By: Setareh Kiumarsi
Want to go on a cleansing diet? You read the previous post about the cleansing diet with vegetables, but you’re not a fan of raw salads, you get cranky from hunger, and you’re craving something warm and cooked?
Then let’s get into the 3- to 7-day cleansing diet with Kitchari.
This diet is one of the most well-known cleansing diets. What does it do in the body?
It detoxifies deeply embedded toxins in the tissues, cleanses the digestive tract, acts as a mild laxative, burns fat, and reduces feelings of heaviness and chronic fatigue.
Kitchari Recipe:
3/4 cup rice (preferably basmati)
3/4 cup mung dal (this is split mung beans — don’t confuse it with red lentils. If you can’t find mung dal, use whole mung beans instead)
2 tablespoons ghee or sesame oil (if you usually have postnasal drip, a runny nose, or respiratory allergies, it’s better to use sesame oil)
6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
1/8 teaspoon saffron
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and fresh lime juice to taste
Rinse the rice and dal several times, drain, and soak them overnight. In a medium pot, heat the ghee or sesame oil and sauté the spices for a few minutes. Next, add the drained rice and dal, and sauté for a few more minutes with the spiced oil.
Now add six cups of water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the kitchari simmer gently (it will take at least about 45 minutes). During the last 10 minutes, leave the lid half open so any excess water evaporates. The finished kitchari should resemble a thick soup.
How to follow the cleanse:
Follow this diet for at least 3 days — extend it to 7 days if possible:
Wake up around 6 a.m. and on an empty stomach, drink a glass of warm water with a few drops of lime juice, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of honey (if you have high blood pressure, use pink Himalayan salt instead).
30–45 minutes later, have a bowl of kitchari with a glass of digestive lassi for breakfast.
Starting two hours after breakfast, drink a cup of digestive tea every hour.
For your mid-morning snack, eat a bowl of stewed apple and 2–3 dried apricot slices.
Between 12 and 1 p.m., have a bowl of kitchari and a glass of digestive lassi for lunch.
Starting two hours after lunch, again drink a cup of digestive tea every hour.
For an afternoon snack, eat another bowl of stewed apple and 2–3 dried apricot slices.
Between 6 and 7 p.m., have a bowl of kitchari and a glass of digestive lassi for dinner.
Before bed, drink a final glass of digestive lassi.
This cleansing diet is similar to intermittent fasting, so try to avoid strenuous physical activity during the cleanse and go easy on yourself so you can stick with it. If you feel better after completing it, try to repeat it every one or two months.
Be full of health.
Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.
