Ayurvedic new year cleanse: Gentle practices for 2023

It’s normal to feel the desire to get on track with our health goals after indulging over the holidays.

Besides, it is always a good idea to delicately reset our digestive system and support the elimination of toxins, at least once a year.

That’s why I have created this Ayurvedic New Year Cleanse for us, to welcome 2023 with reduced inflammation, less toxic buildup, and a healthier, rejuvenated body.

Let’s do this!

Reduction Therapy

According to Ayurveda, all diseases are produced by an accumulation of the doshas.

Even when doing our best with following an Ayurvedic regimen, we are still exposed to harmful substances from water, cleaning products, and other environmental sources.

Eating out can also aggravate the doshas, as we don’t really know what ingredients are used or the mood of the cook.

Plus, toxins can be produced when there is poor digestion or gut problems.

In this context, an annual maintenance treatment to gradually decontaminate the body is vital.

Ayurveda calls this approach reduction therapy, which is a powerful strategy to reduce ama (waste material), strengthen the digestive fire, lose weight, and eliminate several factors that cause disease.

**This program might be followed by Vata aggravated people too, since it is a mild detox. However, talk to your Ayurvedic consultant to make sure this cleanse is for you.

Minimizing Ama

Ama, or undigested food particles, not only causes disease, but obstructs the digestion of nutrients.

We are what we digest; therefore, if foods cannot be absorbed properly, the body will not function as intended and illness will likely occur.

Eliminate ama and support this Ayurvedic New Year Cleanse with the following strategies:

• Avoid / reduce the sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
• Increase the bitter taste (bitter melon, leafy greens, turmeric) to lower ama.
• Consume more of the pungent taste (ginger, cayenne, black pepper) to burn and remove ama.
• Drink lots of warm water and ginger or fennel tea.
• Abstain from processed sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and any processed or highly refined foods.
• Take pure aloe vera gel to cleanse the tissues and the digestive tract without any taxing side effects.
• Scrape your tongue first thing in the morning using a tongue scraper. Then, brush your teeth, and drink warm water with the juice of half a lemon.
• Go to bed by 9:30 pm. Falling asleep before 10 at night assists with repair and detoxification processes.
• Engage in light exercise while cleansing.

Ayurvedic New Year Cleanse

Although our primary goal is to diminish the accumulation of toxins, we don’t want this protocol to be depleting or Vatogenic in any way.

Instead, we want it to be purifying, yet grounding, satisfying, and suitable for the cold winter season.

Which means we won’t be starving ourselves or just drinking juices, but eating warm, well-cooked meals, prepared with whole ingredients and plenty of spices.

Our bellies and hearts will appreciate that.

These are the detox guidelines:

1. Follow this plan from 3 days to 2 weeks.
2. Make lunch the largest meal of the day.
3. We won’t be counting calories. However, be conscious about how full you feel when eating. You should eat at 70-80% of your capacity or stop when you notice your first burp.
4. Avoid snacking.
5. Eat your last meal at least two hours before going to bed.

The Detox Menu

In this menu, I offer two meal options for breakfast and dinner. Choose the one that suits more your mood and liking or alternate the recipes to add variety.

For lunch, however, have the kitchari recipe for your dosha every day.

This is the tridoshic kitchari recipe, in case you are cleansing with someone else at home.

Cleansing, nurturing recipes

Breakfast

Lunch

Find the kitchari recipe for your dosha here.

Dinner