Can you eat bread on ayahuasca diet? What else can you eat while following the diet?
People are strongly urged to follow the ayahuasca diet, a set of instructions for psychological and physical preparation, before participating in an ayahuasca ceremony.
When it comes to what you should avoid, there is always some confusion surrounding the use of bread.
So, what is the case with bread?
No, you cannot eat white, yeast bread when on the ayahuasca diet, but it is probably fine to enjoy simple, unsalted bread.
Tip: Always follow the dietary guidelines to cleanse your body for a meaningful Aya journey.
What is Ayahuasca Diet, and Why is Bread a Controversial Food?
Over the past decade, the use of the hallucinogenic substance ayahuasca has grown in popularity across the United States. Caapi is a South American plant used by Amazonian shamans for ages.
What Makes Bread Controversial?
Because ayahuasca has psychoactive properties, what you eat is likely to have an impact on your health.
How bread is made has an impact on whether or not it is allowed on the ayahuasca diet.
Experts speculate that the use of ayahuasca may stimulate the brain’s right hemisphere.
Additionally, these regions contribute to emotional processing, self-consciousness, and a heightened awareness of one’s physical body.
Therefore, it is risky to combine ayahuasca with antidepressants, as the combination may lead to a flood of serotonin.
Diarrhea, trembling, high body temperature, and irregular heartbeat are the initial symptoms of an interaction.
Convulsions, muscle rigidity, and even death are possible in later stages.
Is Ayahuasca Legal?
Ayahuasca’s primary hallucinogenic ingredient, DMT, has been banned since it was included in the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court declared in 2006 that ayahuasca tea could be used for religious purposes without breaking the law.
First granted in Brazil, there is now a New Mexico’s own UDV Brazilian-inspired band.
Moreover, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit gave another Brazilian religious group called Santo Daime permission to utilize ayahuasca.
Why is Ayahuasca Tourism on the Rise?
“Ayahuasca tourism” emerged in South America as a result of a surge in interest among foreigners.
Today, visitors to the Amazon seek out retreats led by traditional shamans.
Interestingly, not everyone who claims to be a shaman is actually one, but that is how things are.
Most Americans will partake in a ritual before actually taking the substance. Ceremony leaders, once again, have various levels of familiarity with the substance and its effects.
In the United States, those who take it often do so in search of enlightenment.
However, they lack the necessary background culture to fully grasp the drug’s implications.
Tip: Go for roasted potatoes when unsure what to eat and make it even better by mixing in some veggies.
Can You Eat Bread on Ayahuasca Diet?
How strict certain retreat centers are regarding diet guidelines varies greatly. Still, they all abide by a common set of guidelines.
You have to avoid certain substances, meals, and activities due to potential bodily effects and medical contraindications.
Speaking of diet, it is important that you avoid yeast or any yeast-extracted spreads. Therefore, you cannot include brewer’s yeast, Marmite, or sourdough bread in your diet.
Does that mean you have to avoid all types of bread?
It is better if you do, but you can probably continue to enjoy simple unsalted, unleavened bread.
Why Should You Avoid Bread on Ayahuasca Diet?
There are different reasons why certain foods are off-limit on the ayahuasca diet, but sometimes, there is chemical reasoning behind them.
For instance, the use of foods containing tyramine is strictly prohibited.
And that is probably the reason why you may want to avoid sourdough bread as well.
Why Should You Avoid Tyramine?
Pickled items, soy products, some beans, draught beer, sourdough bread, and wine all contain tyramine due to their processing methods.
All of these are absolutely off-limits.
Tyramine reacts when combined with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), the primary psychoactive component of the ayahuasca plant Banisteriopsis caapi.
The most common reactions may include nausea, heart palpitations, and headaches.
What Other than Bread Should be Avoided on Ayahuasca Diet?
You need to avoid all dairy, including cream and cheese.
It is important to stay away from white bread or anything high in butter, gluten, or sugar carbs, such as cookies and cakes.
Stick with raw fruits and veggies and drink water and juices.
