ARE WARM FOODS AND FEET GOOD FOR FERTILITY?

Jul 29

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Do cooked foods, warm drinks, and toasty feet really make you more fertile?

I can’t tell you how many people come into my office with super strict fertility diets and extreme lifestyle rules: NEVER eat raw foods. Say NO to ice. ALWAYS keep your feet warm. DON’T swim in cold water. Many times they’ve been sold on these very ideas by other “holistic” providers like naturopaths and acupuncturists.

So let’s talk about where this (spoiler — not helpful) advice comes from, and what the science really says about cooked foods, warm drinks, and warm feet for your fertility!

Oh, and notice I put “holistic” in quotes up there. Pushy and overwhelming dietary, supplement, and lifestyle advice is actually what I call faux holistic. Read all about how to spot faux holism and learn the much more fertile alternative.

Does avoiding cold and raw foods help fertility?

Nope. And this advice stems from a combination of two main things.

First, many traditional medicines predate consistent food safety — remember, refrigeration and preservation weren’t a given. So sure, if you were regularly risking food poisoning and contamination when eating raw and uncooked foods and drinks, it makes sense that healthcare providers of the time would advise you to cook everything to stay fertile and healthy. Food poisoning isn’t great for our overall wellness — kind of a no brainer. But jump ahead now to modern times and we have refrigerators, clean water, and loads of food safety measures, so it’s not the same.

Second, it IS true that you generally absorb more energy and nutrients when foods are cooked vs raw. It takes less chewing and digestion to break down cooked foods and certain nutrients are more bio-available. But, that’s still a vast oversimplification.

For example, you might get more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and compounds like lycopene when veggies are cooked. But on the flip side, Vitamin C, sulforaphane (a compound that prevents certain types of cancers and stomach ulcers), and polyphenols (which decrease heart disease) are all damaged or even destroyed by heat!

Plus, some ways of cooking — like steaming and boiling — are helpful, while frying ups the free radicals and other damage that foods do to our bodies. So it’s not as easy as just cooked or raw.

Debunk extreme fertility diets with logic.

So yes, traditional medicines say to only eat cooked foods and drinks. That’s why are there are loads of people trying to have soup for breakfast in mid-July in MN. But, there are also tons of people eating yogurt and granola with berries who are perfectly healthy and fertile. And you could argue that the probiotics from the yogurt, and the fiber and antioxidants from the berries, are every bit as fabulous for your health as the soup. Soup isn’t inherently good or bad. But I’d argue it’s way more enjoyable and good for the whole you to be seasonal and listen to your own likes and what your body says it feels best eating!

And while we’re on the subject of eating traditionally — why is no one recommend drinking fermented drinks like mead and wine? They too prevent waterborne microbes from wreaking havoc on our bodies, and actually have lots of antioxidants and benefits when consumed in moderation.

So we need to challenge what’s hypocritical and defies logic in both what we eat, and what we avoid. Making entire types or temperatures of food and drink either healthy or unhealthy hurts our quality of life, our joy in eating, and risks moving us towards orthorexia — which is an unhealthy fixation on eating “healthy” to the point of developing what is actually disordered eating.

Bodies really don’t like to feel scarcity and restriction when they’re being asked to say ‘yes’ to pregnancy. Pregnancy takes resources. If we’re approaching fertility in a way that makes us feel even less resourced and more restricted, it’s only hurting our odds.

So use common sense and think about what you really enjoy. What feels abundant and joyful and delicious? If boiling many types of veggies is technically the best way to help our bodies absorb the most nutrient from them, why aren’t we all having pureed carrots and eating baby food for fertility?

I’d argue because it’s gross and not needed and makes us enjoy our lives less instead of feeling fertile and awesome and thriving. And I’d rather eat in ways that make me feel joy, nourished, and whole. Wouldn’t you agree?

So let’s get holistic.

Let’s all take a step back and think about what we’re doing in a truly holistic way. Let’s get nuanced and think about our quality of life, and say ‘so long’ to all or nothing, extreme suggestions that are rarely good for our quality of life. Let’s find the sweet spot between history, culture, science, palatability, community, joy, and sanity!

Warm feet for better fertility?

So, does keeping your feet warm make for a warm uterus? If you’ve read up until here, I bet you already know the answer.

Again, this advice makes a ton of sense coming from a part of human history long ago where climate control wasn’t invented or a given. But that’s not how things are for most people today. If you’re afraid to cool down after taking a nice walk in the summer because someone told you “cold is bad for fertility,” or if you’re barely sleeping because you’re way too hot wearing socks to bed but you’re afraid it’ll hurt your uterus if you don’t keep them extra toasty — just say no.

