200+ Yin and Yang Foods List

August 7, 2022
TCM
4 minute read

Before we jump in, I want to highlight the importance of understanding how to distinguish between yin and yang foods. Though 200 foods is certainly a lot, it is a small fraction of all the foods known to mankind. Knowing the framework to determine a food’s nature is much more powerful than rote memorization. 

This list is meant to be a starter kit for you to verify that you are discerning yin foods and yang foods with relative accuracy. It’s not meant as the end all be all. 

You may conclude a food is yin when the list says it is neutral, and your conclusion is just as valid. Slight differences in the temperature, mineral composition of the soil, and even the ripening stage can completely change a food’s yin yang profile. 

Don’t let small deviations bother you but instead keep your eye on the bigger patterns. For instance, you may notice foods with “water” in their name (like watercress and water chestnut) are yin. