What the Ayahuasca Dieta is and how to follow it~

A Google search about ayahuasca will yield countless results – many of which are articles and posts about how to prepare for an ayahuasca ceremony or an ayahuasca retreat. As part of that preparation, many recommend to follow the dieta. When it comes to following the dieta, opinions vary from strict requirements to recommendations. Some suggest to follow the dieta guidelines for several weeks and some for only a couple days prior to your first ceremony. The opinions sometimes even stand in opposition. For example, some maintain that the dieta is an outdated practice, while some see it as a western novelty.

 

So, what is the ayahuasca dieta?

It refers both to the dietary and the behavioral regimen one should undertake if one wishes to take the work seriously and move into healing with the plant teacher safely and effectively.

At Nimea Kaya, we take the healing and safety of our guests with utmost importance. In order to maximize healing and avoid negative consequences, we believe it is best that the dieta is followed as much as possible prior to your retreat. The same dieta guidelines will apply to your post-retreat experience. Working with ayahuasca can bring about profound transformation, and we believe the dieta is an integral part of this process.

Note: This is not an article about a master plant dieta. Dieting a master teach plant has a different set of dietary and behavioral restrictions.  The shamans guiding a master plant dieta will give the exact regimen to follow depending on the plant being dieted. Dietas like this may last for months and are usually done in the environment where the plant is native (e.g. the Amazon). This is different to the dieta in preparation for an ayahuasca retreat.

 

How does the ayahuasca dieta look like?
While different shamanic lineages and retreat centers’ recommendations vary, it is advised that you start eliminating certain foods, medications, and behaviors 2-4 weeks before your ayahuasca ceremony or a retreat.

The guidelines outlined below are in place for your ultimate well-being, and so that you can get the most out of your experience with the medicine.

 

Medical considerations
Ayahuasca is not recommended for people with psychosis and bipolar disorders. Sometimes ayahuasca may trigger a psychosis in a person who is not apparently psychotic prior to taking it.  It is vital to be honest and transparent about your conditions and your medical history when signing up for a ceremony or a retreat.

Ayahuasca may be contraindicated in people with heart problems or high blood pressure or that are taking anti-depressant medications.

Recreational drugs of all kinds are discouraged by all traditions. Marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA, LSD, and hallucinogens are not recommended in combination with ayahuasca.

In general, drugs that raise blood pressure, serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, psychiatric medications, asthma medications, and antihistamines are often listed as contraindicated.

 

The dieta – Eliminate the following two to four weeks before and after:

• Pork
• Red meat
• Alcohol
• Marijuana
• Spicy foods
• Refined sugars
• Junk foods and processed foods
• Salt (healthy salt like pink Himalayan salt is fine to use in small amounts)
• Oils (Virgin olive oil, coconut oil, hemp oil and avocado are ok to keep in the diet)
• Animal fats (lard, etc.)
• Carbonated drinks (including diet sodas, energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer)
• Dairy products
• Fermented foods
• Coffee
• Sexual activities of any kind, including masturbation
• All street drugs (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, etc need to be fully eliminated at least 4 weeks before and after.)
• Many pharmaceutical medications conflict with Ayahuasca – Please check with your Ayahuasca provider to know what may need to be eliminated and how to best safely come off the medications.

 

 

 

As it can be difficult for some to change up their diet and know what to eat during the preparation for Ayahuasca, we have curated an Ayahuasca Diet Recipe Book that includes 25 Ayahuasca friendly recipes. These recipes follow the guidelines of the Ayahuasca diet while still being packed with nutrition, allowing ayahuasca retreat participants to have more energy while working with the Medicine.

 

 

 

Other Considerations:
We strongly advise to practice breathing exercises, yoga and/or meditation, as they are very compatible with the medicine work and highly supportive in the healing process. Engage in enriching, centering, and balancing activities.

We recommend writing in a journal and starting a dialog directly with spirit of Ayahuasca about your intentions for ceremony and how you would like to see your life change after the retreat. Take some time in meditation to deeply FEEL what it is like to completely trust Ayahuasca, to completely surrender to her and know that she is taking you exactly where you need to go to receive the healing and growth you are ready for. Focus on your breathing during these meditations while opening your heart space. Feel the love Ayahuasca truly has for you.

Avoid mainstream media, negative-feeling movies and books, people/topics that trigger you, and social media as much as you can.

It is also recommended to avoid synthetic soaps, perfumes, toiletries, fluoride toothpaste etc.

