Kitchari, Digestion, Energy and Cleansing

by Joan McDaniel                            November 12, 2017

For those of you who don’t know, this blog is dedicated to the Food I used to get well. I am in the process of reading this book but have begun to follow some of its suggestions.

Eat Wheat

I first heard of Dr. John Douillard’s book Eat Wheat from a review by Dr. Mercola.   I read and listened to the review, bought the book, and began to try the ancient Detoxing and Cleansing recipe he recommends called Kitchari.

His many suggestions and the dish Kitchari, has significantly helped me in my goal of maintaining my health and improving my digestion.  I am so impressed I wanted others to know about him also.

These are some of my notes from John Douillard’s writings, Press Releases, and his book Eat Wheat. John Douillard website is lifespa

Digestion and Ayurvedic’s Detoxing and Cleansing Kitchari 

I have been very impressed with Ayurvedic India’s Traditional natural medicine.  I have found John Douillard’s explanation of it to be extremely informative and helpful.  I now consider the Ayurvedic Kitchari recipe he talks about to be almost a superfood.  I have been using it for over a month or two and have some amazing things, resulting in a major improvement in my confidence, digestion, lifestyle, health, and self-awareness.

We Need to Learn How to Digest

What first got my attention in John Douillard’s book, is his statement “…most Americans have lost their ability to burn fat as fuel. They burn sugar for energy…” instead.

Years before, I would never believed him. But a lot just can’t be believed until you get as sick, very sick or as sick as I was.  I tried to explain my illness when I wrote the article Are You Fermenting which included not having any lasting energy or oxygen. Searching for words writing that article made my reading John’s words very welcomed.

We Use Food as fuel

Both fat and sugar work in the body as fuel – but fat has more efficient and long-lasting energy compared to the quick energy fix and kick it gets from sugar.  Sugar is quickly depleted and leaves the body addicted, craving , exhausted, over-stimulated, bloated and fat for it stores unused sugar as fat. Your body needs sugar for energy but not as much as we eat.

The body keeps craving sugar and does not even begin to burn the accumulating fat.  Yes, too much sugar is stored in the body as fat not fat.

Burn Fat not Sugar

Basically the getting back to on the road to health is by adopting a healthier life-style and re-training our bodies to burn fat instead of sugar.  We can do so by changing our eating habits with the goal of avoiding spikes in blood sugar.

Our Low Fat Standard American Diet (SAD) consists of high sugar, low-fat, and processed foods. Our bodies have adapted by using only sugar for energy, when fat is our bodies natural and preferred energy source.

Blood Glucose Levels

Sugar is Quicker, Easier, and More Profitable 

Government has controlled food since the World Wars. But Government began to increase its control when it started subsidizing farmers In the 1980’s, with the attempt to eradicate hunger.  With the desire to increase production and profits, the local farmer was replaced by the Corporate Laboratory and factory farm.  The  individual was mechanized. The farmer was replaced by a machine and the natural nutrition of the food was synthesized and measured as RDA’s (Recommended Daily Allowances).

Back then, no one knew that wheat and corn would be so highly processed and stripped of any nutrition.  Making it worse than white table sugar. Resulting with what seems like everyone is sick.  There is a rapid increase in epidemic levels of blood sugar and an insatiable desire for sweets.  The Population moods and emotions are up and down.  One minute lacks  energy, and strength the next is easily agitated, high and unfocused.

The population  is addicted to sugar. If we want to regain our health —-

We have to return to burning Fat as a Source of Fuel.

To return to any form of a healthy life style  – the way the body was designed – is to  break the sugar cycle and to force the body to burn fat as a source of energy. The type of energy we are meant to burn.

Two Main Source of Fuel in the Body

The two main sources of energy for the body: are sugar and/or carbs and fat. The Governments Standard American Diet (SAD) is a high carb, Low Fat Diet.  Sugar is the recommended source of energy due to its ease of production and profitability.  Fat isn’t as easy to produce and therefore isn’t recommended for consumption.

Health isn’t considered to be part of this equation. Knowledge of Health and how the body works doesn’t seem to be of a great concern.  The body needs fats for fuel to return it to health, sugar keeps the body screaming for more sugar.

