The Compendium of Kāśyapa 3.7.9

She should occupy herself with gentle, beneficial, and pleasing stories, and she should be surrounded by congenial attendants; thus she gives birth to the desired offspring. But she who desires a dark-complexioned son with reddish eyes and a broad chest, or a black-complexioned one—in that case, there should be similar treatment with regard to food, clothing, flowers, ornaments, and contemplation of a corresponding region. But to those who desire a daughter, one should give barley gruel; those prepared with milk, water, and sesame promote complexion. Complexions other than fair, dark, and black are censured.

Food is of four kinds, based on the six tastes, and of twenty varieties due to the differentiation of heavy, light, cold, hot, unctuous, dry, dull, sharp, stable, mobile, soft, hard, clear, slimy, smooth, rough, minute, gross, dense, and liquid. By it, the bodily tissues, from the skin to semen, are nourished.

Their increase is brought about by like [substances] and by compatible food. But with respect to the bodily tissues such as vāta, other

bodily tissues become nourished: meat being consumed [promotes] meat, blood [promotes]

blood; yet that is undesirable out of fear of demerit. One should instead nourish the depleted bodily tissues through pure foods possessing those qualities. In depletion of semen, the use of milk, clarified butter, and other sweet, unctuous, and life-promoting substances