Friends:

What is Food for the Mental Hindrances (Nivarana)?

At Savatthi the Blessed Buddha once said:
Just as this body, is sustained by food, is dependent on food, & cannot continue without food,
even so, friends, are the five mental hindrances indeed also sustained by a kind of food, they
are also dependent on sustaining nutriment, & cannot continue without ever renewed feeding…

And what, friends, is feeding the arising of yet unarisen Sense-Desire and feeding the growth
and increase of already arisen Sense-Desire ???
It is frequent, careless & irrational attention to the Alluring & Attractive Feature of things!
This food makes absent sensual lust arise and feeds too the growth of already present greed…

And what, friends, is feeding the arising of yet unarisen Evil-Will and feeding the aggravation
and increase of already arisen Evil-Will ???
It is frequent, careless & irrational attention to the Displeasing & Repulsive Feature of things!
This is food makes absent aversion arise and feeds too the growth of already present anger…

And what, friends, is feeding the arising of yet unarisen Lethargy and Laziness and feeding too
of the deterioration and increase of already present Lethargy and Laziness ???
It is frequent, careless & irrational attention to Apathy, Drowsiness, & eat too much Dullness!
This is food makes absent sloth arise and feeds too the worsening of already present Laziness…

And what, friends, is feeding the arising of yet unarisen Restlessness and Regret and feeding too
for the growth and escalation of already present Restlessness and Regret ???
It is frequent, careless & irrational attention to the Non-Tranquil, Agitated and Stressed Mind!
This food upsets & stirs the mind and feeds also the intensity of already arisen anxiety & worry…

And what, friends, is feeding the arising of yet unarisen Doubt and Uncertainty and feeding too
for the expansion and proliferation of already present Doubt and Uncertainty ???
It is frequent, careless & irrational attention to Doubtful Theories, and Speculative Views!
This food bewilders the mind and feeds also the escalation of already present perplexed confusion!

Just as this body, is supported by food, is dependent on food, & cannot go on without food, exactly
& even so, friends, are these Five Mental Hindrances supported by feeding, dependent on feeding,
and they cannot persist without this continual mental feeding by wrongly directed attention…

How to break and overcome these 5 Mental Hindrances (Nīvaranas):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_5_Mental_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Feeding_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Starving_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_5_Become_10.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Canal.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suitable_Substitution.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4c.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Fire_of_Sense-Desire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Colourful_but_Muddy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Anger_and_Irritation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Lethargy_and_Laziness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Restlessness_and_Regret.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Doubt_and_Uncertainty.htm

Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya.
Book [V:64-5] section 46: The Links. 2: The Body...

See also:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suitable_Substitution.htm