What Can I Eat?

​

Eating clean, whole foods, maintaining healthy habits, and staying well hydrated are all essential to your mental, physical, and emotional readiness as you prepare for ceremony. Taking time to understand the dieta associated with Ayahuasca will meaningfully deepen your experience.

​

In the weeks leading up to ceremony, avoid red meat, pork, shellfish, dairy, and processed, sugary, or fried foods. In their place, focus on a wide range of vegetables, leafy greens, lean proteins, nuts, grains, fruits, and seeds, adjusted to fit your own dietary needs and preferences.

 

This is also a good time to begin clearing your system of toxins and unnecessary substances: alcohol, recreational drugs, cigarettes, caffeine, herbal remedies, chemical products, and processed or fast food. Please review your facilitator's full guidelines as well, since certain supplements and herbs, including Chinese herbal remedies, may also need to be discontinued. If you're ever unsure whether something applies to you, ask.

​

Please review our Medical Guidelines carefully for specific information on medications and supplements that may interact with Ayahuasca. This is especially important if you are currently taking any prescription medication or supplements. It is our policy that all participants be free of pharmaceutical intervention for 30 days prior to their scheduled ceremony. If you need to stop taking a medication, please consult your doctor first.

​

PREPARING FOR CEREMONY: A TIMELINE

The Ayahuasca served in ceremony is a concentrated, sacred plant brew. In order for it to work within you to its fullest capacity, your body and system need time to prepare. The guidelines below represent a minimum, the more fully you're able to prepare, the more your ceremony can offer you.

​

Two Weeks Before Ceremony

Avoid all recreational drugs, including marijuana and alcohol. Begin tapering caffeine intake if you're a regular consumer, so your body isn't managing withdrawal on top of ceremony. If you take any prescription medications, this is also the point to be reviewing your medication timeline with us. Many medications require a longer, medically supervised taper, please see our Contraindications page and talk to us directly rather than adjusting anything on your own.

​

One Week Before Ceremony

Fully commit to the dieta. Shift toward simple, whole, plant based meals: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains like rice or quinoa, and legumes. Begin minimizing salt, sugar, and oil in your cooking. This is also a good time to start winding down stimulating media, alcohol substitutes, and any remaining caffeine.

​

72 Hours (or more) Before Ceremony, Avoid:

• Fried or oily foods

• Sexual contact

• Spicy foods

• Fermented foods (including soy sauce, miso, tempeh, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha)

• Caffeine

• Non-fresh (canned or packaged) meat or fish

• Avocados

• Liquid or powdered protein supplements

• Brewer's yeast or yeast-based supplements

• Dairy products, especially aged cheese

• Overripe fruit

• Processed sweets and refined sugar

• Excess table salt

• Pork and red meat

• Garlic and onions

• Chocolate and cacao

• Citrus fruits in large quantities

• MSG and heavily processed or packaged foods

​

Day of Ceremony

Eat light and eat early. Do not eat after 2pm. Come hydrated, but not overly full.

​

Medications and Supplements

Please do not start, stop, or adjust any medication or supplement on your own in preparation for ceremony. Some medications, particularly SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, lithium, and certain other prescriptions, require a supervised taper of several weeks and cannot simply be paused the week of retreat. Review our Contraindications page in full, and bring your complete medication and supplement list to your intake so we can plan your timeline together. If you are on a medication not listed there, reach out to us directly well before your two week mark, not the week of.

​

Beyond Diet: Preparing Your Whole Self

This period is also a meaningful opportunity to release anything else in your life that feels out of alignment with your highest truth. Consider limiting media, news, violent films, toxic relationships, and repetitive or limiting thought patterns. In their place, you might explore practices that support and deepen your preparation: yoga, meditation, music or singing, warm baths with essential oils or plant essences, spiritual reading, journaling your thoughts, emotions, or dreams, and conscious, non-violent communication.

 

The more intention you bring to this process, the fuller your experience can be. Mother Ayahuasca is said to meet you in proportion to the care you bring, and to reward the effort of genuine preparation.

​

Sleep, Exercise, and the Body

​

Sleep: In the days leading up to ceremony, prioritize restful, consistent sleep. Turn off electronics at least two hours before bed, avoid foods that disrupt sleep, and skip sleep medications. A short meditation or breathwork practice before bed can help calm the mind and prepare it for rest.

​

Movement: Light cardio, stretching, moderate strength training, or qi gong in the days before ceremony can help build the endurance and steadiness needed for the intensity and duration of the experience. Swimming, dancing, hiking, and brisk walking are all excellent options.

​

Body awareness: Begin paying closer attention to your body and what it communicates to you. During ceremony, everything is magnified, so it helps to already be in practice of listening.

​

Rest: Entering ceremony well rested and relaxed allows for a lighter, deeper, and more enjoyable experience. Openness and acceptance soften and deepen your connection to Mother Ayahuasca, while resistance tends to inhibit the flow of communication. Come as open as you're able.

​