Blue Ova Health Fertility Education Blog

Blue Ova named to San Francisco Magazine’s  “Best Bay Area Acupuncture Centers”.

Robin Sheared

Nourishing Bone Broth

Nourishing Bone Broth

Bone broth has been used for centuries in many traditional cultures as a healing, and fertility-enhancing food. Drinking a cup of bone broth daily will have a tremendous impact on your fertility, pregnancy and postnatal health. 

When you cook down the bones of an animal into a broth, the bone marrow and its nutrients—namely fat, protein and trace minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur—seep out into the broth making it a rich, nutrient dense, fertility boosting concoction. These nutrients are vital for creating healthy new life.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a nourishing, warming, bowl of Butternut squash soup and a side of creamy, delicious twice-baked sweet potatoes. With the fall harvest in full swing and our lives in constant motion as the holidays draw near, these recipes are the perfect way to slow down and bring some balance into our lives. The key ingredient of both dishes are the pumpkin seeds, as they are known in Chinese Medicine to especially benefit the kidney and improve the reproductive system in both men and women. 

Seed Cycling for Fertility

Seed Cycling for Fertility

Seeds are a wonderful, easy, and a delicious way to support the body in finding its natural composure. Seed cycling is designed to support hormone production, regulate menstrual cycles, and can even help reduce PMS symptoms. Incorporating seeds into our diet helps promote hormone balance which guide our cycles. 

Foods for your Cycle

Foods for your Cycle

Syncing the food you eat with your cycle is a excellent way to bring mindful eating and supportive nourishment to your body while focusing on fertility.  A healthier cycle is the prerequisite for improving fertility and a healthy pregnancy. Supporting each phase helps you to maintain a regular healthy menstrual cycle, balance your hormones and sustain the health of your eggs and lining.

Pears for Lung Health

Pears for Lung Health

Grab a pear for lung health! Most of Northern California is currently inundated with smoke from the fires. The smoke has caused air quality in the Bay Area to reach unhealthy levels as bad as Beijing. In Chinese Medicine certain foods can be eaten to balance certain internal organs.  Pear is one of the foods that can help lung function.

Maca

Maca

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe introduces a few ways to get the super-food, Maca, into your body daily. As we begin the transition out of the summer months, our bodies begin to crave the nourishment and warmth of this wonderful fall snack. Maca originated high in the Peruvian mountains of South America, and according to ancient Incan history, has been used for its wonderful healing properties, which are believed to enhance energy and stamina. 

Lean Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry

Lean Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a warming bowl of Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce, perfect for the transition into the fall season. In Chinese medicine, cabbage is a food with incredible healing power, in that it benefits the body as a whole while building the blood.This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a warming bowl of Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce, perfect for the transition into the fall season. In Chinese medicine, cabbage is a food with incredible healing power, in that it benefits the body as a whole while building the blood.

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a wonderful festive dish of sweet and juicy watermelon salad paired with honey lime vinaigrette. In Chinese medicine, watermelons are a great summer food because they are known to clear summer heat and are a refreshing way to cool down.

Grilled Peaches

Grilled Peaches

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe comes just in time for the long 4th of July weekend, and is a perfect summer dish. In Chinese medicine, peaches are considered a yang, or warm, food that represents the energy responsible for warming and activating the body

Caramelized Scallops with Strawberry Salsa

Caramelized Scallops with Strawberry Salsa

For this last week of spring, our nutrition for fertility recipe is a nourishing dish of scallops topped with a refreshing strawberry salsa. In Chinese medicine, both scallops and strawberries contain many essential nutrients, which help promote fertility.   

Pineapple Shrimp Tacos

Pineapple Shrimp Tacos

This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a replenishing dish of pineapple and shrimp tacos with bean salad on the side. In Chinese medicine, pineapples have long since been used as a nutritional aid for fertility, as they reduce inflammation throughout the body, including in the uterus. As well, shrimp is packed with essential fatty acids important for fertility and fetal development.

Grilled Sardines Served With Agrodolce

Grilled Sardines Served With Agrodolce

The long awaited transition from winter to spring has finally come. As we treasure the beauty of spring, we embrace this time of rejuvenation, renewal and new beginnings. This week’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a refreshing grilled sardine dish. In Chinese medicine, sardines are considered a yin food, which is cooling and moves energy down and in, producing grounding and calming effects.  

Cottage Pie with Mashed Cauliflower

Cottage Pie with Mashed Cauliflower

This week's nutrition for fertility recipe is our nourishing take on Cottage Pie, using immunity boosting mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. Made with wholesome ingredients, this pie is sure to bring about a warming, cozy atmosphere in your home. In Chinese medicine, duck meat heavily nourishes the yin of the body, and regulates water metabolism by simultaneously nourishing the lungs, spleen and kidneys. This hearty dish will deeply nourish, warm and rejuvenate the body as we take our passage into spring.

Grilled Hanger Steak with Kimchi-Apple Slaw

Grilled Hanger Steak with Kimchi-Apple Slaw

This week's nutrition for fertility recipe is a refreshing and nutritious Grilled Steak. As we begin our passage into spring, what better way to strengthen and restore our essence than a wonderful, warming, steak. In Chinese Medicine, beef is known to tonify the chi, strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness, while also strengthening the bones and tendons.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup

This month’s nutrition for fertility recipe is a festive and delicious carrot ginger soup. As we approach the darkest day of the year, and the cold weather has set in, we encourage more nourishing soups and warming foods to boost fertility.

Curried Root Stew

Curried Root Stew

As we enter the cooler seasons, warming soups and stews create the internal heat that we need to regulate our body temperature and prepare for conception. A wonderfully satisfying meal during the chilly fall and winter months, homemade root vegetable stews nourishes the body.

Easy and Nourishing Congee

Easy and Nourishing Congee

Congee  (also known as jook) is a term that means “rice water.” It is a simple method of overcooking grains into a creamy rice porridge. It is an excellent remedy for strengthening digestion, improves overall metabolism, removing excess fluids and warming the digestive organs. Other ingredients can be added to create delicious and nutritious meals.