I have spent all my adult life studying the body, how to heal it, and how to nourish it in a way that brings the greatest state of balance back to its cells and biology. I have tried so many different styles of cleansing- water fasts, juice fasts, candida cleanses, liver and gallbladder flushes, parasite cleanses, and even the yogic cleanse known as shankhaprakshalana. They have all played their parts and I still very much so believe in their power to help heal the body under specific needs and circumstances. However, coming into relation with the integral rice diet has been the most profound and healing diet I have ever worked with.
In February of 2024 my partner and I went to Mexico to sit with, who are now, our teachers. We went to work with ancestral medicines and continue our work with the plant and animal teachers. It was my partners birthday, and he wanted to sit with Bufo for his first time, so that is what we did. Little did I know that I would also be gifted with the most transformational diet and information I have come across.
When we arrived in Mexico we ate with our teachers during each meal. They always had something prepared for us to eat and then they were always eating rice. In the morning they would have rice cereal and then in the afternoon and evenings they would be eating rice with seaweed, sesame seeds and pink himalayan salt, tamari, and black sesame seed oil. Over the course of the week spent with them I observed this and began to ask questions about it. They shared how this diet has all the essential nutrients you would need and is very balanced and healing for the body.
During my experiences with the ancestral medicines, I had much come up for me in regard to my body and mind. I had a challenging time recognizing the disturbances of my mind and therefore it was making it difficult for me to surrender to the medicines. I experienced much frustration, anxieties, and irritations happening in my emotional body in relation to my mental state.
So, during a dinner one evening this was brought up. We always had long talks filled with many opportunities to share our experiences during each of our meals and after our ceremonies. I began to ask questions about the mind as well as the integral rice diet. I was told that the mind and body are interconnected. That what is happening with the blood will directly affect the state of the mind. So, if I wanted a calmer mind that it was important that I cleanse my blood and restore the PH balance within my body. To do this I could do the integral rice diet and eat whole grain red rice. Red rice being the best whole grain rice for the blood. We were then shown and provided information on how to properly prepare the rice with everything that it would need in order to create a balanced meal that would also heal and clean the body.
So, when my partner and I returned home we decided that we would practice the integral rice diet together first starting with 10 days each month and building up to 15 days as it grew closer to August. The reason being because I was also told by my teacher that the integral rice diet would be the best and most effective diet for my kambo retreats- 5 days rice before the retreat, 5 days rice during the retreat alongside the kambo sessions, and 5 days after the retreats for proper integration of the kambo cleanse and experience. Those retreats were to take place end of August and I was now planning to bring this diet into the retreat container as well as be practicing it myself for 20+ days of the retreat experience with the other attendees. However, I knew I needed to practice it very thoroughly first myself to understand it the best I could before I offered it to others and was guiding them through it as well.
So, I dedicated myself to this once-a-month regimen over the course of this year to experience it as fully as I could and learn from it so I could be ready to guide it when the time came in August. Little did I know how absolutely transformational it was going to be on my entire body and lifestyle.
So, what is the integral rice diet?
It is made up of these ingredients:
1. Whole Grain Rice- Now, it does need to be whole grain so brown, red, purple, wild, black rice are great examples. The rice also needs to be non-gmo (not genetically modified) so it is in it's most natural and nutritious form.
2. Tamari- Yes, it does need to be tamari; not liquid or coconut amino, soy sauce, or the like. It should be tamari. This was something I did clarify and it is because of the specific fermentation process tamari goes through. Fermented soy is much better for the body and much easier to digest. I opt for gluten free quality tamari that is lower sodium as a personal preference.
3. Black Sesame Seed Oil- Read your labels with this one! Especially if you are getting it at an Asian market. I learned the hard way and accidentally got sesame seed oil that also had filler oils in it that weren't good for the body. It should be 100% pure black sesame seed oil. If this is not an option for you then you can opt for toasted sesame, avocado, olive, or coconut oil but you do need some form of healthy oil to include for a healthy fat source.
4. Gomasio- This is an essential piece to the diet. Gomasio is made up of 12 parts sesame seeds to 1 part pink Himalayan salt. You can buy Gomasio already pre-made, or you can make it yourself. I personally just make it myself as it is very easy to make. This mix balances the PH in the body. So if you have a high acidity happening in your body then this will help to restore a healthy state of alkalinity. If you are especially acidic in the body, then you should change your Gomasio ration to 7 parts sesame seeds and 1 part pink Himalayan salt.
5. Nori Seaweed and Wakame seaweed- I understand that some people don't like the taste of seaweed, however, this is an essential part of the diet. You need to be including the seaweed whether it be nori or wakame or both. The seaweed has essential nutrients and phytonutrients in it that the body needs and relies on.
