How Does Pancha Karma Work? What a Seasonal, Ayurvedic Cleanse Can Do for You.

How Does Pancha Karma Work? 
What a Seasonal, Ayurvedic Cleanse Can Do for You.

Sign up for a spring or fall cleanse with Meghan Hays Ayurveda here!

What Is Ketogenesis and Why Does It Matter?

When food is scarce or carbohydrates run low, the body has a fascinating survival mechanism: ketogenesis. Normally, the brain runs on glucose, but when glycogen stores are depleted, the body converts fat into ketones. These ketones can cross the blood-brain barrier and fuel the brain, allowing us to think clearly and function—even in times of fasting.

From an evolutionary perspective, this was crucial. In late winter and early spring, food supplies were often limited. Our ancestors relied on stored fat to carry them through, and ketogenesis allowed them to survive the lean, winter season. Today, we can tap into this same process intentionally through fasting or fasting-mimicking diets, like the ones I’m offering in spring and fall, and we don’t have to do it by just eating meat.  In fact, Ayurveda has long been a proponent of a plant- and even grain-based ketogenic diet to improve health and longevity. 

Ayurveda and Seasonal Cleansing

Spring has long been seen as the most ideal time for a cleanse. In Ayurveda, the kitchari mono-diet—a simple blend of rice, mung beans, ghee, and spices—is a traditional way to reset digestion and encourage the body to burn fat. This naturally supports ketogenesis while giving the digestive system a break. 

As humans, our microbiomes would have developed to accommodate only a small amount of food in the spring.  Our fall grain stores and any dried or preserved fruits and vegetables would have been depleted by spring.  Our carbohydrate stores would be running out.  Wild greens, like dandelion, and some wild game would have come just in the nick of time, providing only limited carbohydrates, asking our bodies to adapt to keep our energy stores and brains functioning until denser forms of carbohydrates and energy would begin to grow in our gardens and fields.  A ketogenic diet in the spring, therefore, is what our bodies “expect” at this time of year and also supports cellular processes that help rid our bodies of toxins, stored in bodily tissues, especially stored body fat (the primary source of fuel in a ketogenic state).  A strategic, properly times ketogenic diet can support our natural biorhythms and decrease our risk of multiple diseases—even the future propensity to develop tumors and cancer. 

Fall is another time to do a more gentle detoxification in order to release the heat that may have accumulated throughout the summer.  A gentle fall cleanse can also help to also to help calm and ground the nervous system as impending winter would have been setting in for our ancestors.  If you’re wondering why anxiety and worry come up so easily at the end of the summer and beginning of fall, it’s not your imagination!   It’s because our human nervous systems are pre-programmed to harvest, dry, smoke, can, and preserve as much food as we can before winter months set in.  Vata energy is rising as the vata season (fall) sets in, and our nervous systems are on high alert to get moving, get harvesting, and be prepared for the coming months. 

A gentle, Ayurvedic detox in the fall can help fortify and pacify the nervous system by giving the digestive system a break, bringing in beneficial prebiotics, and allowing your gut microbiome to repopulate, which in turn, helps our brain and nervous system stay calm, focused, and healthy. (Western medicine and modern science, I might add, is continuously proving the connection between the digestive system and the brain, or the “gut-brain axis.”)
Additionally, our microbiomes have adapted to do some natural “purging” in the fall, due to the seasonal and very fibrous bounty of produce we typically harvest at this time.  Apples, pears, plums, squash, etc. all contain a great deal of fiber, causing our elimination patterns to speed up.  One of the ways we release heat is through elimination (pooping!), so Nature and the human microbiome evolved not only help humans let go of the heat of summer and cool down through very efficient bowel movements, but any seeds and plant material we would have excreted would have literally planted seeds for new growth in the spring.  If we follow a seasonal diet, we support not only our bodies and minds, but the natural rhythms and health of our planet.

What’s remarkable is how closely this aligns with modern research. Ayurveda has encouraged seasonal cleansing for thousands of years, and now science is beginning to validate these practices.

Enter Dr. Valter Longo and the Longevity Diet

Dr. Valter Longo, a leading researcher in aging and disease prevention, has studied fasting in depth. His book The Longevity Diet explores how fasting and fast mimicking diets (FMD) can improve health, reduce disease risk, and even extend lifespan.
One of his most striking findings comes from cancer research:

• During fasting, healthy cells enter a protective state, while cancer cells continue to grow unchecked.
• When chemotherapy is introduced, fasting helps shield healthy cells from damage while leaving cancer cells vulnerable.
• This reduces side effects like nausea and digestive distress, though interestingly not hair loss.

Dr. Longo also found that periodic fasting boosts human growth hormone production, supports autophagy (cellular cleanup), and helps reset metabolism.

The Fast Mimicking Diet in Practice

Unlike strict fasting, a fast mimicking diet allows you to eat small, carefully designed meals that trick the body into thinking it’s fasting. Dr. Longo’s program, known as ProLon, typically lasts five days and is plant-based, using nuts, legumes, oils, and vegetables to create the right macronutrient ratios.

He recommends doing an FMD three times a year, which his research suggests can reduce biological age by about 2.5 years.

What’s fascinating is that these macronutrient ratios are strikingly similar to those found in Ayurvedic cleansing diets like kitchari. In other words, two very different traditions—modern longevity science and ancient Ayurveda—have landed on the same solution.

Tradition, Religion, and the Natural Rhythm of Fasting

Across cultures and religions, fasting has been woven into seasonal and spiritual practices. Lent, Ramadan, weekly fasts, and other traditions all reflect humanity’s long-standing relationship with cyclical restriction. Sometimes this arose from necessity, other times from ritual—but always in alignment with natural rhythms.
Modern science is now catching up, showing us why these practices were so effective for health and resilience.

Bringing It All Together

Whether through Ayurvedic kitchari cleanses or Dr. Longo’s fast mimicking diet, fasting offers powerful benefits:

• Cellular repair and detoxification
• Reduced inflammation
• Improved brain function
• Protection during disease treatments
• Support for longevity

You don’t have to go to extremes. Even short, seasonal resets can help your body shift into ketogenesis, clean house at the cellular level, and restore balance.

Sign up for a spring or fall cleanse with me here! 

Final Note: This is educational, not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making major dietary changes, especially if you have health conditions.