For centuries, indigenous communities have held Ayahuasca in high regard as traditional Amazonian medicine. They discovered that purifying the body before the sacred ceremony leads to a clearer state of mind and a more profound spiritual experience, which is why they established the Ayahuasca Diet.
The Ayahuasca Diet plays a vital role in preparing for the journey, involving a rigorous process of mental, physical, and spiritual cleansing before connecting with the plant spirit. To fully harness the potential of Ayahuasca for physical healing and spiritual transformation, it is essential to avoid substances or activities that could cloud the mind. Additionally, setting a clear intention is crucial to mentally align oneself toward deep healing.
In the weeks leading up to the Ayahuasca experience, optimizing personal growth requires preparing the body. This preparation involves eliminating certain foods from the diet to minimize the need for purging and effectively remove toxins. Adhering to a strict diet before and during the retreat shows a strong dedication to the healing process, even though giving up favorite foods may be difficult. This commitment creates the strong foundation required for the all-encompassing healing of the body, mind, and soul.
Key Takeaways
- The Ayahuasca Dieta is focused on consuming clean, nutrient-dense foods that will prepare you for an Ayahuasca ceremony.
- Avoid red meat, spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, dairy, excess sugar and salt, highly aromatic foods, and tyramine-rich foods
- Eat natural and organic foods like vegetables, legumes, grains, and fresh fruits.
- Stay away from social media, recreational drugs, and sexual activity.
- The Ayahuasca dieta establishes a stronger connection with the sacred plant and fosters a more profound journey.
What is an Ayahuasca Dieta?
The Ayahuasca diet’s core concept revolves around consuming clean, nutrient-dense foods that are unprocessed. This dietary restriction should be maintained for at least three days leading up to the ceremony, but ideally, it is recommended to follow it for up to two weeks. The Western diet often revolves around excessive consumption of red meat and sugary drinks, which highlights the need for the ayahuasca dieta to step in and facilitate cleansing and detoxification.
Foods to Avoid
The whole idea behind a diet is to limit certain types of food to achieve the desired result. For instance, in the keto diet, you are eliminating carbs to burn fat more effectively. On the other hand, the Ayahuasca dieta follows a similar principle but with a different purpose. The primary objective of this detoxification is to enhance the effectiveness and profundity of your ayahuasca journey. Here are some of the foods that you should steer clear of:
- Red meat (Pork, Sheep, Tuna, Eel)
- Spicy foods
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Dairy
- Excess sugar and salt
- Highly aromatic foods (Garlic, Onion)
- Overripe fruits
- Food that is rich in tyramine
What are Tyramine Rich Foods?
When you consume tyramine, your adrenal glands respond by releasing catecholamines, which are chemicals that serve as both hormones and neurotransmitters. These catecholamines, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, provide a boost of energy and can elevate your blood pressure and heart rate.
The reason for avoiding tyramine-rich foods and beverages is due to the presence of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in the ayahuasca brew. MAOIs prevent the breakdown of the amino acid tyramine. Consuming these types of foods alongside the ayahuasca brew can be challenging for the body to digest and may lead to headaches, elevated blood pressure, or increased nausea. Here is an example of tyramine-rich foods that you should avoid:
- Fermented foods (Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, etc.)
- Aged cheeses (Cheddar, Feta, Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola, etc.)
- Tofu
- Soy Sauce
- Yeast
Foods to Include
The most straightforward Ayahuasca diet involves consuming light vegetarian meals with moderate to low levels of salt, sugar, and fat for three days before and after the ceremony. On the day of the ceremony itself, it is advisable to stick to raw food.
Here are the recommended foods for the Ayahuasca diet:
- Vegetables, both fresh and cooked
- Legumes such as peas and beans
- Grains like rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, or other whole grains
- Fresh fruits and juices
- Olive oil (avoid frying)
- Fresh eggs (avoid them on the day of the ceremony)
By following this simple, yet nourishing diet, you can prepare your body and mind for the profound Ayahuasca experience, allowing you to fully embrace the transformative journey that lies ahead.
What to Eat On the Day of the Ayahuasca Ceremony?
The recommended dieta for the day of the ceremony consists of a simple vegetarian breakfast and a light vegetarian lunch, with options for a vegan diet or fasting if required by the participant. Avoid spicy foods, caffeine, eggs, dairy, and heavy sweets, and drink only water or herbal teas. Refrain from eating at least five hours before the session starts, if you don’t feel nauseous or dizzy, you can consume a tiny amount of fruits at the end of the ceremony.
Eliminating certain foods from your diet a week before the ceremony can help you take on the last day of the diet more easily. Try to completely exclude foods like butter, dairy, high-gluten products, and sugary carbs. If you are uncertain about what exactly to eat, most practitioners will give you a universal recommendation to consume raw fruits, vegetables, herbal tea, and water, which can help reduce the heaviness of purging during the ceremony.
What’s Purging During the Ceremony?
The ayahuasca purge is a process aimed at purifying the body by releasing energy, emotions, and trauma through physical actions. Various forms of purging may occur during an ayahuasca experience, and each person may encounter it differently. Some common types of purging on ayahuasca include vomiting, defecating, crying, yawning, shaking, and laughing. Although these actions may not sound appealing, the ayahuasca purge goes beyond the physical aspect. It is about the accompanying release, which can actually feel liberating and cathartic.
If you are wondering what’s the catch with the dieta and the purge, there is none. The whole point of the dieta is to make you prepared and ease the effects of the purge. Ayahuasca dieta will also make you more mentally prepared for what is about to happen. Ayahuasca gathers negatively charged energy and expels it through the purge, leaving you feeling lighter, cleaner, and freer.
Spiritual Aspect of The Dieta
In the spiritual context of the Ayahuasca dieta, you should stay away from all the activities that release significant amounts of dopamine such as scrolling on social media, playing video games, doing recreational drugs, and having sex. This practice will preserve your vital energy and cultivate a deeper internal connection. Abstinence of these “life pleasures” is seen as a means of honoring the sacredness of the Ayahuasca ceremony. It allows participants to approach plant medicine with a pure and open heart, free from the distractions of physical desires.
It’s also important to stay clear of any negative emotions that might come during this spiritual fast. You must find a way to cope with these emotions and not let them affect you in any shape or form. The spiritual dieta seeks to anchor participants in the here and now, gaining significantly more understanding of what is yet to come and how could it be reflected in their everyday life.
The Importance of Ayahuasc Dieta
The dieta’s purpose is rooted in the belief that approaching an ayahuasca experience with a purified body and mind establishes a stronger connection with the sacred plant and its effects. By ridding your system of toxins and distractions, you create a clean slate for the medicine to work on, fostering deeper insights and a more profound journey. Ignoring the dieta, on the other hand, may lead to added resistance in the form of mental and physical purging, obstructing the medicine’s clear path to your consciousness.
The Ayahuasca dieta holds importance for the ceremony that lies beyond the physical aspects. The body acts as a vessel for plant medicine, and preparing it is necessary in order to enhance the profundity of the Ayahuasca experience. Therefore, this kind of diet is considered a sacred practice that dips its fingers into the spiritual realm.
Beyond the dietary choices, you need to understand that the Ayahuasca dieta involves nurturing positive thoughts and emotions as well. It calls for abstaining from anger, doubt, and negative thinking about the diet or the process itself. This mindful approach is a continuous practice that extends throughout each day, even during sleep. For those seeking the most profound Ayahuasca experience, the integration of both the physical and spiritual aspects of the diet is essential to achieve the most favorable and meaningful outcomes.