The dieta — the dietary protocol observed before ayahuasca ceremony — is not arbitrary. It is a pharmacological necessity, a traditional protocol, and a practice of intention. This page explains both what to do and why.
Table of Contents
The pharmacological reason
The ayahuasca vine contains MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors). MAOIs affect how your body processes a range of substances, including certain amino acids (particularly tyramine) found in fermented, aged, and processed foods. Consuming high-tyramine foods while MAOIs are active can cause a “tyramine reaction” — a sudden, potentially dangerous spike in blood pressure.
This is not hypothetical. It is a real risk, and the traditional dietary protocols around ayahuasca developed precisely because practitioners observed these interactions over centuries.
3 weeks before ceremony — begin reducing:
- Alcohol (all forms)
- Cannabis
- Recreational drugs of any kind
- Pork (avoid entirely — avoid pork for at least a week before ceremony, if not always 🙂
- Heavy, processed foods
- Excess salt and sugar
- Coffee, black tea, yerba mate, guarana
2 weeks before ceremony — reduce significantly, if not entirely:
- All of the above
- Dairy products, especially heavy ones like cream and aged cheese
- Red meat
- Fried foods
- Canned and preserved foods
- Excessive refined flour and sugar
Continue eating freely:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains (rice, quinoa, oats, millet)
- Legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas)
- Eggs (fine in moderation)
- Fish and white chicken
- Herbal teas
72 hours before ceremony — eliminate:
- Fermented foods: kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, aged cheese, sourdough, soy sauce, vinegar
- Red meat
- Salt: significantly reduce
- Sugar: significantly reduce
- Garlic and onion (these are not a health risk, but they are traditionally avoided as they can subtly reduce sensitivity to the medicine)
- Any supplements other than what we’ve specifically approved: including 5-HTP, St. John’s Wort, SAMe
Eat simply: rice, steamed vegetables, fruits, plain oatmeal. Light and clean.
Day of ceremony
The day of ceremony, eat a light breakfast or nothing, but only if you are accustomed to fasting. If your ceremony begins in the evening, eat a small, plain meal at midday and nothing after 4pm. Arrive with an empty but not starving digestive system.
Stay well hydrated throughout the day with plain water, electrolytes or gentle herbal tea. Avoid caffeinated drinks.
After ceremony
The integration dieta extends the preparation. For the first few days after ceremony, continue eating simply and cleanly. The body has been through something significant and needs nourishing, grounding food: warm soups, simple grains, fresh fruit. Alcohol and cannabis should be avoided for at least 3–7 days.
A note on intention
In many traditions, the dieta is understood not just as a physical preparation but as a practice of intention-setting. Every time you decline alcohol or choose clean food in the weeks before ceremony, you are signaling to yourself — and to the medicine — that you are taking this seriously. This is not superstition. It is a practice of attention.
A note on fasting
Fasting is not required before an ayahuasca ceremony, but what you want to avoid is going into the ceremony when your stomach is busy digesting things. In this case, the medicine may take longer to work or it may lead to more nausea. Purging food also makes for a way less pleasurable purging experience.
Intermittent fasting in the days and weeks leading up to an ayahuasca ceremony is also fine and is very healthy generally. However, make sure you are not fasting so much that you feel weak when you walk into the ceremony. There is a difference between going to the ceremony on an empty stomach and going to a ceremony in a weakened state due to fasting.
If you insist on fasting (24-48 hr fasts) before your ayahuasca experience, keep in mind that you may experience added discomfort after drinking the medicine. Ayahuasca, as you might already know, tends to cause nausea, purging and even stomach cramps. It can be quite heavy on the stomach if you’ve been undergoing an extended fast.
Rather than fasting in the days before a ceremony, follow an “ayahuasca diet” or perhaps more simply, just eat healthily. Whole foods + plant-based + vegan is always a clean and healthy approach.
