Kitchari cleanse: everything you need to know to cleanse successfully
For those who are less familiar with it, kitchari is a soothing ancient Ayurvedic meal made from yellow mung dal, jasmine or basmati rice, ghee, aromatic spices, and optional easy-to-digest vegetables.
It is a dish served warm, and it’s delicious and incredibly satisfying.
During a kitchari cleanse, kitchari is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or just for lunch and dinner with a simple oatmeal dish for breakfast.
According to Ayurvedic practitioners, the purpose of a kitchari cleanse is to eat a mono diet of easy-to-digest foods to give your body and digestive system time to rest and restore.
A mono diet effectively limits the diversity of food in the body, and in doing so, it is believed to help decrease inflammation, support digestive enzymes and improve the entire digestive process.
While most cleanses and detoxes focus on weight loss or athletic performance, a kitchari cleanse offers the opportunity to cleanse and reset your gut, which essentially gives the body directives pertaining to sleep, immunity, hormone production and much more.
Kitchari cleansing is nothing new and there are several ways to do it. It can be performed for several days, incorporate supplements, and include a strict set of diet and lifestyle guidelines for a week prior to cleansing and up to 30 days after cleanses.
For our purposes, we will limit the cleansing period to three days and focus on the mono diet aspect of the cleanse. I will also share additional guidelines you may follow a week before and after cleansing.
The version of the cleanse outlined here is ideal for anyone wanting to optimize how their body looks, feels and operates - without too much fuss or challenge.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor; while cleansing does offer a range of health benefits, you may wish to consult with a doctor prior to cleansing if you have prior health issues or general concerns.
The Benefits
Most cleanses can be helpful for clearing accumulated waste and toxicity from the mind and body, to optimize your health.
A mono diet of kitchari and other detoxifying liquids effectively presses pause on all other food inputs, which gives the body an opportunity to rest and repair itself.
During and after cleansing, you may notice:
your digestion has improved
your bowels are more regular and healthy.
you have lost weight
improved sleep
increased energy
more balanced relationship with food, greater portion control and reduced impulses to snack
improved overall health
I have successfully completed a kitchari cleanse several times prior to this. The reason I keep coming back to it is because of how great I feel during and after it.
What to Expect
Compared to other cleanses and detoxes, I believe a kitchari cleanse is much less challenging than, say, a juice cleanse.
That said, all cleanses require a certain amount of mental and physical energy, and at times, you may find yourself tired or even emotional during your kitchari cleanse. It is completely normal. As a result of cleansing, your body (and mind) is going through clear changes as it resets, repairs and restores itself.
At the same time, this cleanse is extremely gentle. While you may experience some emotional ups and downs and a little bit of physical fatigue, the cleanse shouldn’t cause too much discomfort or leave you feeling too hungry or unsatisfied.
Preparing For Your Cleanse
While cleansing you will be eliminating most food from your diet.
Whether you’re new to cleansing or have done it several times before, it is always helpful to ease the body into cleansing or detox mode.
For that reason, I find it helpful to eliminate or reduce your intake of the following in the days or week leading up to your cleanse:
fast foods
processed foods
meat
refined sugars
dairy
alcohol
During this time, aim to focus on eating real, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
Think: lots of bowls, stews, salads, smoothies and juices.
Doing these things will not only ease your body into cleansing, but your mind as well.
Cleanse Details
In this section you’ll find all of the details surrounding the cleanse, including modifications you can consider.
During the three day cleanse, you may eat a mono diet of just kitchari for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or, you may eat kitchari for lunch and dinner, and oatmeal for breakfast.
With this cleanse, fresh is best. That means you will be preparing kitchari (or kitchari and oatmeal) daily.
If you can’t prepare it fresh every day, and prefer to make a big batch and refrigerate leftovers to reheat and eat the next day, that is fine. I believe the latter is better than not cleansing at all and encourage you to do this if it’s the only way you can make it work.