Lack of Energy

Energy levels soar and crashed incessantly, and low/high blood sugar complaints soar.  Extreme anxiety, mental and health instability, hypo/hyperglycemic, fatigue, and lack of energy, and pre and full diabetes rise to near epidemic levels.

Digestion

While reading John’s book, I realize that since I got started I have been trying to understand the human bodies ability to digest.

The human body by itself will produce the healing energy needed.  And it gets that energy from the food it can eat and digest. This is what helped me to regain my health and establish a healthy life style. — And Good Digestion —-

Digestion isn’t a easy topic to understand especially since the subject is so full of “Fake News”.  I have the opinion not many people understand it including me and most of the people who sell it. I’m learning by reading Dr.Douillard’s and re-reading his book.  I am learning something new with each pass.

I have previously written about my digestion and Candida Yeast in Vinegar, Digestion and Candida Yeast an Introduction, and Detoxing Naturally and Slowly. I have learned much since then and this is in addition to what I wrote back in 2015.

Understanding What Works For Me

I have followed many of his suggestion and am still trying to understand what works for me.  I may never know why but this road has never been crystal clear. So I can’t even attempt to recommend anything except to say — John has provided the following recipe has helped me a great deal.

I eat Kitchari often, somehow It reminds the line in the English musical based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – “Can I have more Sir?” The character Oliver Twist had a bowl of morning gruel which was often very water down but was to provided enough nutrition to last the day.  I often think I’m getting my morning gruel.

Note:

Gruel is a kind of cereal boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that can be drunken more often than eaten and may not need to be cooked. Historically, gruel has been a staple of the Western diet, especially for peasants. Gruel is often made from barley, hemp, oat, millet, rye, or wheat or, in hard times, from chestnut flour or even the less bitter acorns of some oaks

It’s the ancient Indian recipe called Kitchari.

Kitchari History

Kitchari is pronounced kich-ah-ree

It is an ancient Indian recipe and Ayurvedic Detox food and can be found on many normal daily dinner tables.

Chitchat is loved for many reasons. Also, see Dr John Douillard’s article What’s So Amazing About Kitchari?

Traditionally used in India for many things

• when you are sick
• when you are sad
• when you are cleansing (detoxing)
• when you feel under the weather
• when you can’t be bothered to cook
• when you come back from a long trip
• when you need to regain your strength
• It is used to nourish babies and elderly, the sick, and the healthy during detoxing, cleaning and or spiritual practice

This dish also helps you

• Facilitate spiritual growth
• Helps heal, rebuild and repair your digestion and immune system
• convert your digestion from burning sugar to burning fat
• Helps create usable retainable energy
• Helps with indigestion like gas and bloating

What is Kitchair?

What’s So Amazing About Kitchari?

Kitchair is a simple, porridge – a blend of beans and rice.  It is often referred to as India’s Comfort food or health food.  Note: India’s comfort food isn’t anything like what our Western’s idea.  Our Idea of comfort food is A bagel covered in cream cheese, Macaroni and Cheese, chocolate marshmallows or a huge pile of French Fries or mashed creamy potatoes.  Right!

Kitchair ingredients can easily be cooked ahead and frozen into small portions for a quick fix lunch or dinner.

Contrary to the Western’s concept, Kitchair health food has many nourishing and cleansing benefits and has used its magic with profound benefits for generations.

Kitchair Ingredients Explained

Kitchari is a simple recipe to use and enjoy but first lets understand the ingredients:

Kitchari consist of Split yellow mung beans (moong dal) and long grain white or basmati rice with a blend of traditional indian spices.  Another word in India for Moong dal is Lentil.

Ghee is normally added but not when first getting your digestion re-started.   It may take several months before you slowly add the saturated fat called Ghee butter to the recipe up to 1 or 2 Tablespoons.

The Addition of Fat 

Here fat isn’t as important as repairing the gut and stopping the intake of empty processed food, empty processed carbs, and sugar. You can slowly increase you intake of fats by seeing how your body reacts.  Any sign of indigestion slowly reduce the fat intake.

Why White Rice?

Now we all know or have been told for proper digestion, you need to increase your fiber.  But believe it or not, your digestive system may have been so damaged it cannot handle too much fiber if at all.

