3 day Ayurvedic cleanse
The 3 day detox gives your digestive system and your taste buds a little rest and might feel particularly needed after the summer indulgence…. If you’re a coffee drinker I’d reduce the caffeine intake first before doing this cleanse. So go decaf first before you do 3 days of just herbal tea.
Ideally eat breakfast between 7 and 9am, lunch by 1pm and supper before 7pm. Bed by 10pm.
Doing this cleanse means 3 days of this strict plan:
Breakfast Stewed Apple with spices (simply stew a peeled apple with a hint of cinnamon and other spices like cardamon in a pan of water until soft)
Lunch and diner – kitchari (recipe below)
Drinking only herbal teas and water – try fennel, turmeric or nettle or other ones but no caffeine
Before bed turmeric latte – (recipe below)
Autum is the season of Vata (air) and can trigger in balance of this dosha. Brining feeling of more air in the body and mind – feeling spaced out, anxious more nervous or dryness in joints and skin…. so to help with Vata imbalances, you can also add extra ghee to the recipes, and Vata balancing veg (especially root vegetables and fewer dry, rough leafy greens), as well spices like: cardamom, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves and mustard seeds. And lots of seasonal veg in your kitchari! Like Butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Kale, Leeks, Pumpkin, Spinach, Turnips.
Kitchari INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup/200g yellow mung dal or lentils or green mung beans
- ½ cup/100g white basmati rice
- 2 tbs ghee (or coconut oilto make it VEGAN)
- 4 cardamom pods, cracked
- 2 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
5 cups (1.25 litres) of water or more
Optional:
2–5 cups of chopped seasonal vegetables ( I love adding carrots, kale or spinach)
1 teaspoon of:
- Black pepper
- Ground coriander
- Ground cumin
- Fennel seeds
- Ground ginger
- Pink Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons of:
- Black mustard seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Turmeric
METHOD
Rinse the mung dal and rice until the water runs clear.
Measure out all of the spices into a cup — this makes it less likely that you’ll burn your spices while searching for the others.
Heat the ghee or oil in a large pot. Add all of the spices and sauté together on a medium heat for a minute until fragrant. Keep the heat low so the spices don’t burn and become bitter.
Stir in the mung dal and rice. Add 5 cups of water and any chopped vegetables. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, lid on.
Cook for at least 40 minutes (longer if using whole green mung beans), or until the dal and rice are completely soft. Adjust the seasoning and garnish with fresh chopped herbs if you like.
GOOD TIP – soak your lentils/mung beans over night