6. Giving Greens and Magnesium Citrate- This combination is for you water. You add these to your water which provide the body with further nutrients as well as helps to balance the PH levels of the water so that when you intake it it can further support the proper alkalinity of your body. The Giving Greens is a green powdered mix that also contains a variety of different enzymes in it which help the proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients. This particular powder is made by a company called partner.co and it is VERY good quality and very effective. If this is something you need, please reach out to me and I can order you some as you need an account in order to get it. The magnesium citrate I get online, and I have been doing PUREs and Davinci Laboratories Magnesium Citrates and thoroughly enjoying them. They are good quality and easily digested by the body.
7. Proper CHEWING- I include this as an ingredient because, truly, that is what it is in order to experience this diet and cleanse properly. When practicing the rice diet, it is important to chew each mouthful 50-100 times. A huge and important part of proper digestion happens in the mouth when we are chewing. The saliva has important enzymes in it which allows for proper digestion and nutrient absorption for the body. We should be chewing until the food is pure liquid in the mouth and then swallowing. This does take some practice because it is something most are not taught in our fast-paced Western culture. However, I have come to learn that a big reason so many digestive issues occur is because proper chewing is not taking place. If you do not chew it properly then you may experience further discomforts while you are cleansing. Whenever something would come up in my system or in other people's systems that I was guiding through this cleanse my teacher would always highlight, "Are you chewing enough? You must make sure to chew the food thoroughly."
What the integral rice diet has done for my health, body, and lifestyle:
So, while I went into the rice diet with the intention to integrate my experiences with ancestral medicines in Mexico, explore the diet so I could understand it for the upcoming Kambo retreats in August, and utilize it as a tool to help purify my blood to help clean and calm down my mind; I had no idea just how impactful it would be on my health as a whole. This diet truly gave me a new experience of my body and life. It allowed me to begin embodying higher levels of health and energy than I ever had before. It showed me a way towards something I had been searching for my entire adult life- how to feel good in my system and body.
There are parts I have left out for a purpose in expressing this all to you as I do plan to come back to these topics in more fullness in later blog entries. However, I will briefly bring them up here as well but for context, know that it goes so much deeper than this.
In between the months of March and September I have lost 25 pounds which was a pleasant shock to me. I was not anticipating losing weight necessarily, but it has been very freeing to have done so. I did not realize how weighed down and heavy I had been feeling. Alas, the weight did fall off of me and as it did, I felt rejuvenated and alive. I could feel my cells becoming more nourished. I have a revitalized sense of confidence that I had been missing. It has given me my oomph and motivation back towards creating an even more harmonious and healthy lifestyle for myself. To finally experience a reality in my body that I never have before has been incredibly inspiring and uplifting.
With that, my digestive system is better than it ever has been! This too has been a pleasant surprise as I have dealt with so many disruptions in my digestion for so many years- dealing with constipation issues and food sensitivities. For so many years I stayed away from breads and dairy because of the way they would inflame my system and lead to so much discomfort. I was prone to getting bloated over just about anything and constantly eliminating foods because I felt my body was not liking them and digesting them well. However, along with the integral rice diet I also was taught bioenergetic nutrition from my teachers and so this was something I also was practicing in between integral rice dieting every month. To put it simply for now, it is basically a combination of proper food combining (Ayur-Veda), eating with the seasons, eating certain foods during different portions of the day, and eating a whole food diet that consisted of little to no processed foods. With that said, I mostly have focused on proper food combining and eating whole foods. This has been a game changer for my digestive system and opened up an entire world of food possibilities. To be able to eat bread again has been INCREDIBLE. I can't even put into words how exciting that has been for me actually. And that was just a small portion of what has been made possible now that my digestive system and eating habits have evolved.
I also have experienced a balance in my hormonal system and big changes in my hormonal cycles that have been very positive and exciting for me. Some of the work I was doing in Mexico was on healing my womb (I will talk more on this later) but to experience such vast shifts in my cycle in a positive way has been more than words can say. Especially after experiencing so much suffering and challenge with my hormonal cycles for so many years. I tried EVERYTHING to heal my womb, and the rice diet has been a remarkable piece in helping to finally do just that.
I, of course, also have experienced some vast shifts in my mind. I have been on a journey this year of really discovering how much disruption my mind has been in. To finally have so much of that chatter dissolved and a sense of peace and harmony in my mind unlike ever before has been life changing. It now makes sense to me how the state of the body and blood would cause issues in the mind. However, this was never something I had considered before. However, now being on the other side of it and seeing how a healthy and balanced body impacts the health of the mind has been revolutionizing for me in my life as well as my work with others in Kambo and natural medicine realms.
My partner has also experienced vast shifts in his body and lifestyle. He lost 30 pounds and we both eat much more consciously and are overall incredibly healthier people. We have both noticed how we do not late-night snack anymore. Overall, snacking is minimal. We prioritize eating nutritious meals 2-3 times a day and I also prioritize breakfast now which was something I was not doing for many years before. Our bodies seem to crave different foods now and I even started eating fish which has been shocking to say the least after being vegetarian for 13 years. However, my body now craves fish and eggs as well as enjoys high quality dairy products such as goat milk and raw milk options.
