Yin yang is one of the underlying theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this article, we’ll be covering yin yang theory applied to food. Choosing the right foods will support your balance of yin and yang and improve your health.
1. Qualities of the Food
The easiest way to identify whether a food is yin or yang is to look at the food itself. If the food is physically soft, it is yin. If the food is physically hard, it is yang.
Blue, green, or purple foods are more generally cooling (yin) than red, orange, and yellow foods. For instance, a green apple would be more cooling than a red apple.
Animal foods as a whole tend to be more warming (yang) than plants. Movement is yang, and animals can move whereas plants cannot. Active animals (like chickens) are more yang than calm animals (like pigs), so poultry is more yang than pork.
2. Taste of the Food
Spicy, sour, and sweet foods are yang. Please note sweet does not refer to refined sugars but rather the natural sweetness of whole foods. Sweetness as referenced in classical Chinese texts describes the flavor of grains and meats.
Bitter and salty foods are yin, and salt itself is yin. Herbs and spices also influence the taste of food and have their unique yin and yang profiles.
3. Water Content
Foods with high water content (like tomatoes) are soft and cooling. On the contrary, foods with low water content (like peanuts) are hard and warming. For plant foods, the root is hard while the leaves are soft. For example, beetroot would be more warming than the cool beet greens.
So, eating fresh or dried foods makes a difference. Dehydrating and drying foods takes away the water, making the food more warming. For example, fresh shiitake mushrooms are yin, while dried shiitake mushrooms are yang.
4. How It Grew
Plant foods growing upward (like spinach) and towards the sun are yin. Think of them as needing the sunlight to balance their cool nature. Conversely, foods growing away from the sun (like sweet potatoes) are yang. These foods are inherently warming and don’t want more sunlight. As a whole, slow-growing plants are more warming than quick-growing ones.
For animal foods, animals raised in confinement are more yin than animals raised naturally. Bear in mind that conventionally raised animals have additives in their feed which only disturb the yin and yang of the human body–yet another reason to choose pasture-raised animal products.
5. Where and When It Grew
Yin foods grow in warm times of the year (spring and summer). Yang foods grow in cold times of the year (autumn and winter). Summer squash like zucchini and chayote are yin, while winter squash like butternut squash and acorn squash are yang.
Yang foods tend to grow in colder areas farther from the equator, while yin foods tend to grow in warmer areas closer to the equator. Tropical foods (like bananas) are generally yin while cold-resistant foods (like carrots) are generally yang.
Foods that grow near or in the water lean towards yin, while foods that grow in the earth lean towards yang. So, duck is more yin than chicken. The moisture-loving watercress is more yin than the drought-resistant quinoa. And, seafood in general is more yin than foods from land animals.
Observe All the Characteristics
Distinguishing between yin and yang foods will help you choose the best foods for your physical constitution. No matter the season or location, you’ll properly satisfy your body’s needs by choosing the right food options.
None of the ways are stand-alone determining factors of food’s nature. When considering if a food is yin or yang, observe all these characteristics:
1. Qualities of the food (yin is soft; yang is hard)
2. Taste of the food (yin is bitter and salty; yang is spicy, sour, and sweet)
3. Water content (yin has high water content; yang has low water content)
4. How it grew (yin grows towards the sun; yang grows away from the sun)
5. Where and when it grew (yin grows in warmer areas; yang grows in colder areas)
Once you’ve learned to distinguish between yin and yang foods, double-check your inferences with my yin and yang foods list. When you’re ready, combine these foods to level up your cooking and prepare yin yang balanced meals!