@sarajaneho: Eating cold or raw foods at the start of your period can actually make symptoms worse. In Chinese medicine, menstruation is a time when qi and blood are moving downward and outward—often described as the uterus being “open.” During this phase, your yang energy (the body’s warming, active force) naturally dips, leaving you in a more yin, vulnerable, and cooling state. Adding more cold on top of that can constrict blood flow and slow uterine circulation, which is why it often leads to cramping, clotting, or fatigue—even if you normally run hot. I’ve felt it myself: one bite of ice cream or a sip of something cold, and a cramp shows up almost immediately. What the body needs instead is warmth to keep blood moving smoothly, so this is the time for soups and broths, cooked vegetables, gentle warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric, and warm teas—as you all know my go-to is ginger, goji berry, and red date brew. Listen to the full conversation on Mind Your Manners podcast “Cold Drinks, Blood Sugar Spikes & the Food Mistakes Women Make” Keep your uterus warm with our new Antevorta thermos available exclusively in the USA on www.antevorta.us

Sara Jane Ho

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Region: US

Sunday 08 February 2026 21:20:26 GMT