just in normal diët. It can have a more scraping effect when you eat it a few days in a row in a mono diët. (so more a reducing effect for toxins in the body. 

Mostly we build toxins by overeating, so that’s why detoxing is a good way to feel better once a year or so. But you need to find out what’s the best one for your body. 

So kitcheri, is also a very good meal to eat in your daily life! Especially when you need some balance or a nourishing tasty meal. It consists of all of the 6 tastes in ayurveda. Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent. 

Ingrediënts 

• ½ cup mungdahl (yellow) (not lentils) . I did some with yellow lentils, but it did not have the same effect.
• ½ cup Basmati rice
• 3 cups of water → water 2 cm above the rice (just check how you like the rice)
• Lemon juice
• Fresh coriander
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Pinch asafoetida 
• Optional 1 tsp cardamom powder  
• Vegetables according to your dosha, I added carrots and white cabbage(can increase vata a bit)(anti inflammatory and contains a lot of vitamin C)
• Carrots can cleanse the blood by it’s alkalizing effect and is also a very good immune booster (high antioxidant) (calms vata & kapha). 

Examples of the tastes in the meal:

Sweet: basmati rice

Sour: Lemon juice

Salty: himalayan salt

Pungent: Mustard seeds

Bitter: ginger powder

Astringent = Mung Dahl

Preparations:

1. Soak the Mungdahl 4 hours or overnight(better) 
2. Wash the rice
3. Put the stove on and warm the ghee till medium heat
4. Add the seeds, and wait until they are ready. They are gonna make some funny popping sound
5. Add some water to extinguish when the seeds are burning 
6. Add the powders and the rice + dahl + water + salt.
7. Make it cook for a bit without the cover, after adding the cover and let it simmer for a bit on a lower temperature. 
8. In between you cut the fresh coriander and prepare the lemon juice. 
9. After the rice is well cooked for 7-10 minutes. 
10. Turn it off and wait  for 5-10 minutes with the cover still on.
11. Serve with some fresh coriander and lemon, and enjoy!