Review: What It's Like Doing A 5 Day Ayurvedic Reset
Behind the Scenes of my 5-Day Kitchari Cleanse
When I was asked if I wanted to participate in a 5-day Kitchari reset, I honestly didn’t know what Kitchari was, but I said a fast, “HELL YES” because it was being hosted by the owner of Curcuma - the most special little food truck here in Austin.
Doing an Ayurvedic cleanse was a no-brainer for me. While I don’t follow it fully, I love and deeply trust Ayurvedic traditions. Overall, I knew we’d be following deep-rooted practices, not some posh, quick-fix detox.
Ok, so wtf is Kitchari? Kitchari is a mixture of two grains, traditionally basmati rice & mung beans + spices (mine was made with quinoa, mung beans). In Ayurvedic tradition, Kitchari is prized for the balancing effects it has on the three doshas. Not only is the mixture a good protein combination, it is also easy to digest and nourishing. You can read more about Kitchari and mono-fasting here.
Why did I want to do a cleanse? As most of you know, I’ve been free from alcohol for just over three years. This has had tremendous health and overall wellness benefits that I can’t even explain. However, I’ve been hesitant to remove any other components from my diet (though I try to go easy on gluten, dairy and refined sugars). If we’re being honest, I know I consume too much caffeine and sugar (even though it’s mostly natural sweetener like honey, maple syrup, etc.). I know my body might be better without them, but have never had a solid accountability system or big enough reason to take a break.
Also, I’m not a fan of “diets” but I am a fan of optimizing for my health and general quality of life. Furthermore, I don’t love having to learn all of the massive “rules” that come along with most of the posh elimination diets. This reset was simple. Kitchari was a “yes,” pretty much everything else was a “no”.
What exactly did I eat on this program? I’m glad you asked:
Option 1: Only Kitchari for breakfast, lunch & dinner
Option 2: Simple oatmeal for breakfast
Option 1 or 2 plus: steamed veggies, seasonal greens, fermented foods, avocado, ginger chutney, nuts/seeds, lemon/lime juice, fresh herbs/microgreens
I started with Option 2 because I wasn’t sure I wanted the spices from the Kitchari first thing in the morning (and I was honestly also afraid I’d run out of pre-prepared Kitchari if I did). Mid-way through the week, I also added in some nuts, seeds, and avocado to satiate me. In addition to the food plan, I also drank LOTS of warm lemon-water plus some special Dosha tea (cumin, coriander, fennel seeds), herbal tea, and triphala.
That’s it. Nothing else. In addition to the food regimen, there were also some Ayurvedic routines to follow including rising with the sun, eating on schedule, meditating, self-care rituals, and getting lots of sleep.
Because I enjoy Ayurvedic tradition, being reminded to implement more of these routines into my daily habit was a welcome challenge. But, how did I do with eating a very modest diet for a full week? Let me share.
Hunger
I was never hungry on this plan. I honestly prefer the “eat all you want” model - counting calories or portions makes changing or observing your eating patterns feel extremely restrictive...and when we feel restricted, we often rebel.
I also really liked the taste of the Kitchari. Like, asked for a lesson in Kitchari cooking liked it. I have a feeling it will be making a more frequent appearance in my diet.
Cravings
I made sure to steer clear of most situations that might cause me to have big cravings. I work from home, so I have the luxury that I was able to choose my surroundings for the week. I even canceled a co-working session at a coffee house because I was afraid it might have been too much (I won’t be as delicate the next time I do this. But, hey, better safe than sorry, right?).
Detox/Withdrawl
I am a pretty loyal coffee drinker and drink on average 3 cups a day of either coffee, tea, or matcha. I’m going to assume that leaving these behind had a pretty significant effect.
Although I think I was also experiencing some wonky allergy symptoms early in the week, I have to say, the first couple of days were hard. I had headaches, muscle aches, and honestly felt kinda crummy.
Energy
The first 2.5 days of this process were rough. I slept a lot at night and ended up taking several naps as well. I also chose not to work out during this time. However, had it not been for an injury later in the week, I’m certain I could have handled yoga or even a strength training class.
By Thursday, WOW, my energy had really improved. I woke up Thursday morning feeling incredibly motivated and chipper. Friday wasn’t quite as much of a high, but I was still feeling good.
Mood
As you might assume, struggling with detox aches and pains and fatigue took a tool on my mood the first couple days of the week. However, I never felt miserable or deprived. I always held a greater sense that I was caring for my body and by mid-week, my mood and motivation had improved.
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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of this cleanse. There were no crazy rules to learn or whacky ingredients to go source (because this reset was hosted by a local restaurant, they provided most of the supplies). As I type this, I’m just eating my last official bowl of Kitchari (I still have some left and will probably use it tomorrow and ease back into integrating other foods). I would absolutely do this reset again and would recommend it for you too! If you’re local to Austin, be sure to sign up for the Curcuma newsletter so you’re the first to know when they host the reset (the beginning of each season). If not, you can find guides to Ayurvedic Kitchari resets all over the internet. I truly had a great experience and am going to gently step back into my more “normal” eating patterns. Now that I know how not-fun it is to rid my body of caffeine and sugar, I’m thinking twice about the place they’ll have in my life moving forward.