Detoxify and rejuvenate
Heal naturally with 3 days of kitchari
Are you ready to feel better, naturally? Allowing three days for a gentle digestion reset and rejuvenation can be highly effective in feeling better.
This simple plan has two main components:
- Eating a diet of kunyi, kitchari, and kitchari with vegetables over the course of 3 days.
- Realigning with the rhythm of nature through a dinacharya, or daily routine, designed to support you in feeling your best.
Kitchari cleanse vs kitchari reset
The word "cleanse" often implies a temporary, quick-fix approach to health that focuses solely on detoxification. However, Ayurveda is much more than a fleeting cleanse; it embodies a lifelong journey of balance, nourishment, and self-discovery. By adopting the term "reset," we emphasize the transformational nature of our Kitchari Reset, which allows you to align and calibrate your entire being, not just cleanse your physical body.
Our kitchari reset delves deeper into Ayurvedic wisdom, encouraging you to reconnect with your body's innate intelligence and embrace the power of self-awareness. It involves not only cleansing the physical body but also elevating the mind, emotions, and spirit to harmonize with the rhythms of nature. With this holistic approach, you can experience lasting benefits that extend beyond the duration of the reset. So, join us in this journey of self-renewal and discover the profound rewards of resetting your entire being with Ayurveda's timeless wisdom.
You may be asking - what is kitchari?
Kitchari is a staple dish used therapeutically for healing. It has been passed down through centuries of Ayurvedic practice as a simple and nourishing way to heal and nourish your body and mind.
It’s a combination of cooked white basmati rice (or another high quality white rice), split mung beans, ghee and spices. Its simplicity makes it quite effective in supporting and promoting healthy digestion. The condition of your digestion is one of the key factors that influence your health and vitality. With balanced digestion comes a clear mind, glowing skin, more restful sleep and greater enthusiasm for life.
Many people might call any dish where rice and legume are cooked together a “kitchari.” Here at Hale Pule, we like to reserve the name kitchari for a specific Ayurvedic dish that supports illness recovery and compromised agni. When we get more creative and add new components, we call it an Kitchari with vegetables, or Ayurvedic one-pot. Enjoy that dish when agni is fairly balanced and symptoms are mild.
Why does kitchari heal?
Here are 3 main reasons why eating kitchari is a powerful way to heal naturally:
1. Kitchari is a balanced meal
Rice, mung beans, ghee and spices offer balanced nourishment for your body.
- Kitchari is a balanced meal because it contains both augmenting and extractive foods. Rice, which is augmenting and is sweet is the primary taste. It builds body tissues, calms vata dosha, supports the digestion of the other food, and forms the bulk of the stool (thereby easing elimination). Mung beans are extractive and help the body naturally remove or scrape excess toxins due to their bitter and astringent tastes. For optimal digestion for an adult, include 60% rice and 40% mung beans in your kitchari (measurements follow in the recipes!).
- Ghee plays a fundamental role in keeping agni - digestive fire - burning consistently which smoothes the process of digestion. Ghee is the only oil that is augmenting, meaning that it deeply nourishes all of the tissues of the body, including the reproductive organs. The body actually digests and absorbs ghee more easily than any other oil, which makes it effective for calming vata dosha. Ghee supports agni whereas other oils challenge agni. It is neither heating or cooling and thus does not provoke any of the doshas. Ghee is also great for the complexion, the eyes, the nose, intellect and memory.
2. Kitchari is satiating
By including digestive spices, like ginger, turmeric, cumin, and coriander, the meal becomes cleansing, balanced and satisfying. When you are properly satiated on a regular basis, your food cravings and impulses to snack will decrease. This will allow your digestion to improve.
3. Kitchari is easily digestible
By gently cooking the ingredients together to a soupy consistency, your digestion doesn’t need to work as hard to break down and assimilate the food. This easily digestible meal gives your body a break to restore the natural strength of agni, the digestive fire.
Why do a kitchari reset?
It’s a digestive reset for both the mind and body. Your ability to digest food is synonymous with your ability to digest life.
1. Strengthen your digestion
If you’re feeling sluggish or lethargic, or if you’re experiencing constipation, strong food cravings or anxiety, your agni- or digestive fire - is in a weakened state. Low agni means that undigested food is hanging around in your digestive tract, creating a toxic environment. These metabolic toxins are called ama - and understood to be a main source of disease in Ayurveda.
Because kitchari is easy to digest, your agni has a chance to build. Think of eating kitchari as tending to a fire - you’re giving the fire enough fuel to burn cleanly, but not so much that you dampen or extinguish it.
2. Restore Balance
The body, when provided with the space to reorganize, will do so naturally. Another way to say this is that the body is incredibly intelligent and continuously seeks homeostasis. It knows how to return to a place of ease and balance. If we support it rather than disrupt it the change can be quick and significant. As agni gets stronger, it will begin to expel the ama that is present in the digestive system primarily through bowel movements. To eliminate the ama in the deeper tissues such as the muscle and fat requires panchakarma treatment.
3. Mental clarity
The mind and the body are part of the whole, beautiful being that is you. When you eat balanced, sattvic, high quality food, your body detoxifies and rejuvenates. The health of your body will be reflected in your mind. You will find you are more clear, grounded and enthusiastic about life.
4. Rejuvenation
To rejuvenate is to evolve into your natural state, one of vitality and wellbeing.
Many people believe that experiencing symptoms of ill health, like constipation, bloating, diabetes, colds and flus, acne, and migraines, is a natural part of being human. But what is normal is not necessarily natural. Our modern lifestyles are pulling us out of balance as ongoing symptoms and disease have become normalized. You can experience your natural state of wellness by supporting your body to function according to its incredible natural design. This begins by strengthening agni and digestion, and a wonderful way to do this is by simplifying what you consume.
When is the best time to do a kitchari reset?
Preparing and eating kitchari effectively supports illness recovery and is very helpful if you are recuperating from a highly stressful period or traumatic event.
Taking several days to eat a diet of simple kitchari is also recommended when the body is naturally releasing excess accumulation during the Spring and the Autumn. Depending on personal factors and circumstances, other times of year can work well too. To determine the best time for you we recommend an Ayurvedic health consultation so that we can accurately assess your state of health, including the condition of agni, your digestive fire, and your doshic balance.
It is a good idea to reduce and ultimately eliminate caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, meat and fermented foods in preparation for the 3 Day kitchari reset. It is also best to postpone if you are menstruating.
What results can you expect from a kitchari reset?
- Clear and supple skin
- Clear and bright eyes
- Improved elimination
- Even energy throughout the day - free from highs and lows
- Calm and harmonious demeanor
- Sound and restful sleep
Ready to get started - Access your 3-Day Guide
Ready to get started - Access your 3-Day Guide
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