DETOX - Day 8
PHASE TWO
During the next 7 days, you will enter The Heart of the Cleanse: a period of eating a monodiet of grains, kitchari (basmati rice cooked with split mung beans), vegetables, and plenty of detoxifying fluids; the process at this stage can be complemented by a number of supportive lifestyle practices. You’ll also be introduced to two other supplements to support your cleansing — Total Body Cleanse & Triphala.
The nutrition is substantive enough that you can maintain your essential responsibilities, but it simultaneously resets the digestive system, supports the elimination of toxins, and balances vata, pitta, and kapha. Kitchari is a stew type meal that is prepared from basmati rice and split mung dal. During a cleanse, appropriate vegetables provide texture, flavor, and an important source of fiber. Kitchari is very easy to digest, which makes it a wonderful food for any cleansing regimen. It allows the digestive system to rest, allocating extra energy to the body’s natural detoxification processes. During this phase of the cleanse, practices such as abhyanga (Ayurvedic self-massage with herbal oil), gentle exercise, yoga, pranayama (yogic breathing practices), and taking supportive Ayurvedic herbs can enhance the impact of the cleanse.
Freshly prepared foods are best, so you’ll want to cook your oatmeal and kitchari fresh each day—at whatever time works best with your schedule. While you’ll want to avoid eating leftovers from previous days during this phase of the cleanse (and all throughout, if you can manage), it is acceptable to prepare all of your food for the day first thing in the morning. Garnishes such as cilantro chutney and sesame seed chutney can usually be kept for several days without issue.
It is not uncommon to experience mild constipation during this phase of the cleanse. If your bowel movements slow in frequency or volume, or if your stools become more difficult to pass, we’ll address this in day 10. Healthy elimination is critical to the detoxification process, so it is best to be proactive about relieving any discomfort as soon as you are aware of it.
Making Supportive Lifestyle Choices
Keep your activities as quiet and mindful as possible.
Surround yourself with things that you find uplifting and nourishing.
Minimize stress and exposure to frantic or disturbing environments.
If intense emotions arise during or after your cleanse, greet your emotions with compassion, observe them with detached awareness, and allow them simply to move through—honoring yourself in the process.
REST as much as possible. You can ensure that the bulk of your energy is devoted to cleansing by minimizing the number of resources that your body allocates elsewhere.
Morning Routine During the Active Cleansing Phase
Rise early so that you can complete your morning routine before breakfast.
Upon waking, scrape your tongue and brush your teeth.
Sip 8–16 ounces of hot water to cleanse the system and to awaken the digestive capacity.
Optional: Perform Abhyanga (Ayurvedic Self Massage) & Nasya (nose oil)
This practice helps to loosen and move toxins stored in the tissues toward the digestive tract so that they can be eliminated.
Protects your nasal tissues for better breathing.
You can choose an abhyanga ritual kit based on your Dosha.
Optional: Steam Bath, Sauna, or Improvised Sweat
If you have access to a steam room or sauna, let your oil soak in as you sit just long enough to break a sweat.
Otherwise, you can warm your bathroom with a space heater and create a little steam with hot water from the shower.
It is important not to get chilled.
Gentle Exercise
Slow, gentle movements will support cleansing; more than that can be counterproductive.
This is not a time to push yourself.
Consider walking, tai chi, qigong, or a grounding yoga practice. Hot Yoga is ok if this an already established routine.
Eat Breakfast
Simple Oatmeal or Kitchari: as much as desired (do not overeat)
Menu Day Eight
Breakfast
Choice of:
Oatmeal (tridoshic)
Rice Porrige (for pitta and vata imbalance)
Seasoned Barley (for kapha and pitta imbalance)
Lunch
Choice of:
Tridoshic Kitchari
Vata, Kapha, or Pitta Balancing Kitchari
Dinner
Choice of
Tridoshic Kitchari
Vata, Kapha, or Pitta Balancing Kitchari
Breakfast Recipes
Oatmeal
While fruit and grains are typically considered a poor food combination, oats are a particularly light grain and are generally quite digestible. The taste profile of oats also has a lot in common with these particular fruits, which makes them more compatible. In addition, when fruits and oats are cooked together, their more diverse qualities are able to mingle in a way that further improves their digestibility.
