wn the volume on things that create noise in your system, so you can arrive more present and receptive.
Two Weeks Before Ceremony: Easing Into It
This is the gentle on-ramp. You’re not overhauling everything overnight—you’re starting to notice what you consume and making gradual shifts.
Start Becoming Aware Of:
- Salt and Oils: You don’t need to eliminate salt—it’s healthy and occurs naturally in many whole foods. The goal is to cut back on heavily salted processed foods and excessive oils. We’re aiming to stabilize blood pressure heading into ceremony, not create stress around every grain of salt.
- Sugar and Processed Foods: Start noticing how much sugar and processed stuff you’re taking in. Reduce where it feels natural—fewer sugary snacks, less packaged food. This isn’t about deprivation; it’s about lightening the load.
- Alcohol and Recreational Drugs: If you drink or use recreational substances, now’s the time to stop. This includes any prescription medications that may interact with Ayahuasca—reach out to a facilitator or your doctor if you have questions about tapering off anything safely.
Start Leaning Into:
- Whole, Plant-Based Foods: More vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes. Foods that support your body’s natural processes rather than taxing them.
- Hydration: Drink plenty of water. Simple, but it matters.
- Mental Preparation: Begin setting intentions. What are you hoping to explore? What’s been on your mind? Start journaling if that feels right. The inner work begins before you arrive.
Why This Matters:
Gradual shifts are sustainable shifts. Starting two weeks out gives your body time to adjust without the shock of sudden restriction. It also begins the mental and emotional clearing—you’re already turning your attention inward.
One Week Before Ceremony: Settling Into a Cleaner Rhythm
One week out, you’re tightening things up a bit—but still with common sense, not rigid rules.
Continue Reducing or Avoid:
- Alcohol, Marijuana, and Caffeine: These should be out of your system by now. Caffeine can be tough to drop cold turkey, so if you’re a heavy coffee drinker, taper down rather than stopping abruptly.
- Meat and Dairy: Start transitioning toward plant-based eating. If going fully plant-based feels too extreme, keep meat to lighter options like chicken or fish in small amounts. Dairy can be harder to digest, so easing off helps your system settle.
- Heavy Spices, Garlic, and Onions: You don’t need to ban these entirely, but reduce them. They can create digestive strain and, in some cases, interact with Ayahuasca’s MAOI components.
- Fermented Foods: Minimize things like kimchi, sauerkraut, aged cheeses, and anything that’s been sitting long enough to develop higher tyramine levels.
- Processed and Sugary Foods: Keep moving away from packaged snacks and sweets.
- Nightshades (peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, goji berries): These contain tyramine and can interact with MAOIs. Reduce where you can, but don’t stress if a little tomato ends up in your meal.
Focus On:
- Fresh, Whole Foods: Vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits. Simple meals that are easy to digest and genuinely nourishing.
- Healthy Fats in Moderation: A little olive oil is fine. We’re just avoiding heavy, greasy cooking.
- Staying Hydrated: Keep the water flowing.
A Note on Sexuality:
Abstaining from sexual activity is not a requirement, and there’s no medical reason to avoid it. That said, some people choose to bring mindfulness to this area during preparation—whether through abstinence or more conscious engagement. If your healing journey involves patterns around intimacy or relationships, this can be a useful time to notice what comes up. Ultimately, this is your call. Listen to what feels right for your process.
Why This Matters:
This week is about creating a cleaner baseline. You’re reducing substances that could interact with Ayahuasca while also giving your digestive system less work to do. A lighter body supports a clearer mind.
Two Days Before Ceremony: Final Preparations
The final two days are about settling into a calmer, lighter state—both in what you eat and what you consume mentally.
Food: Keep It Simple and Light
The goal isn’t strict elimination—it’s moderation and ease.
- Salt: You don’t need to obsess over removing every trace. Salt occurs naturally in foods like celery, veggie broth, and many whole foods. The point is to avoid loading up on heavily salted processed foods—we’re just looking to keep blood pressure stable heading into ceremony.
- Meat: Generally, it’s helpful to avoid meat these last two days. If that doesn’t work for you, stick to lighter options like chicken or fish, which are easier to digest. Worth noting: we won’t be serving meat at the retreat, so easing off now helps your body adjust to not having it over the weekend.
- Fruits and Sweets: A little fruit in your oatmeal—berries, for example—is perfectly fine. We’re not asking you to eliminate fruit. Just avoid excess sweets and anything super over-ripe that might be starting to ferment.
- Day of Ceremony: Don’t skip meals and show up starving. Ceremony typically begins around 8pm, so eat breakfast and even a light lunch—oatmeal, a salad, something simple. Avoid heavy meals, but honor your body’s need for nourishment. Being miserable from hunger isn’t the goal.
Mind: What You Consume Beyond Food
What you take in through screens and media matters just as much as what you eat. These final days are a good time to:
- Lay off the phone, social media, and internet scrolling
- Limit news and external noise
- Spend more time journaling and reflecting on your intentions
- Create space to sit with what’s coming up without constant distraction
This isn’t about punishment or deprivation—it’s about clearing the mental clutter so you can arrive present and focused.
Why This Matters:
These two days help you transition into a quieter, more receptive state. By lightening your diet and your media intake, you’re creating the conditions for deeper awareness—both in ceremony and in the days that follow.
After Ceremony: Gentle Transition
The work doesn’t end when ceremony does. The days following are when the seeds of insight start taking root—how you treat yourself during this time matters.
Ease Back In Gradually:
- Food: Don’t rush back to heavy meals, lots of salt, or processed foods. Reintroduce things slowly, starting with the lighter foods you enjoyed during preparation. Your body has been in a cleaner state—honor that.
- Hydration: Keep drinking plenty of water to support ongoing processing.
- Stimulants and Substances: Give yourself a few days before reintroducing caffeine, alcohol, or other substances. Your system is more sensitive right now, and there’s value in extending the clarity a bit longer.
Continue the Inner Work:
- Journaling: Write down what came up for you. Insights can fade quickly if you don’t capture them.
- Reflection: Give yourself space to process. Not everything needs to be figured out immediately.
- Community: Share with fellow participants if that feels supportive. Integration is often relational—talking through your experience can help it land.
Why This Matters:
The ceremony opens doors, but integration is where lasting change happens. By maintaining a clean diet and continued reflection for a few days after, you give the experience room to settle and take hold. This is how the work becomes part of your life, not just a memory.