An Ayurveda Detox is Unlike Any Detox You Know

Most detoxification or cleansing processes work on starvation. This is where Ayurveda differs.

AN AYURVEDA DETOX IS UNLIKE ANY DETOX YOU KNOW

Detoxification as a word has been thrown around and abused a lot.

Everything from soup diets to juice cleanses and laxative teas to fasting are said to be detoxifying. Whatever be the means to it, the idea is the same: ridding your body of toxins, detoxifying it.

However, there are a few problems.

OUR BODIES KNOW HOW TO DETOX

The first thing to keep in mind—and this is what Ayurveda believes—is that our body is already equipped to detoxify itself and doesn’t need any external help.

Secondly, many of these so-called ways to detoxify the body come from a very misinformed point of view. Fasting, in Ayurveda was never meant to be a detoxifying practice, it’s always been a spiritual practice.

This is why most of the “cleanses” have fail to work. Most detoxification processes are really just yo-yo diets that make you lose weight suddenly and then have you gain them back on.

One of the reasons it happens is because when you starve your body of food, it goes in a ketosis mode and when you feed your body again, it starts piling up on energy reserves fast. Which is why you put on that extra weight when the fast is over.  

AYURVEDIC APPROACH TO DETOXIFICATION

However, an Ayurvedic approach is much different.

First of all, let’s understand why we need to rid our body of toxins.

The need for detox in Ayurveda comes from a very essential fact of our society: we all eat packaged, frozen, canned and processed food that do not resemble their original form at all.

No, you’d not need lemons and water for the detox.

The wheat (that has already been genetically modified) is processed to death before it becomes a pack of noodles, canned soup or tortilla.

These foods cause what is known as “ama” in Ayurveda. Ama is waste product that sticks to the walls of your intestines. It causes lethargy, irritability and a host of problems of the skin and mood.

DISEASES ARISE IN THE GUT

Ayurveda believes that you need to cleanse your gut because most of the diseases arise from there.

However, in Ayurveda, this cleansing or detoxification takes a different form. And it’s far from the starvation and unwholesomeness of juice cleanses and fasting.

 It is still done through food, but the intent is very different and it’s less likely to do our body the kind of harm that juice cleanses and laxative teas can.

The idea of cleansing in Ayurveda takes a five-pronged approach, also known as Panchakarma. However, for the purposes of this article, we’d focus only on the cleansing of the body through the means of food.

Body is cleansed in Ayurveda by consuming khichadi, a simple meal of basmati rice and lentils. This is a very easily digestible meal and the idea is that when the body doesn’t have to focus on digestion, it can focus on detoxification.

The moong dal in the khichadi scrapes ama from the intestinal walls and rice is a very easy digestible food, which is great for the digestive system.

WHEN SHOULD I DETOXIFY?

If you want to detoxify, have plenty of time on your hands. In other words, detoxify when you can.

In Ayurveda, detoxification is recommended with the change of seasons. This is to reset your body each time there is a natural change in your environment.

Like I said, no lemons.

The three doshas of the body, Vata, Pitta and Kapha change with the time of the day and even the seasons. This is because the external environment influences the body greatly.

Which is why you need an iced tea in summers and a hot ginger tea in winters. Although these two simplistic choices of drinks are driven by a very apparent change in the temperature, there are subtle changes happening all through the day in our bodies.

These changes need to be paid attention to and attended to accordingly. Which is why there is such a huge emphasis on self-knowledge in Ayurveda.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY

Although, Ayurveda states that your body already knows what it needs, if you pay attention to it close enough, you may initially need the help of an Ayurveda-Yoga Therapist to find out what kind of a body you have, what dosha is more prevalent in you and eat and live accordingly.

Remember, in Ayurveda, there is no one-size fits all, as there shouldn’t be, for everyone.

But if you don’t know what your dosha is yet, you can still do the cleanse, because the good thing about khichadi is that it’s tri-doshic (benefitting all three doshas) and anyone can have a basic meal of khichadi. You can have it three times a day and let your body relax and detox.

If you feel like you are ready and need a reset, then start by having three meals of khichadi a day. Avoid all other foods, you can definitely have water.

Although, there is no said dose of how much food you should have, stop when you feel full.

This is important, because usually our hunger is driven by our emotions. This should not be the case. One should be in tune with their bodies enough to know when the body needs fuel and when it doesn’t.

This is also a great way to be in touch with what your body really needs.

Check out the recipe card below on how to make khichadi. Print and share the card if you like! Download a pdf version here to print and share.