40 days and 40 nights — Day 1, evening

I had my first bowl of kitchari at 11:30 this morning. So delicious. This is still the test batch I made yesterday in Grace’s kitchen. I wondered if the spices would grow and develop overnight because it was remarkably tasteless for something with turmeric, cumin, red pepper, and black pepper. I’m not a big fan of ultra-spicey hot food so I think I may have used too light a touch. It WAS more flavorful today. I added fresh ginger (which I didn’t have yesterday) and a dash of cardamom. Definitely enhanced the flavor.

I experienced hunger several times, pushing against it as much as I could before going for another bowl. It’s now 8:11p.m. I’m feeling hungry again and drinking water and tea just doesn’t seem to touch the hunger. I’ll be going to the airport to pick up my daughter at 10:45 rather than going to sleep early, which seems like what I ought to be doing on the first day of a cleanse. Life unrelenting.

But so far, it’s been a good day. Though my back is still painfully “out,” my digestion does actually feel easier and my mind feels strangely sharp, I’ve been icing the back and gently stretching. I’m pretty sure aspirin is not a typical part of a kitchari fast but it seemed what was called for today. Tomorrow, I’ll see my acupuncturist at 9am. I wonder what my pulses will feel like after a day of kitchari! More tomorrow.