Does a Vegetarian Diet Make the Mind Clearer?

Making the mind clearer is not strongly related to what you eat, or rather, diet is not the decisive factor. More important than what you eat is getting deep sleep. The standard for deep sleep includes not dreaming, not snoring, not needing to wake up to urinate, no night sweats, not waking up in the middle of the night, and not tossing and turning. Ideally, you maintain one sleeping position until morning. Eating a light diet can indeed make the stomach and spleen more comfortable. If the stomach and spleen are out of harmony, it is impossible for a person to achieve deep sleep. 

A vegetarian diet, compared to rich and heavy foods, can help keep the mind clearer. A light diet is always a safe choice. Avoid overeating and consuming cold, raw foods. Keep your abdomen warm. If the stomach is not in harmony, sleep will be restless. Your daily schedule should follow the body’s natural rhythms according to traditional Chinese medicine principles.

Poor sleep is usually due to a disruption in the balance of yin and yang. When the yang energy of the world is exhausted and covered by yin energy, but your body’s yang energy has not yet fully subsided, the yin cannot contain the yang, leading to poor sleep. Most people who struggle with sleep do so because their yin cannot contain their yang energy. The reasons for this are roughly 50% due to yin deficiency, 25% due to yang deficiency, and 25% due to both yin and yang deficiency.

Why does deep sleep make the mind clearer? Here’s the analysis: The body has both yin and yang. Yang rises, and yin descends. If this natural rise and fall are disrupted, many health problems can arise. A clear mind is actually a result of having an abundance of both yin and yang energy. Deep sleep is the best way to nourish yin in the world. After a session of deep sleep, the body is like a car that has been driven all day and then refueled, or like a pot that has been cooking all day and then refilled with water. When yin essence is sufficient, yang energy transforms this essence, providing a solid material foundation.

A person with yin deficiency, who suffers from chronic insomnia, often feels groggy. A doctor might diagnose this as neurasthenia or sub-health. But is this really the case? Not quite. This is actually due to yin deficiency, where the body is "burning an empty pot." Without essence, there is no energy, and since the head is where all yang energies converge, when yang energy is depleted, the head naturally becomes foggy and unclear.

Staying up late, spending nights online, working overtime until the early hours, or frequently working night shifts can lead to sudden death for the same reason.

If deep sleep is sufficient, it provides the necessary material foundation. It’s like filling a pot with water or refueling a car. When you wake up, your energy system is activated. This energy system can be likened to a car engine starting or a boiler being fired up. If your essence is abundant, your efficiency in transforming essence into energy will be much higher compared to someone with yin deficiency. This results in a continuous supply of energy and blood to the brain, making it impossible not to feel clear-headed.

When the material foundation is strong and the energy system functions well, it’s like driving a sports car. Those who do not take care of their health and are deficient in essence and energy will function like a tractor, lacking vigor and strength.

This external difference in performance is referred to as "shen" (spirit). The difference in "shen" among people reflects the variance in their performance, which is part of the "three treasures" known as essence, energy, and spirit.