1/2 cup dry rolled oats
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cups raisins
1/2–1 cup fresh apple, apricot, peach, or pear (cut into small pieces)
Optional Warming Spices
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
Combine the raisins, cut fruit, 1 cup water, and any desired spices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the fruit is tender and well-cooked (apples may take a tad longer).
Add the oats, the remaining 1/2 cup of water, stir, and return to a boil. When the mixture boils, stir thoroughly, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for five to ten minutes, until the oats are soft and the water is absorbed. Cool and serve.
Fruits by Dosha:
For vata, favor apricots and peaches.
For pitta, favor apples and pears.
For kapha, any of the fruit is fine. If you are primarily focused on balancing kapha, you may also want to try this delicious kapha-pacifying modification: simply combine a couple of varieties of cut fruit, omit the oats and the second batch of water, follow the rest of the recipe as it is, and enjoy a breakfast of stewed fruit.
Spices by Dosha and Season:
For vata, kapha, and cooler seasons, the optional spices offer a tasty addition of warmth to this dish. If there is pitta imbalance, favor cinnamon and cardamom, and consider reducing the quantity. For severe pitta imbalance (or if the season is hot) consider foregoing the spices altogether. The oatmeal with cooked fruit is surprisingly tasty on its own.
Rice Porridge
This is a good breakfast porridge for pitta and vata imbalance. It slightly increases kapha if it is eaten in large quantity because it absorbs large quantities of water. Quinoa can be substituted for rice, which is a better choice for kapha dosha.
1 cup basmati rice
½ tablespoon organic ghee, coconut, or sesame oil (coconut or ghee is best for pitta)
1 pinch cumin seed
¼ teaspoon natural mineral salt
2 cups hot water Wash rice thoroughly.
Heat the ghee or oil over medium heat and sauté the cumin seeds for a few moments until the aroma starts to come out. Add the rice and mix well. Add the salt and hot water. Bring all this to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn down the heat to very low and cover. For stickier rice leave the lid ajar, for drier rice keep the lid on tight. Cook until the rice is tender—about 15-20 minutes.
Seasoned Barley
This is a great grain dish for kapha and pitta imbalance, especially when there is constipation.
1 cup dry barley
6 cups water
1 burdock root, washed, peeled, and finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt or 1 teaspoon of vegetable boullion
½ stick kombu (edible kelp)
1 teaspoon dry sage
Black pepper and organic ghee or coconut oil to taste
Place all ingredients except the sage, ghee, and black pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to medium low. Cook until tender, about 50 minutes. Add sage, ghee, and black pepper and simmer for five more minutes. This makes about 4-5 servings.
Kitchari Recipes
Tridoshic Kitchari
The quantities in this recipe provide a good starting point for a day’s supply of kitchari, but as you learn your preferences and habits, you are welcome to adjust the quantities to better fit your needs.
Ingredients
1 cup white basmati rice
1/2 cup yellow mung dal
2 tablespoons ghee
Spices (or 1 tablespoon kitchari spice mix)
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon fennel powder
1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon natural mineral salt
6 cups water
2 cups easily digestible vegetables (such as asparagus, carrots, celery, green beans, summer squash, sweet potato, or zucchini)
Soak the split mung dal overnight (or for at least four hours). Strain the soaking water, combine with the rice and rinse the mixture at least twice, or until the water runs clear, and set aside. In a medium saucepan or soup pot, warm the ghee over medium heat. Add the black mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
Add the turmeric, coriander, fennel, hing, and fresh ginger. Stir briefly, until aromatic. Stir the rice and dal mixture into the spices and sauté for a few moments, stirring constantly.
Add the 6 cups of water, turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. When the soup comes to a boil, stir in the salt, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about forty minutes.