They work fine if you are unsure what to eat or how well your digestion will work on the day of the Aya ceremony.
Here is what you should stop eating before drinking ayahuasca.
- 4 Weeks Before: Stop all hard drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth, etc.
- 2 Weeks Before: Stop recreational drugs, including alcohol and cannabis
- 1 Week Before: Stay away from red meat and avoid pork
- 1 Week Before: Say no to fried food, fast food, and processed foods
- 48 Hours Before: Refrain from engaging in sexual activities
- 48 Hours Before: Limit salt and oil intake
And as mentioned already, you should avoid foods containing MAOIs.
What falls into this category?
Well, you should avoid fermented foods, such as herring, anchovies, miso, tofu, or fermented soy products.
No more soy sauce, tamari, pickled foods, and sauerkraut.
Sometimes, you can go with yeast in baked goods, but you should stay away from brewer’s yeast at all costs.
Why Should You Follow Guidelines for Ayahuasca Diet?
The improper foods eaten before aya can have negative effects.
If you do not stick to the diet, you will end up vomiting and having diarrhea.
Some foods can have potentially harmful interactions in the body when an MAOI is present.
Do Not Complicate the Process
The majority of foods to avoid are harmful, with a few exceptions, so avoid them without complicating things.
Overconsumption and unhealthy lifestyles are the primary reasons red meat has a negative reputation.
Also, you should know that meat consumption prior to psychedelic use has been linked to several peculiar side effects.
It is almost as if the animal’s soul pleads with the Spirit Molecule to save it from being turned into dinner. The result is an unpleasant challenge.
Get the Right Energy from Food
You can try so many things after leaving a few.
Apples, for instance, are significantly preferable because they provide a sustained surge of energy without any unpleasant side effects.
If you are planning on using aya, it is best to hold off on any other psychoactive.
Do not take ayahuasca lightly; one must be ready for and persevere through aya.
Tip: There is evidence suggesting ayahuasca can help improve symptoms of anxiety and depression if done after following the right diet.
What Can You Eat When on Ayahuasca Diet?
When doing it for the first time, it is natural to ask, “I’m trying the ayahuasca diet, what can I eat?”
In most cases, you need to focus on fruits and veggies, but there is so much else you can eat.
You can try smoothies, oatmeal, salads, and much more. Oatmeal is always great.
Be sure to add lots of fresh fruit, nuts, flaxseed, and maybe a small amount of walnut oil.
To make it, you need to go for almond milk.
DIY Almond Milk
Making your own almond milk at home is a great alternative to buying it from the supermarket.
You will not believe how amazingly it works unless you give it a shot.
How to do it?
- Take a cup of almonds
- Soak it in water for up to 4 hours.
- Remove the water and rinse the almonds nicely.
- Put the almonds in a blender with four cups of filtered water.
- Blend until smooth.
Besides almond milk, you can also make oat milk and use it in your oatmeal or smoothies.
- Take a cup of organic oats.
- Add them to 3-4 cups of water.
- Leave it for a while.
- Strain, and you are done!
DIY Nut Butter
By making nut butter at home, you will be able to have something to use on apple slices, toast, etc.
It may also make your oatmeal delicious.
Keep in mind that peanuts are not allowed on the ayahuasca diet, so you have to improvise a little.
How to Do It?
To make nut butter, you can always opt for walnuts, pecans, or cashews.
- Take some nuts and toast them in the oven.
- Put them in the food processor and blend.
- Stop when smooth.
- Transfer it to a mason jar.
- Leave in the fridge to use as needed.
Tip: If possible, use ayahuasca once a week for at least 4 weeks to experience its amazing effects.
Takeaway
As a medicine, religious rites, and tribal rituals, ayahuasca has been utilized for thousands of years in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil.
They turn to it in times of physical distress, emotional stress, and spiritual crisis. Whatever the reason, you need to follow a strict diet before journeying.
And that is when you should know, “Can you eat bread on ayahuasca diet?”
Technically, you cannot, but you can find alternatives to follow all the dietary guidelines and enjoy your journey.