Fertility Foodie Updated

Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture
Fertility Foodie Cheat Sheet

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the food you eat has specific and predictable effects on
your body. We use food therapeutically and classify many of them as either “warming” or “cooling”. Warming
foods help raise body temperature and dispel stagnant pockets of cold within the body. Cooling foods
moderate body temperature by calming and soothing areas aggravated by heat. Be careful not to confuse
warming foods with spicy flavors, as these are warm just in taste. Also, cooling foods do not mean cold or
raw foods, but rather foods with cooling properties.
Some foods have other properties that can help with even more specific issues. Your acupuncturist will help
diagnose your condition and decide which foods will best eliminate your problems.
Cook your food whenever possible to avoid using too much energy on digestion. Regardless of your
condition, remember: Avoiding foods that aggravate your condition is just as important as eating beneficial
foods. Taking care of your digestion throughout the treatment process will accelerate your progress and
benefit your fertility!
HEAT
Excess heat in the body can cause inflammation and irritation. We become “hot” in several ways. Hot
pathogens, eating too many heating foods, over-activity, or a hot environment all strain our system. Cooling,
or expelling, heat is the best form of treatment. If you have too much heat, we recommended avoiding foods
with heating properties and using cooling foods in your diet.
COLD
Too much cold in the body causes contraction, obstructs blood flow and energy, and inhibits our movement.
Cold comes from the environment, viruses, inactivity, or eating too many cooling foods. We treat excess cold
through physical activity, adding foods with warming properties, and using warming methods of food
preparation. Warming foods literally warm the body in a nourishing way that encourages movement.
DAMPNESS
Dampness forms when we fail to transform or burn off moisture. Almost always associated with a weak
spleen, kidney, or lung, dampness makes us feel heavy or tired and inhibits our ability to function. This often
results in poor digestion, aching limbs, swelling, and lethargy. It is caused by sedentary lifestyles, overeating,
poorly combining foods, damp conditions, or pathogens. We treat dampness by reducing phlegm-forming
foods and avoid too much raw, cold, or sweet foods.
PMS
Qi (pronounced chee) is often described as the energy or life force in every living being. When qi moves easily
without blockages, our bodies can flow and function easier. When qi is blocked, organ function is impaired
as the qi tries to find other means to move and escape. The primary organ involved is the liver, which also
processes hormones. A qi blockage is a lot like a traffic jam in a certain part of your body. PMS is a form of
qi stagnation where your body cannot efficiently process hormones through the liver.
STASIS (Clotting)
Much like the idea behind PMS, stasis implies a lack of movement. When stasis occurs, the area of
stagnation is stickier and more coagulated, hence clotting. Where stagnation is like a traffic jam, stasis is like
a roadblock where there is no movement at all. We treat clotting similar to the treatment for PMS.
Have too much heat? EAT these cooling foods:

Alfalfa Cabbage Kelp Peppermint
Apples Celery Lemon Persimmon
Asparagus Chard Millet Potatoes
Bamboo shoot Cucumber Mint Radishes
Bananas Egg whites Mung bean Seaweed
Barley Eggplant Olives Spirulina
Broccoli Grapefruit Pear Tomatoes
Have too much cold? EAT these warming foods:

Bay leaves Chicken Garlic Nutmeg
Black pepper Chives Ginger Oats
Butter Cinnamon Goat & goat milk Onions
Capers Cloves Kale Parsley
Cardamom Coriander Lamb Peaches
Cayenne Dates Leek Spelt
Cherries Dill Lychee Quinoa
Chestnuts Fennel Mustard
If you have Dampness, AVOID these foods:

Dairy Soy products Sweeteners Butter
Tofu Pineapples Oils
Raw/cold foods Beer Peanuts
Concentrated juices Pork/rich meat Sugars
Yeast Wheat flour
If you have Dampness, EAT these foods:

Aduki beans Daikon Pumpkin Walnuts
Alfalfa Garlic Quail Watercress
Almonds Horseradish Radish
Anchovy Kidney beans
Rice
Asparagus Lemon
Mackerel Rye
Barley
Mushrooms Thyme
Basil
Onions Turnips
Buckwheat
Olives Seaweed
Cardamom
Celery Peppermint Shrimp
Coriander Peas Squash
If you have PMS or Clotting, AVOID these foods:

Soy products Sugar Dairy
Alcohol Processed foods Salt
Caffeine White flour Butter
If you have PMS or Clotting, EAT these foods:

Chestnut Leek Radish Turmeric
Chives Mustard leaf Rose Vinegar
Onions
Crab Saffron
Peaches
Eggplant Scallion
All of our patients should be building a foundation for fertility by eating these foods:
Almonds Congee Leafy Greens Mushrooms
Beef Dates Lentils Squash
Cherries Eggs Quinoa Trout
Chicken Figs Brown Rice Salmon
Chickpea Grapes Sweet Yams
Potatoes
Food Tips:
 The foods we’ve listed in this handout are just examples to get you started, not comprehensive lists. If
you have a question about what property a food has, ask us!
 Cook your food whenever you can. This helps your body process your meal without having to expend as
much energy on warming and digesting your food.
 Buy whole foods with as few ingredients in them as possible. They’ll be easier for your body to process
and will probably taste better anyways!
 Shop on the outside of the grocery store and avoid the aisles. All the fresh stuff is around the edge of the
store, while aisles typically have processed, packaged foods with fewer nutrients.
 Eat foods appropriate for your condition, based on what you and your acupuncturist have discussed.
Have questions about your diagnosis or need help planning your meals? Never hesitate to contact us!
512.302.5600 or admin@texasfertilityacupuncture.com

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Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture

Fertility Foodie Cheat Sheet

Have too much heat? EAT these cooling foods:

Have too much cold? EAT these warming foods:

If you have Dampness, AVOID these foods:

If you have Dampness, EAT these foods:

If you have PMS or Clotting, AVOID these foods:

If you have PMS or Clotting, EAT these foods:

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