Gynological Health: Dietary Guidelines

• Eat a diet of warm, cooked foods. Be particularly careful not to eat cold, raw foods during your period — it only increases cramping and discomfort.
• Avoid excess dairy products to decrease dampness and to strengthen the Spleen.
• Eliminate caffeine and drink a minimum of alcohol — which increases PMS symptoms and is linked to increased breast cancer risk. Artificial stimulants of all kinds amplify gynecological disharmonies causing Liver Qi Stagnation and Liver and Heart Fire.
• Eat a low-fat diet — since excess body fat increases estrogen production and can lead to various gynecological problems. A fatty diet can also increase Qi stagnation and dampness, which is associated with depression and lack of energy.
• Increase fiber and grain in diet to avoid premenstrual constipation.
• Eliminate excess salt from diet to ease water retention. Pure foods contribute enough salt to the diet to maintain health. The use of processed and packaged foods and the addition of salt to home-cooked meals is unnecessary and can be detrimental to your health. According to the Five Phases diagnoses, excess salt injures the Kidney Water, counteracts with Earth and injures the Spleen.