Yin yang is a core component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is an overarching framework that can be applied to just about anything. Today, we’ll be taking a yin yang perspective in the kitchen to improve our cooking. Selecting the right foods, preparation methods, cooking oils, seasonings, and drinks are all crucial in balancing your body’s yin and yang.
The principles are ranked by their effect on the energy of the dish. If considering all these factors proves overwhelming, just keep in mind the first few for the greatest impact on your cooking.
1. The Nature of Foods
The food is the greatest contributor to the overall energy of your meal. Be sure you accurately identify the yin yang tendencies of foods so you can choose the optimal foods for your dish. This list of 200+ yin and yang foods may be helpful to consider.
Typically, you want to pair cooling and warming foods together for a balancing effect. Many classic dishes unknowingly use this concept: beef (yang) and asparagus (yin), bell peppers (yang) and mushrooms (yin), and chicken (yang) and broccoli (yin).
However, if you’re trying to correct an imbalance (whether external or internal), pair cool with cool or warm with warm. On a hot summer afternoon, you may crave a tomato cucumber salad. Or on a chilly winter morning, a bowl of hot oatmeal with walnuts may just do the trick.
2. The Nature of Preparation Methods
Preparation methods can add yin or yang to the food and change the energetic profile greatly. What was once yin can turn yang, and vice versa. Cooking methods requiring more time or higher temperatures are generally warming. And ones that rely on dry heat and use little water are even more warming.
Though most preparation methods add yang, preparing foods raw or frozen adds yin. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cautions against preparing foods raw as it is often too cold for the digestive system. That said, raw dishes can have their place in times of excess yang.
Cold (strong yin) methods: frozen and raw.
Cool (yin) methods: chill, ferment, marinate, and sprout.
Neutral methods: blanch, boil, poach, simmer, and steam.
Warm (yang) methods: bake, braise, broil, dehydrate, pan-fry, roast, sauté, smoke, stew, and stir-fry.
Hot (strong yang) methods: deep-fry, grill, and sear.
I hope you notice the pattern–light and quick cooking is more cooling while long and intense cooking is more warming.
3. The Nature of Oils
Animal oils are warming because they come from moving organisms, and movement is yang. On the flipside, plant-based oils tend to be more cooling,
Yin oils: coconut oil and sesame oil.
Neutral oils: avocado oil, nut oil (almond, macadamia, peanut), olive oil, palm oil, and seed oil (canola, corn, cottonseed, flaxseed, grapeseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower).
Yang oils: butter, ghee (clarified butter), lard (pork fat), schmaltz (poultry fat), and tallow (beef, lamb, mutton fat).
Just because seed oils are considered neutral doesn’t mean you should be using them. Nowadays, seed oils are produced industrially with extreme heat and numerous chemicals, making them rancid and toxic.
Prior to modern times, seed oils could only be extracted from oily seeds (sesame and flax) with a slow-moving stone press. It is these expeller-pressed seed oils Chinese medicine is referring to, and it is only these I would recommend using.
4. The Nature of Seasonings
Most seasonings are warming, with the major exception of salt which is strong yin. Perhaps it’s why salt and black pepper (strong yang) is such a popular combination. Since salt is essential for flavor, we add it to almost every dish. It’s useful that the bulk of spices, herbs, and condiments are warming so we can counterbalance the yin of salt.
Cold (strong yin) seasonings: salt and soy sauce.
Cool (yin) seasonings: marigold, marjoram, mint, nettle, and peppermint.
Neutral seasonings: coriander, honey, lemon, lime, saffron, and white sugar.
Warm (yang) seasonings: aniseed, basil, bay leaf, brown sugar, caraway, cardamom, carob, chive seed, cilantro, clove, cumin, dill seed, fennel seed, fenugreek, grapefruit peel, hawthorn, juniper, lemon peel, miso, molasses, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, parsley, rice syrup, rosemary, safe, savory, Sichuan pepper, star anise, thyme, turmeric, and vinegar.
Hot (strong yang) seasonings: black pepper, cinnamon, galangal, garlic, ginger, horseradish, mustard seed, and white pepper.
When in doubt, the seasoning is probably warming.
5. The Nature of Beverages
Don’t neglect the effect of mealtime beverages. The most common yin yang imbalance in this category is caused by drinking ice water. Water is yin and drinking it at such a low temperature further adds to that yin and dampens the digestive fire. You’ll notice Eastern cultures almost never drink ice water, and this is precisely why.
The other end of the spectrum is alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are the most warming and should be consumed sparingly to avoid excess yang.
As a general rule, since beverages are liquid and already lean towards yin, opt for room-temperature/warm drinks.
Cold (strong yin) beverages: chrysanthemum tea, dandelion tea, ice water, and lemon balm tea.
Cool (yin) beverages: beer, chamomile tea, elderflower tea, green tea, limeflower tea, milk, peppermint tea, rosehip tea, and room-temperature water.
Neutral beverages: black tea, oolong tea, soy milk, and warm water.
Warm (yang) beverages: coffee, hot water, jasmine tea, sake, star anise tea, and wine.
Hot (strong yang) beverages: spirits.
Holistic Meals
With all these principles in mind, you’re well-equipped to shape the yin yang of your meals. Your body’s yin yang needs are ever-changing like the seasons, so be prepared to change the energy profiles of your meals accordingly.
Combining these principles, we can maintain balance and health in even the most unbalancing environments. Below are a couple of examples of these principles in action.
During the coldest winter nights, warm yourself up with some spicy cumin lamb:
- The nature of foods: lamb and chili peppers (strong yang)
- The nature of preparation methods: roast (yang)
- The nature of oils: tallow (yang)
- The nature of seasonings: salt, cumin, black pepper, and garlic (overall yang)
- The nature of drinks: hot water (yang)
During the dog days of summer, beat the heat with Caprese salad:
- The nature of foods: tomatoes and cheese (yin)
- The nature preparation methods: raw (strong yin)
- The nature of oils: olive oil (neutral)
- The nature of seasonings: salt, mint, and basil (overall yin)
- The nature of drinks: room-temperature water (yin)
There are millions of combinations of food, seasoning, and drink, each with its own yin yang tendencies. Instead of memorizing every one, it’s better to rely on principles that can be applied to any meal.
Now let’s get cooking!
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