Push back. Enjoy the seasons. Wear the warmest best fluffy socks when it’s winter in MN. But stick your feet in the cool pool and revel in the sweetness of summer. Listen to your actual body. Common sense and moderation is always going to win in the end!

If you want to learn the best nuanced ways to eat for optimal fertility, I’d love you to check out more of my content!

My Fertility and Elimination Diets video covers:

Food allergies vs food sensitivities
Problems with food sensitivity testing
Problems with elimination diets
3 things to do instead of elimination diets

And my fertility course The Baby You Want includes lessons on:

How Chinese medicine thinks about digestion and gut health
Why anxiety, digestion, and immune function are all linked to your gut
Why gut health is key for the body feeling resourced enough to get pregnant
Why PCOS and gut health are especially linked
My evidence-based best ever fertility diet
Ways to heal your gut if it has issues

A healthy and balanced gut is a great thing for fertility, mental health, immune function, and so much more — I’d love to teach you all about it!

With so much love,

Nicole

Nicole Lange

LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST
HOLISTIC FERTILITY EDUCATOR

Something I hear about or see online all of the time is: "My acupuncturist told me that I should only eat and drink cooked and warm foods and drinks." Or, "My acupuncturist told me I have to keep my feet, or even my whole body, warm to make sure that my uterus is warm enough to support a pregnancy."
Sadly, as well-meaning as this advice is, what it tends to do is create a whole lot of worry, guilt, suffering, self-blame, and more when a person has a salad or walks their dog on a windy day. Or just gets cold feet in the middle of a Minnesota winter even though she's wearing $30 wool socks. Can I get an amen my midwestern sisters?
So let's break this advice down and let me show you why you don't need to stress out about it or beat yourself up. And why you won't ruin your fertility if you don't take this advice. Heck, I'll even tell you what you should do instead.
Should I only eat cooked and warm foods and drinks?
The big thing to keep in mind on this one is that Chinese medicine is thousands of years old. And thousands of years ago we did not have refrigerators or vacuum sealers or microwaves. You get the idea.
So yes, it is a big part of TCM, that's traditional Chinese medicine, to only eat cooked foods. Cuz if you didn't cook them back then you could get real sick from food-borne illnesses. And that's not so great. Now, does this mean that modern people with modern food safety precautions should still eat only cooked foods and drinks when trying to get pregnant? No, not at all. You're good. Have the salad if that's what sounds good. Just wash the veggies first.
How about keeping your feet and body warm?
Again, TCM, thousands of years old. There wasn't central heating and keeping warm and protecting yourself from the elements was a big deal.TCM even calls cold an 'external evil.' Actually it calls extreme heat this same thing, an 'external evil,' because obviously it's a good idea to stay protected from extreme elements if we want to keep our bodies as abundant and robust and fertile as possible.
But we're not talking about one dog walk outside with some wet hair. We're talking pioneer winters and Arctic exploration.
Plus, the uterus is inside your pelvic cavity for a reason. Just like the testicles are outside the abdomen for a reason. Our bodies have evolved to make sure that our reproductive organs stay at the right temperature without our needing to help. I mean, think of all the people that live in extreme places and haven't gone extinct. So I don't care how hot or how cold you make your feet, your uterus is going to be just fine.
What's the big picture takeaway?
TCM has a lot of fabulous things to offer. It tells us to slow down, to listen to our bodies, to cultivate balance, and to honor our emotions. It is great to embrace the parts of this ancient medicine that really make us feel better and have stood the test of time. I've been an acupuncturist since 2006. I love helping people connect their dots. And acupuncture is pretty clearly a great tool for fertility with lots of research behind it.
But it's also super important to let go of the things that don't serve us everywhere on this journey. Stuff that's not as relevant because we live in the 21st century and not in the 18th. Or the eighth.
Overall, when it comes to how you eat and operate in the world, I would much, much rather a person pay attention to what their unique body is telling them. If you're cold all the time, work on building up your warmth and get extra cozy where you can because it feels good. If you're fiery and feisty on the other hand, nourish your coolant and don't worry about having to put on thick socks in the middle of a heat wave.
And on that note, pay attention to the weather and organically adjust your choices here too. Having a salad and a glass of ice tea while reading on the porch is really dreamy on a hot summer day. And straight up weird when it's freezing out. A lot of finding balance in infertility is about honoring your wisdom and finding the moderate and truly balanced way through a world that's telling you to do immoderate things, and pushing you towards imbalance.
If you want more ways to do all this, check out the video description. I'll be sure to include other lessons and places you can cultivate this ability. And you totally can. I promise.
You've got this.
I'm here to support you every single step of the way.