If you are preparing it fresh each day, you will have leftovers at the end of every day. To avoid waste, you can offer a serving to other family members or refrigerate it to have it a few times for lunch or dinner after your cleanse is done (this is what I do). To reheat it, place a serving on the stove in a saucepan with a little bit of water to soften and warm up.
What you’ll be eating
Breakfast: choose between eating kitchari or oatmeal (recipes below should be followed exactly).
Lunch and dinner: you will have a serving of kitchari at both lunch and dinner. If it needs to be warmed for dinner, transfer a serving to a saucepan with a little bit of water and place it on the stove on a low heat. You can add a little bit of ghee or coconut oil (if you’re plant-based) to bring out the flavor and make sure that the kitchari is soft, smooth and is digested easily. You can also garnish your kitchari with a squeeze of lime juice, cilantro and a little bit of salt.
Optional snacks and side dishes: if you’re feeling hungry between meals you may have a steamed or roasted vegetable (from the list below). You may also have a steamed or roasted vegetable with your lunch or dinner, if you’re feeling a sense of deprivation. I have included a couple of very simple roasted vegetable recipes below as an example. It’s important to follow the measurements exactly - specifically pertaining to additional oil or ghee - so as to not over do it as both are still very high in fat.
Water, teas and tonics: It’s critical that you stay hydrated throughout your cleanse. In between meals, be sure to drink lots of warm or room temperature water. You may also drink herbal teas and ‘tonics’ such as water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and some grated ginger, all of which help cleanse and detoxify the digestive system and help keep your bowels moving regularly.
Recipes
Kitchari
Ingredients:
1/2 cup jasmine white rice, rinsed well
1 cup split yellow mung beans, rinsed well
6 cups of water
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mineral salt
1.5 tbsp of ghee or coconut oil
1 small knob of ginger, grated
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
5 asparagus spears, chopped in small pieces
Handful of fresh cilantro (optional)
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
Directions:
Roughly grind cumin, fennel, mustard and fenugreek seeds in a mortar and pestle.
Place a large dutch oven over a low-medium heat; add ghee or coconut oil. Once melted, stir in all spices and ginger and heat for another minute or two.
Add rice and split mung beans to the dutch oven and mix well until they’re evenly coated in spices. Add water to the dutch oven, and increase heat to high. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and continue to cook covered on a low heat for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, add celery and asparagus and cook for another 5-10 minutes (or until the grains are soft and the water is mostly absorbed).
Remove the dutch oven from the stove and serve warm. Top with additional salt to taste, and optional cilantro and lime.
While best eaten fresh and warm, kitchari can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for unto 5 days or in the freezer for longer.
To reheat it, place it on the stove over a low to medium heat and add a bit of water to thin it out with an additional teaspoon of coconut oil or ghee if needed.
Oatmeal with Stewed Apples
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick or rolled oats
1 cup filtered water
1/2 an apple, skin removed and chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
additional optional powdered spices: nutmeg, cardamom and ginger.
Directions:
Add water, apples and spices to a saucepan on a medium heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer until apples are tender and well-cooked (about 10-15 minutes).
Add oats to the saucepan, and additional water if needed and bring to a boil again. Once boiling, remove from the stove and mix well. Cover and let sit until oats have softened and water is fully absorbed (about 2-5 additional minutes for quick oats, but if using rolled oats it may take longer).
Again, ideally you will make the kitchari or both the kitchari and oatmeal fresh each morning, for each day of your cleanse.
Optional Snacks and Side Dishes
If you feel hungry or a sense of deprivation, you may roast or steam a vegetable and have it between your meals or as a side dish at lunch or dinner.
Below are a couple of simple vegetable recipes to give you an idea you can try. It’s recommended that you have one vegetable at a time, that it is included in the shopping list below, and any additional coconut oil or ghee is minimal (no more than 1/2 a teaspoon).
Spiced Sweet Potato
Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato (no bigger than the size of your hand)
1/2 tsp coconut oil
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Wrap the sweet potato in aluminum foil so it is completely covered. Once wrapped, use a fork to pierce small holes throughout. Place in the oven on a rack and bake until sweet potato is tender (about 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the oven).
Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Remove tin foil, use a knife to cut the sweet potato open down the middle. Top with coconut oil, cinnamon and salt.
Zucchini Wedges
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, cut in half and then in quarters length-wise
1/2 tsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
pinch of salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat zucchini in a very thin layer of coconut oil (use no more than the amount listed). Sprinkle cumin on zucchini, so it is evenly coated.
Lay out zucchini on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave enough space between wedges so that they become crispy while roasting (if they are too close together they will steam instead). Roast until zucchini is tender and edges become slightly brown (about 25-30 minutes, depending on the oven).
Remove from oven. Let cook for 5 minutes. Enjoy warm.
Shopping List
Below is a list of all of the ingredients you need to prepare your simple oatmeal and kitchari dishes for your three day cleanse. The measurements outlined represent how much you will need of each ingredient for all three days.
If possible, aim to use organic ingredients.
Grains
Quick Oats (1.5 cups)
White Jasmine or Basmati Rice (1.5 cups)
Split Yellow Mung beans (3 cups)
Oil and Spices
Ghee or Coconut Oil (4.5 tablespoons + more for vegetable snacks and side dishes)
Cumin Seeds
Mustard Seeds
Fennel Seeds
Fenugreek Seeds
Cardamom Powder
Turmeric Powder
Ginger Root
Nutmeg powder
Cinnamon powder
Salt
Fruits
Apples (2 )
lemons (optional - 6 lemons for water and tonics throughout your cleanse)
limes (optional - 6 limes for kitchari, water and tonics throughout your cleanse)
Vegetables - choose 2-3 of the following:
(you will need enough for 6 cups total for your kitchari, and an additional 3-6 whole vegetables for snacks and side dishes if you choose to have them)
Celery
Asparagus
Zucchini
Sweet potato
Carrots
Daily Routine
Below you’ll find a sample daily routine to follow while you are cleansing.
It is a routine I created for myself; feel free to follow it as is or modify to suit your needs and lifestyle. I’ve also bolded the time of day that I wake up, eat, and sleep in case that is helpful to you when you go to design your routine.
Morning: Wake-Up (5AM), prepare large pot of hot water with lemon to drink throughout the day (keep warm on stovetop), warm shower or bath, gentle exercise (walking, yoga, pilates, etc.), prepare and eat simple oatmeal (9AM)
Throughout The Day: Prepare kitchari, eat first kitchari meal (1PM), stay hydrated with water, teas and tonics, prepare optional vegetables to roast or steam.
Evening: Eat second kitchari meal (6PM), prepare foods for the following day (chop veggies, soak grains) warm shower or bath, sleep (9PM)
Lifestyle Tips and Best Practices While Cleansing
Here, I have outlined a number of tips and best practices that I recommend leaning into to minimize the challenges that come with cleansing and help you complete the cleanse successfully.
Identify a clear purpose for cleansing. During moments when you find cleansing difficult (feelings of hunger, fatigue, etc.), remembering and connecting to your “why” will help you overcome challenges and stay the course. So get as clear as possible!
Share why this cleanse is important to you with someone who can help support you, hold you accountable to your goals, and encourage you throughout the duration of the cleanse. Or find someone to do it with you!
During your cleanse, aim to stay around the home and keep activities minimal so you can rest and relax.
Stay hydrated. Consume at least 10-12 cups of room temperature, warm or hot liquids (water, herbal teas, etc.) each day for proper hydration and to help flush toxins from the body. Staying hydrated between meals will also help keep you feeling full. I like to boil a large soup pot of water (with lemon or lime and grated ginger root) in the morning nand leave it on the stove, covered, to sip from throughout the day . This way, I stay hydrated and full feeling between meals.
Chop and wash kitchari vegetables the night before you begin your cleanse (i.e. 3 days worth at once) to help minimize food prep once your cleanse has started.
