good foods?

[Rain_Frog]

Anybody have recommendations for foods that are good to induce dreams/ astral projection?

Some ideas from various sources:

Nutmeg
Cheese
Carrots
Raw egg (yuck!)

Personally, I have had a flying dream before eating an omelete before taking a sunday nap. I also have weird experiences depending on what I eat, and how much I eat. Like the time I had a caesar salad with tuna and soup and I had astral projection and lucid dreaming in the SAME dream.

[bounda]

the first time i projected, before i went to bed i (think) i had chex mix

[Stookie]

The Voice of Silence (TVOS) tracked his diet for quite a while and could never find much of a connection. For a little while he thought Subway sandwiches were the trick, but that theory fell through.

[Selski]

I would guess that eating a light dinner would be preferable.  However, I doubt food has anything to do with it, seeing as it's more of a mental activity.  But yes, having a stomach full of food at night is not going to help with taking your focus away from the body. 

Sarah

[psychonaut]

I've eaten 55 grams of nutmeg after staying up for a couple days and when I finally went to sleep after tripping out I slept for 24 hours without waking up. I don't know its relationship to APing though, as it was before I'd ever projected, but my guess is that if you take enough of it that it would help.

[MisterJingo]

I'd be careful about taking large doses of Nutmeg as it contains myristicin which is psychoactive. The experience can last anywhere from 24-32+ hours and in some users it produces a hangover which can last longer. Doses over 15-20+ grams can cause hallucinations and delirium like symptoms.
The reason I mention this is that if people ingest large amounts of this simply to AP, they might get a lot more than they bargained for.
There is also some evidence that large doses might act badly with MAOIs.

A typical Myristicin experience has three stages. The first is a feeling of intoxication. Much like the effects of alcohol combined with marijuana. In addition to this, an increased heart rate may be experienced and palpitations are common. The second stage is akin to the effect of amphetamines. Alertness will be increased, users may experience hyperactivity and may talk uncontrollably. Additional effects include memory loss, loss of logic, balance, memory continuity (e.g. unable to remember what you have seen 30 seconds ago on TV). The third stage is halloucinagenic. This stage is intermittent with the strength of the dosage. Halloucinations are of a common type. Very immersive and often using common objects to alter your surroundings (e.g. Missing doors, lots of chairs, people with the same face.) This may be unnerving and usually not mind expanding. This stage can be slept off if the user can manage to sleep in the second stage.

I experimented with this many years ago, and it's something which I wouldn't really recommended.

[bounda]

just the other night i had my second projection, the items i had before bed were CHEX MIX<<<<< =D and 2 reeses pieces (just 2 of them not bags.)

[BadCookie]

Dead Baby soup 

[andonitxo]

Didn't even know that people took drugs just to project!

As brain feeders I use soy lecithin and brewer's yeast; both are great neurone nurturers, and from natural sources!

The best tip to have projection during the night is to dine very lightly or just to avoid dinning, and to practice some yoga/pranayama before going to bed.

Good practice.

[upstream]

Yay you just mentioned the two of my choice, lecithin and brewer's yeast so I left with yoghurt, and raw eggs. Bananas and chocholade are also good. There are many food to boost REM activity, especially that rich in tryptophan. Another neat trick is to trigger the so called "insuline response" by having a protein rich meat followed with a good dose of carbohydrate.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T042400.asp

You may mix two raw eggs with some youghurt and brewer's yeast and eat it with a banana right before falling asleep. Or try curd or cheese. What is important to eat tryptophan rich food, then sleep at least for one sleep cycle (I strongly advise two) then eat 1 tablespoon white sugar or a potato to trigger the insuline response about 3 hours after the proteins were taken. If you do this wild dreams are pretty much garanteed at the later part of the night even at your first try. It is entirely up to you how to proceed.

It is only one side of the trick which influences only the intensity of dreams. If you want long and stable dreams you have to boost acetylcholine level, too. Try to sleep as much as you can in the 3 hours interim (it may be difficult) and try to wake up right before the subsequent REM sleep period. To optimally increase REM-pressure and enter into dreaming without delay you need to stay awake for 2.5 hrs. Staying up for 70-80 minutes should be the second best choice for most people.

