I got this information from a Chinese food website and it tells us the foods to avoid before consulting a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor. I hope you’ll find it useful.
1. Don’t drink cow’s milk and soy bean milk. Drinking these will cause the tongue’s coating to turn white and may result in a misdiagnosis.
2. Don’t eat olives, dried plums and China bayberries. These foods can easily cause the tongue to take on a black colour which will then result in the wrong diagnosis.
3. Don’t drink any alcohol or consume any food that’s too cold or hot. Alcohol and beverages that are too hot will increase the rate of blood circulation and cause the tongue to turn red. It also increases your pulse rate and affect the diagnosis. This also applies to foods that are too hot or cold.
4. Don’t drink coffee, eat mandarin oranges or any type of food that’s yellow in colour. Doing so will cause the tongue to turn yellow and result in a misdiagnosis.
5. Don’t eat peanuts, melon seeds and walnuts. These foods that are high in fat content will cause the coating of the tongue to turn white which will lead to a wrong diagnosis.
6. Don’t go to a TCM doctor immediately after a meal. After a meal, your pulse rate tends to be slower, and the tongue’s coating becomes thinner and redder. Certain types of food are also prone to changing the tongue’s colour and appearance, which will mislead the TCM doctor in his/her diagnosis. It is best to consult the doctor at least one hour after a meal.
7. Don’t go to a TCM doctor after having engaged in a session of vigorous physical activitiy. Your body’s state at that time will affect the doctor’s taking of your pulse and might mask other underlying health problems. It’s advisable to rest for at least half an hour after exercise and allow the body’s blood circulatory system to be at a resting rate before seeing the doctor.
For the original article in Chinese, go here.