Keep cleansing ingredients that do not require refridgeration together on your countertop for the duration of the cleanse, to help save time gathering and putting ingredients away each day.
Elimination is important to cleansing, however, constipation is not uncommon during a cleanse. Gentle measures to help you move your bowels include drinking plenty of warm liquids as discussed, slightly increasing the amount of ghee or coconut oil in your kitchari servings, having cooked vegetables as a snack between meals or as a side to your kitchari meal and sitting on the toilet with your feet and legs slightly propped up and elevated (using a squatty potty or small trash bin).
Enjoy gentle exercise. Avoid high intensity exercise that requires a lot of energy and increases your appetite as it will make cleansing more difficult.
if you’re cleansing to lose weight, be mindful of how much ghee or coconut oil you’re using in your kitchari, oatmeal and on your vegetables - as both are high in fat and calories and can prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals. As well, you will want to be mindful of portions at meal times; the oatmeal recipe should be followed exactly as is (it yields exactly one serving) and kitchari servings should be limited to approximately 2 cups per meal.
Prior to cleansing, aim to reduce your intake of fast and processed foods, meat, refined sugars, dairy and alcohol. This will help ease your body into the cleanse and may make adapting to a monodiet easier on you mentally and emotionally.
Aim to sleep 8-10 hours each evening. Sleep is critical to your overall health, as it is the time when your body and digestive system rests and restores itself. Adequate sleep during your cleanse will also help you maintain your energy.
After Your Cleanse
Cleansing is important work, as it helps remove toxic build up in the body and aims to repair and restore our digestive system and other organs.
It also helps reset our habits, tendencies and relationship with food. For instance, during a cleanse, we don’t snack mindlessly or eat because we’re emotional and use proper portion control.
Whatever your reason is for embarking on a cleanse, once it’s over, it’s a good idea to ease yourself out of it in the healthiest way possible.
You don’t want to go from eating a mono diet to inhaling a cheese burger or anything else that can overwhelm the digestive system and make you susceptible to feeling ill.
Having done a kitchari cleanse several times before this, I have compiled a list of simple guidelines you can follow, that I lean on as well, that allow the body to continue to thrive and help you feel your best once the active cleansing period is over:
Continue to eat a simplified, mild diet to allow the body to continue to detoxification. For example, I like to continue to with the simple oatmeal recipe for breakfast (or a variation of it) and kitchari for either lunch or dinner. In general, meals should incorporate digestive spices, ghee or coconut oil, and be similar in texture to kitchari or oatmeal. Other meal ideas include lentil stews with rice or quinoa, spiced porridge, simple plant-based soups using easy-to-digest vegetables and steamed or roasted easy-to-digest vegetables.
Avoid eating too many raw vegetables including salads, smoothies or juices. While good for you, they are harder to digest. Slowly integrate them into your diet again 8-10 days post-cleanse.
Avoid meat, refined sugar, dairy, refined grains, processed or preserved foods and alcohol for at least a week (or longer).
Continue with gentle, low impact movement and ease into high intensity workouts.
Avoid eating out for at least a week following your cleanse. Take out and prepared meals often have excessive sodium levels and heavily processed oils - both of which can wreak havoc on our digestive system.
Continue with mindfulness and self-care activities that you enjoyed during your cleanse, such as eating at appropriate times, avoiding mindless snacking, journaling, warm baths, hydration, etc.
Take time to reflect on you felt during the cleanse. What challenged you? What tools and tactics did you find most helpful to overcome challenges? What are you most proud of? What did you learn about yourself and your habits or relationship with food? Post-cleanse is an opportune time to cultivate a greater sense of awareness about your mind and body, and remembering what worked well for you can inspire you well beyond the active cleansing phase.
If you have additional questions prior to starting your cleanse or during it, I encourage you to delve deeper into this Ayurvedic tradition to learn more. You may also reach out to me for specific questions regarding this cleanse and for additional tips , insights and support to help you complete your cleanse successfully.
As well, be sure to bookmark this post if you’re curious about kitchari cleansing and want to try it at a late date!
