Is avoiding certain food help you achieve better Mediation?

I find that it is when I am neither hungry nor full that I can meditate the easiest. I also find that slow burning foods like clean proteins work better for me however I am still new to medication so this could be a fluke.

Yes. avoid stimulants like coffee and caffeine. I would suggest avoiding cigarettes because they are vasoconstrictors which can reduce the amount of O2 to your brain and cells.

I generally prefer to meditate on an empty stomach or after I had time to digest my food. Digestion takes time, energy and concentration. I feel my thoughts wonder more and go to my stomach. However, if I am simply doing a relaxing meditation that focuses on my breathing, I find that can help with digestion.

Have you heard of "cheese dreams". I have read and I have experienced interesting dreams and thoughts after eating cheese so I generally try to avoid it before meditation.

Sven One wrote:
Thank you. I never planned to go vegan just research from so called "seers" of mediation have said. The last four five months I have been prepare all my foods raw meats, vegetables, straight water, with my cup of green tea in the morning of course but, I gave been drinking my no super, low carb energy drinks which, I am kind of ashamed to admit I broke that habit and now trying to get off them again. I feel like theyre not good for you but, I like the caffeine effect especially for thi se wonderful 4 am shifts.

If you're used to caffeine, it probably won't have a huge effect on the meditation. The verdict on caffeine + meditation is still out. Buttered tea and green tea is apparently consumed in larger quantities by Tibetan monks - to aid staying awake for longer meditation session. But on forums, I often read that it should be avoided. I guess it depends on what effect caffeine has on your body. Some people barely notice it and can drink an espresso at 8 pm without getting their sleep impaired, others can't sleep anymore if they drink a tea at noon.

From what I have learned about Buddhism in Bushijin temple, you have to avoid anything that takes their concentration or change your perception. I will give examples: alcohol changes the perception, drugs also being hungry draws its concentration, overeating will cause discomfort that will take your concentration and so on. Personally when I meditate I make sure that all my physiological needs are well (all), I feed, brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, etc. In doing so I guarantee that nothing will hinder me or inwardly or outwardly.

Really there are so many opinions on what food is good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. Just as there are opinons on what meditation is. If considered the mere observation of your present being then technically if you stuff yourself you can still observe the resulting sensations through that observation. If you're channeling different emotions and feelings then you get into which foods may influence those emotions and feelings.

In general I think it's best to avoid all processed foods. By processed I mean whatever comes in a package for the most part. I think the best diet consists of fresh, whole, ripe, raw, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, a plant based diet. Why? Because animal products and artificial ingredients are the leading causes of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases as well as environmentl exposure to heavy metals and petrochemical byproducts found in your everyday processed foods, bodycare and cleaning products. A plant based diet is actually the only diet that will activate the body's inner healing capacity, allowing it to clean out built up animal fats and such in your heart and arteries, as well as stimulate your immune system enough to get it to even fight off cancer.

Don't get me wrong, I love meat and cheese, but if I eat it I'm making sure it's grass fed, free range, no antibiotics, hormones, GMO (studies showed fertility problems in later generations of mice, organ damage and other weird things, plenty of info out there on this as well as being totally ineffective for their intended purposes and they are still sprayed with Round Up there's plenty of info on that out there too), certified organic by multiple organizations not just the USDA. All you have to do is watch Food Inc, Farmageddon, Food Matters, Gerson Therapy, etc., and look into the factory farms and the conditions those animals live in. You do not want to eat that meat. Grass fed beef contains higher omega 3's that reduce inflammation, corn fed beef contains excess omega 6's that cause inflammation. Arsenic is added to the chicken feed. They rinse the meat with ammonia and stuff at these factory farms because it's all full of e coli.

A lot of people who go vegan and vegetarian may do it for the wrong reasons and just don't know what their doing and yes it can lead to just as serious of problems as those who stuff themselves with the processed garbage. Don't be fooled though there are RAW VEGAN bodybuilders and olympic athletes who are just as muscular and have just as much endurace and someone eating meat and dairy, the raw vegan way is just way cleaner and more efficient. I'll tell you my average day is I wake up and drink water or tea, then I'll make a smoothie using bananas as a staple and switch off between berries, mangos, pineapples, etc. While eating whole fruits like apples and oranges, few handfuls of nuts or seeds, large vegetable salads with lots of spinach and kale. Other staples like rice, beans, quinoa, lentils give the bulk sensation I like to have and I just mix in different veggies and seasonings. The main problem most vegans face are not getting enough calories as you have to eat A LOT MORE fruits and veggies to make up for not eating the dense meats and dairy. 300 calories of fatty oils will fill 1/5 your stomach whereas 300 calories of fruits/veggies is like packing your stomach full.

So yeah we all are free to decide for ourselves what we eat and what works for us, what may help my meditation may not help yours, and what helps yours may not help mine. But in general I think it's best to avoid 80% of what you see in your local grocery stores unfortunately. I realize this may make things difficult, not everyone has access to fresh, clean produce and it gets expensive.

In the mountains, working hard, this is what I eat over 1-2 weeks plus quinoa/lentil/bean/rice lunch/dinners with veggies. Most of this is blended as smoothies. My digestion is so smooth and easy when I eat like this, and I'm very clear headed, light and energized. There is no food coma from eating a large cooked meal full of meat and cheese, there is no disrupted or slowed digestion, there is no wasted energy in just trying to break down such dense meats, fats and proteins, less stress on the heart and colon is less stress on the mind and body.