The most profound way to boost acetylcholine level would be to take some galantamine or Huperzine-A pill or other acetylesterase inhibitor with agood source of choline like lecithin or eggs during sleep interruption. DMAE is reported to work too. I have not yet tried any of them except lecithin.

http://www.ecstasium.com/images/Lucid%20Dreams%20and%20DMAE.pdf

A more natural way to boost acetylcholine is to stimulate your lower dantien by raising energy through your legs, preferably all along while you are awake. You can also boost serotonin level by practicing trakata or looking into the sun at early mornings.

I found if I prolong dreams by forced reseparations up to the point where I start to feel sluggish in the dream and got the vision that keeps turning gray I exercise my brain muscles for OBE. Doing this for at least one week, preferably every day, does really open up something in your mind which makes projection just as easy as pooping while you are diarrhoeic.

These are powerful methods. Combining them can seriously throw your brain chemistry out of balance so be very cautious. If you stick with the natural and avoid external drugs you should be fine. Timings I mentioned are important but might require some fine tunings. Do not deviate until you have enough experience or you are sure you understand the principles.

[GANAMOHA]

the best food that I had AMAZING experiences was this delicious espresso brownie which was probably just due to the espresso however I believe it had to do with both and everytime I get it I get the same if not better results. *magical brownies are the sercret to sucess* ( and no there is no special ingredient )

[September]

I've really had strong sensations while attempting to project after a day where I drank a Monster (a tart energy drink) I think it may be the ginsing in it.

[Rain_Frog]

Because I've had longer dreams (typically) and had an OBE during a dream when I ate something unusual, I do think it can help boost REM activity. However, if you're trying to consciously project, it probably is not the best idea. Once again, anytime I'm practicing meditation it can really put a damper if i've had a heavy meal. But, I guess if you're going to try the lucid dreaming method to try and have an OBE its a good starting point.

[WindGod]

Upstream, thanks for the info, very scientific approach, impressive. I'm still studying your comments.

Was looking at the link to RobertPeterson.org (thank you Bounda)

Peterson's graphs, show the relationship between levels of Melatonin, Prolactin, and DHEA, and how they effect concentration during meditation.

The levels rise and fall according to sleep and waking times.

I guess I'd avoid foods with melatonin in the mornings, such as , tart cherries?  : RE: http://www.cherrymkt.org/health/ca4text.html

"What foods contain melatonin?
The highest quantities of melatonin are found in tart cherries, particularly the Montmorency variety. However, other foods such as milk, peanuts, turkey, chicken or almonds contain tryptophan, which raises brain serotonin that in turn can be converted to melatonin. Other foods, such as bananas, also contain melatonin but not in significant levels to be effective."

Sources of DHEA? from a quick preliminary search: Food and Nutrtion - Iowa State University

"DHEA is a naturally occurring hormone in the body produced by the adrenal glands. DHEA's job is to make other hormones including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. During a person's twenties, the production of DHEA reaches peak levels and slowly declines thereafter. A decrease in DHEA production can result in muscle and bone loss, decreased strength, and decreased sex drive. Therefore, DHEA is considered a "hormone of youth," which is why some people turn to supplemental DHEA when they get older.

The form of DHEA found in supplements is synthetic, meaning that it is man-made. DHEA can actually be manufactured from chemicals found in wild yam and soy bean plants. However, it is important to note that a person cannot directly acquire DHEA from consuming these plants."

(I fear that many web sites target aging babyboomers with generalizations of simply, "DHEA levels decrease as you get older". The last thing I'll do is buy into hormone supplements, too bizarre.) Also noticed no mention that levels rise and fall naturally during our daily cycle)

Now I think that Upstreams method is related to assuring  a good restful sleep (tryptophan-containing foods) that will result in a naturally healthy level of DHEA upon waking?

"trigger the so called "insuline response" - That's interesting.

"You can also boost serotonin level by practicing trakata or looking into the sun at early mornings."

Read something about a man claiming to live only on tea, simple broth and looking into the sun. Hmmm, sounds like a practice requiring extremely advanced skills so as not to go blind.