Meanwhile, cut your vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces. About halfway through the kitchari’s cooking process, stir in the vegetables and allow the stew to return to a boil. Continue to simmer until the rice, dal, and vegetables are fully cooked. Remove from heat, cool, and serve.
Note: some vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, might require more cooking time and may be added earlier, if necessary.
Aim to have very little water remaining when finished. The consistency should be that of a vegetable stew as opposed to a broth. While you want the beans, rice, and vegetables to be thoroughly cooked, excess water and over-stirring can cause the ingredients to become thick and gummy.
Garnish the kitchari with your choice of fresh cilantro, coriander chutney, and sesame chutney. Enjoy!
Pitta Cooling Kitchari
½ cup basmati rice
½ cup organic yellow mung dal or whole green mung beans (bulk section of the health food store). These need to be soaked for at least three hours before cooking.
½ of a burdock root (approx. 8 in. long), if available; if not, substitute 2 carrots.
½ cups fresh green beans
One small zucchini
2 tbsp organic ghee (clarified butter)
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 stick of kombu (seaweed) also available at the health food store. You can substitute wakame if need be. You just need a little–one “leaf” per pot of kitchari.
6 cups of water
½ teaspoon of natural mineral salt
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Kapha Reducing Kitchari
1 cup basmati rice
½ cup organic yellow mung dal or whole green mung beans (bulk section of the health food store). These need to be soaked for at least three hours before cooking.
6 cups water
2 cups vegetables such as zucchini, leafy greens like kale or collards, or green beans
1 tbsp organic ghee (clarified butter)
½ teaspoon of black mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 ½ teaspoon coriander seed
1 ½ teaspoon oregano
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
½ a small onion chopped
1 stick of kombu (seaweed) also available at the health food store. You can substitute wakame if need be. You just need a little–one “leaf” per pot of kitchari.
½ teaspoon natural mineral salt
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Vata Balancing Kitchari
1 cup basmati rice
½ cup organic yellow mung dal or whole green mung beans (bulk section of the health food store). These need to be soaked for at least three hours before cooking.
4 cups of water
3 tbsp organic ghee (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 pinches hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 stick of kombu (seaweed) also available at the health food store. You can substitute wakame if need be. You just need a little–one “leaf” per pot of kitchari.
½ teaspoon natural mineral salt
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Kitchari Preparation Instructions
Wash rice and mung dal and soak for three hours or overnight. Drain soak water. Wash and peel carrots or burdock, if using, and cut in your favorite way. Cut green beans into 1-inch pieces. Cut zucchini in the way you like. In a saucepan, warm the ghee over medium heat. Add the ginger, fennel, and cumin seeds and sauté for one to two minutes. Add rice and mung beans and sauté for another couple of minutes. Then add the burdock or carrots, green beans and zucchini. Stir for a minute. Then add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Once the kitchari has come to a boil, add the salt, powdered spices, seaweed, and leafy greens and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until everything is tender (approx. 30-45 minutes). If you need to add more water to prevent scorching, please do so. The consistency should be that of a vegetable stew as opposed to a broth. Garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste. You may add a little chutney to make it tastier.
You can also have avocado with a little salt and lemon as side dish. Kitchari helps the body purify the blood and also supports proper kidney function, the reproductive organs, liver, and thyroid. Try to remember this if you get tired of eating the kitchari twice a day. It is mainly the mind and emotions that rebel against such a routine. That is also why you can help yourself by creating yummy, fresh side dishes. Steamed vegetables are always good.
Chutney Recipes
Fresh Coriander Chutney
1 bunch (1/4 pound) fresh coriander leaves and stems (also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated coconut
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, chopped
1 teaspoon barley malt or raw honey
1 teaspoon natural mineral salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Blend the lemon juice, water and fresh coriander until the coriander is chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until it is like a paste.
Use sparingly. This chutney can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
For a silkier texture, use only the leaves and the tops of the fresh coriander stalks.
Sesame Seed Chutney
1 cup roasted and ground sesame seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon natural mineral salt
Blend ingredients together and garnish kitchari with about 1 teaspoon of the mixture.