And please don’t feel like all is doomed if you slip up, just do your best.

 

 

Why follow the dieta?

Ayahuasca is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor
At Nimea Kaya and many other ayahuasca retreat centres, the ayahuasca tea is made by brewing the ayahuasca vine and the chacruna leaves. The chacruna leaves contain the entheogenic DMT molecule (N-Dimethyltryptamine), and the MAOI in the ayahuasca vine inhibits the body from instantly metabolizing the DMT. This is what enables the visionary experience in the ayahuasca journey

The two plants create a magical healing Medicine!

MAOIs can also inhibit metabolizing other substances, particularly Tyramine and Tyrosine. This can build up in the body for up to three days and has the potential to create a dangerous reaction (heart palpitations, headaches, changes in blood pressure) during ayahuasca ceremonies. So, it is best to avoid foods, supplements, and other substances which contain significant amounts of L-Tyrosine and Tyramine, especially during the final 3-5 days before your ceremony.

Foods that contain high amounts of Tyramine include non-alcoholic beers, dairy products, some dietary protein supplements, turkey, any fish that has been smoked, pickled, fermented, shrimp paste, fermented tofu, tempeh, miso, natto, sauerkraut/kimchi, ginseng, bouillon cubes, brewers yeast, yeast extracts, (soups that contain miso (fermented soy) or any type of meat extract (bouillon).

There are many anecdotal reports that show how the failure to follow the MAOI-restricted safety diet increases the chances of experiencing panic attacks during an ayahuasca ceremony.

 

Ayahusaca is not a ‘typical’ medicine
People often say how ayahuasca knows if you haven’t put in the work. Since it is not a typical medicine, the healing path with ayahuasca benefits greatly from preparation (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual).

The discipline that the dieta requires shows that we are ready to do the work with the medicine and that we are willing to heal. It shows respect and dedication.

When we decide to stay committed to the dieta, it sends a message out to the Universe/Ayahuasca/Spirits or even simply ourselves that we aren’t in this just for ‘the experience’ or for ‘fun’. That we aren’t trying get some sort of insight and value without also offering something in return. Working with ayahuasca is a relationship. After all, isn’t it presumptive to expect deep healing and massive expansion of consciousness without putting in the work ourselves?

 

Many of our distractions are eliminated
Many times, when we face difficult and challenging emotions, we turn to behaviors or substances that provide us solace and distraction. Some of these are: coffee, sugary or salty food and snacks, oily foods, sex and masturbation, drinking, binge watching TV, and more.

The dieta encourages reducing or eliminating these pre, during, and post retreat/ceremony. This forces us to face our actual feelings and own our discomfort – rather than avoiding it or numbing ourselves. This in itself helps pave the way for working with the medicine so that deeper healing can occur. Not succumbing to instant gratification for a while also helps us come back to our sovereign power as human beings. We stop being slaves to our desires.

 

We get cleared
Ayahuasca is sometimes also called La Purga (the purge). The purge can be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual – or all of the above. While many of us in the West view vomiting, for example, in a negative light – many cultures see purgatory practices and substances as an integral part of maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

Ayahusca helps clear us on multiple levels. However, the medicine will reach your spiritual Self more easily if the body is cleared already.

This is the case with food, but also with things like sex and masturbation. Sexual energy is a very powerful energy. It can deplete you and is also an exchange of energies (in case of sex with another person). By abstaining, your energy is more clear and you have more of it to go towards the medicine work.

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At a first glance, the dieta can seem daunting, confusing, or too restricting. In these moments, it’s important to remember what you’re doing it for.

The dieta creates the space for our healing. It creates clarity, focus, and builds internal strength to do the inner work. It’s not there ‘just because’ – it can be harnessed for massive transformations of our body, mind and spirit.

What we give up is a sign of the respect to the plant spirit and an acknowledgement of our respect for the process.

If we are equipped with a strong intention and clear motivations, it becomes easier to follow the dieta, and in that way achieve full integrity, personal empowerment, and spiritual freedom.

 

Learn More Here About our 9-Day Transformational Ayahuasca Retreats
We offer transformational 9-day Ayahuasca Retreats in Pucallpa, Peru. Our ceremonies our led by traditional indigenous Shipibo shamans along with experienced and compassionate facilitators in a grounded space for healing and growth. We take care of everything for you so you can focus fully on yourself and go deeper with your journey with Ayahuasca.

Reach out to us at nimeakaya@startmail.com with any questions you have about the retreat process.

Written by Ilma Ibrisevic