Dietary changes as a risk factor and remedy for meditation-related challenges.
Josie R Lee, Nicholas K. Canby, David J Cooper, Jared R. Lindahl, Willoughby B. Britton
Frontiers in Nutrition October 23, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1651167 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 101 |
| Population | 68 Western Buddhist meditators who reported meditation-related challenges and 33 meditation experts (teachers and clinicians) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Diet Nutrition Fasting Grounding Meditation-related challenges |
| Key findings | Thematic analysis of interviews identified three diet-related patterns: dietary restrictions could be a risk factor for meditation-related challenges; loss of appetite or lack of eating often exacerbated distress and indicated more severe difficulty; and diet-related remedies such as eating "heavy" foods and meat were often described as helpful and associated with "grounding" effects. The authors conclude that diet-related factors merit consideration as both risk factors and remedies for meditation-related challenges. |
Abstract
Objectives: Recent research has documented a range of challenging, distressing, or impairing experiences that can result from Buddhist meditation practices (Lindahl et al.). The present study investigates the impact of dietary changes on the trajectories of Western Buddhist meditators who reported meditation-related challenges.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 68 Western Buddhist meditators and 33 meditation experts (teachers and clinicians).
Results: Thematic analysis resulted in the following observations: (1) dietary restrictions could be a risk factor for the development of meditation-related challenges; (2) a loss of appetite or lack of eating was often an exacerbating factor and diagnostic indicator of more severe distress when meditation-related challenges were already occurring; and (3) diet-related remedies, such as eating "heavy" foods and meat, were often described as helpful and associated with "grounding" effects for meditators-in-distress.
Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of considering diet-related factors as both risk factors and remedies for meditation-related challenges and suggests possible implications for research and practice.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 12
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- Mindfulness meditation modulates stress-eating and its neural correlates. Scientific Reports March 27, 2024
- “Like a Vibration Cascading through the Body”: Energy-Like Somatic Experiences Reported by Western Buddhist Meditators Religions November 24, 2021
and 7 more in the library