Kitchari, pronounced as kich-uh-ree and sometimes spelled khichadi or khichdi, is a popular Indian meal which has long been used as a traditional cleansing food.
If you don’t know what this food looks like, it is quite easy to explain! It simply is a combination of split mung beans and white basmati rice with plenty of yummy spices.
Amidst all of the healthy diet trends happening in today’s world, the benefits of kitchari will sweep you off your feet. It’s a simple, yet flavorful dish that is packed with health benefits that you may not know of. This post will be helpful in explaining them to you. So, read on.
1. Kitchari Removes Toxins from Your Body
Mung beans have a dry quality which naturally removes the toxic build-up from your intestine. The elimination of toxins with the help of these beans is way gentler as compared to trying to achieve the same objective via raw vegetables.
Mung Beans
The split mung beans provide enough fiber to help move these toxins through the G.I tract and ultimately out of the body. This is why kitchari is so popularly used for cleansing the body from harmful toxins.
2. Healing the Gut
The benefits of Kitchari are vast, which is why it’s a common staple diet for many Indians. Not only because it is easy to digest, but also because it heals and soothes the intestinal walls.
This might surprise you but 95% of the body’s serotin is produced in the gut, irritating the intestinal walls and adversely affecting your healthy digestive system. However, khitchari can effectively detoxify the gut by coping with the stress hormones that are heavily accumulated in it.
Thus, eating kitchari as a regular meal can actually de-stress you! People who have anxiety or stress issues can greatly benefit from kitchari.
3. A Rich Source of Protein
The combination of rice and beans, as found in kitchari, provides us with “complete protein” which most of the protein-rich foods lack.
As we all know protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, skin, and blood. So, kitchari as a staple diet will help you maintain a healthy and strong body. It will also increase your lifespan by maintaining your sugar level and protecting your heart’s health.
4. Helps You Stay Active
Kitchari is quite a fulfilling meal that fuels you up enough to perform your day-to-day responsibilities.
An even better thing is that kitchari is super easy to cook, taking 30 to 45 minutes to prepare. You can have it at any time of the day but it is ideal to consume it for breakfast or lunch and stay energetic throughout the day.
5. Improves your metabolism
Kitchari is made with plenty of healthy spices that can nourish you and balance your agni (metabolism). Having a good metabolism means a better digestive system. Also, having an improved metabolism means that you can easily assimilate and absorb all the healthy nutrients present in your food.
Although kitchari is mainly used for cleansing, it is incredibly tasty, so try to make this delicious dish at least once a week.