Overall, the integral rice diet has been a gateway into changing our lifestyle. I am much more active and dedicated to my health and practices than I ever have been. I am currently even doing a 120-day kambo microdosing and kundalini yoga kriya sadhana practice! Which if you would have asked me to do that a year ago I probably wouldn't have had the drive or energy to consider it. I am also practicing 20 days of integral rice dieting as I write this- my partner too. We are on day 6 now and feeling absolutely incredible! I am also going to the gym every other day and focusing on strengthening my body. Something I have been doing on and off for a while, however, with newfound determination and energy in my body I am finding it easier to enjoy these practices of working on myself and body.
Interestingly enough, I have found that after a certain period of time not being on integral rice diet my body actually begins to ask for it and crave the experience. I have found this super fascinating because in other cleanses and diets I have found that I tend to feel much resistance towards doing them again afterwards. However, the integral rice diet has been so fulfilling and satiating that I find it quite enjoyable to practice most of the time and enjoy being able to thrive in a clear head space and a burst of creative energy and inspiration.
Detoxing on the Integral Rice Diet
The first 10 days of starting the integral rice diet for those who have never done it before will usually be the most challenging part. This is because of the cleansing that begins to take effect. Practicing the integral rice diet is similar to fasting in a lot of ways. When practicing it your body will begin to clean itself like it would during a fast. This can lead to detox symptoms that may feel uncomfortable such as- fatigue, irritability, skin changes even rashes/hives, acne breakouts, stomach discomforts, extra bowel movements (or a halt in them- if experiencing this hydrate more and chew much more thoroughly), canker sores, etc.
Basically, whatever is happening inside of the body that has been causing disruption and imbalance will begin to clean out and you can begin to experience what is known as a healing crisis. This is temporary and does pass. The important part is keeping the elimination channels open by supporting continued bowel movements and even promoting sweating. Whatever is being cleaned needs to flush out of the elimination channels and the more open those channels are and are flowing the easier the cleansing will be. If I need extra support in keeping the channels flowing, I will usually include an organic coffee enema and/or sauna/steam. I also find that it is super important to still move the body daily- walk, run, do yoga, stretch, dance, etc. This will keep the lymph moving so that the garbage disposals of the body (your lymph system) can properly keep flowing to help eliminate toxins from the system. Another thing that can be super helpful is any kind of breathwork. Your breath also has an ability to move things from your system and body... so including a kundalini yoga practice, pranayama practice, or any other form of breathwork can be really helpful in moving through the cleansing period.
Once the body has cleaned itself on the integral rice diet then the diet becomes a bit easier. It doesn't feel so challenging I tend to find that it has become quite enjoyable because I have been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor- having moved through the cleansing periods. After the body has cleansed you can feel quite light and energized and inspired. I feel it has supported more creative energy and more mental focus and clarity. Therefore, I recognize a stronger need and desire to express myself, do art, be in my yoga practices, and overall explore the joys of being alive in vibrancy.
Kambo and Integral Rice Diet
What a success and opportunity it has been to find these 2 practices together! I don't know if I will ever want to do kambo without including the integral rice diet again, unless specific circumstances prevented it. The depth and healing that takes place with these 2 paired truly has blown my mind. It has been extremely exciting to witness such powerful healing take place for all those that came to the August and September Kambo retreats.
I discovered that 5 days before the retreat on rice was the time period of the body expressing itself through detoxification. I was able to see more specifically what was going on for each individual inside of their bodies and minds. We did this by check-in in with each participant and getting updates on their health and wellbeing throughout. Receiving updates on detox symptoms. These 5 days allowed toxins and imbalances to push themselves to the surface.
When we came together for the next 5 days the kambo sessions were so much fuller and deeper. The medicine was able to release a lot more build up from participants systems. Even after the first days kambo sessions I watched as participants energy and aura's change. I watched vitality return and the heaviness they had been carrying release. I watched as worries and anxieties released and transformed into playfulness and joy. I recognized that the 3 kambo sessions each participant underwent was smoother and more impactful. Participants were more able to surrender to the experience with kambo and there was less resistance of the medicine present. Therefore, the cleansing of the bodies as more pronounced and you could tell by what was being released into participants buckets.
It was interesting because there were some with hesitancy towards how helpful eating rice really could be. However, over those 5 days in the retreat together I could see lightbulbs of understanding turning on as well as a newfound gratitude for the rice diet and it's medicine and gifts.
They continued rice for an additional 5 days after the retreat (15 days total) to seal off the kambo ceremony time together. This period was for integrating the kambo experiences into their bodies and into every single little cell. It was so the work that was done could sustain and last longer into their bodies and lives.
What has been even more exciting is nearly every participant that did that retreat also has continued the integral rice diet afterwards. Some having now practiced multiple 10 days of it for further integration and exploration. And one participant even felt called to practice 30 days of it which was incredible to witness and see.
This integral rice diet is a new concept for many however, it is extremely effective. I have felt so honored and blessed to experience its medicine as well as be able to be a witness to others who are now nourished in the fruits of their newfound health.
