Nutrition Guidelines for Liver Fire

In TCM, the liver is not only responsible for food metabolism and detoxification, but
also helps manage stress. Toxins that overload the liver generate heat, and can also lead
to anger. With a diagnosis of liver fire, it is best to keep the liver cool by stir-frying or
steaming food, in combination with eating small amounts of raw food, rather than
roasting, baking, or deep-frying.
For liver fire, the ratio of food groups should be as follows:
40-60% lightly cooked vegetables, some raw
30% complex carbohydrates
10% protein
Foods that Cool Liver Fire
Rice, millet, wheat, barley, oats
Celery, spinach, swiss chard, cucumber, lettuce, daikon radish, asparagus, eggplant,
cabbage, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts,
dandelion leaves, watercress, chrysanthemum, bamboo shoots, turnips, carrots,
purslane, water chestnuts, spirulina, kelp, seaweed, peppermint
apples, pears, watermelon, plums
tofu, tempeh, soy milk, yogurt
mung beans
crab, oysters, clams
Foods to Restrict or Avoid:
*highly processed food, oily and fatty food, artificial preservative and colourings
chilies, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, onions, shallots, leeks, cloves, wasabi
coffee, vinegar, mustard, horseradish, chocolate
lamb, large amounts of red meat, veal, shrimp, prawns
cheese, lard, margarine
citrus, peanuts