The best way to restart your digestion is to stop eating processed foods and start increasing food your system can digest.  Your digestive system response will be to slow down.   Once you stop feeding your digestion with sugar your digestion or metabolisms slows down and your digestive strength weakens.  So what food you do eat must be very easy to digest.

In my case I stop eating sugar and started eating raw Kale. It worked but I wish I had known of Kaichari back then for it tastes much better and is fun to eat.

I have been eating Kaichari for over a month or two and feel like a new person and that is after I had already declared myself well.  I now feel like I am healing at a deeper level and more complete almost like restoring my inner soul.

Over the past 5 years, I have gotten well on my own, but now my body is healing deep down inside. I’m sleeping better, dreaming better,  thinking on a different level and I am amazed at my inner courage and confidence.

Kitchari Ingredients

Long Grain White Rice Or Basmati Rice 

I never thought I would be eating and recommending eating white rice but that is before I learned about a special rice called long grain.  It is like other white rice where the husk has been milled off (de-husked) to make the rice easier to digest.  Brown Rice the husk is left on.

While brown rice actually supplies more nutrients, the husk make brown rice much harder to digest. Thus causing irritation to the intestinal wall resulting in bloating, digestive gas and or abdominal pain.

Traditionally long grain white rice was used over short grain rice because it is believed to be more nutritious.  Even without the husk, it was considered a more stable food than short grain rice.  It has also been found that long grain basmati  rice has a lower glycemic index than short grain.

Why Split Yellow Mung Beans?

According to Ayurveda, split yellow mung beans are the one type of beans or lentils that will not produce gas.

Mung Beans like the Long Grain Balsamic Rise is Traditionally in Ayurveda. The whole mung bean is split in half, causing the hard to digest green husks to naturally fall off.  The remaining yellow mung dahl bean remains.  This process makes the yellow dahl bean is easier to absorb, cook, and digest.

A Perfect Protein

The combination of rice and beans has been a traditional staple for many cultures around the world for 10,000 years, and for good reason. Our Ancestors knew the importance of digestion.  Rice and beans aren’t only easy to digest they are also a complete protein.

Kitchari

Kitchari Recipe

This recipe makes enough kitchari for 3 or 4 meals. You can play with the mixture of spices. Many people prefer this recipe when the spices are doubled, or even tripled.

Dr Douillard also sells a Kitchari Products

Organic Kitchari Packets and Organic Mung Dahl Beans

Ingredients:

•1 cup split yellow mung dahl beans*

•¼ – ½ cup long grain white or white basmati rice

•1 tbsp fresh ginger root (ground)

•1 tsp each: black mustard seeds, cumin, and turmeric powder

•½ tsp each: cardamom, coriander powder, fennel and fenugreek seeds

•3 cloves

•3 bay leaves

•7-10 cup water

•½ tsp salt (rock salt is best)

•1 small handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves

•Can add steamed vegetables or lean meat when not cleansing, or for extra blood sugar support during a cleanse

*Split yellow mung dahl beans are available at Asian or Indian grocery stores, or on our online store. Different spellings include mung or just dahl. Please note that you do not want the whole mung beans – which are green – or yellow split peas.

Also you can add or eliminate all or certain spices. I at least use what is called the 5 digestive spices which are Cardamom, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger root and Fennel.

Method:

1 Wash split yellow mung beans and rice together until water runs clear. For an extreme weak digestion, gas or bloating: Before starting to prepare the kitchari, first par-boil the split mung dahl (cover with water and bring to boil), drain, and rinse. Repeat 2-3 times. OR, soak beans overnight and then drain. Cook as directed.

2 In a pre-heated large pot, dry roast the ginger and all the spices (except the bay leaves) on medium heat for a few minutes. This dry-roasting will enhance the flavor. (Optional)

3 Add dahl and rice and stir, coating the rice and beans with the spices.

4 Add water and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

5 Boil for 10 minutes

6 Turn heat to low, cover pot and continue to cook until dahl and rice become soft (about 30-40 minutes). I use a crock pot and cook for several hours or until the rice and beans are almost mush.

7 The cilantro leaves can be added just before serving.

8 Add salt or favorite spice for taste.

Till Next Time