Do you eat food right out of the refrigerator?

It is common knowledge in China that women should avoid consuming cold food or drink (meaning food right from the fridge) in order to prevent menstrual cramps.  Ingesting cold food slows down blood circulation in the abdomen causing what TCM calls Blood Stasis or Invasion of Cold in the Uterus.   These cold foods can also affect the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine and therefore create all kinds of digestive problems.   Examples of cold food and drink would be ice cream, slurpees, smoothies, and drinks with ice in them or even a salad made with ingredients from right out of the fridge.  In China, both men and women know overconsumption of these foods can cause diarrhea, and for sensitive people even just one serving can give them grief.

It is also important to consider the temperature nature of foods as well.  Regardless of whether a certain food comes from the fridge or the oven, it still has an intrinsic temperature nature of hot, warm, neutral, cool, or cold.  This is discussed more under the topic Dietary Therapy.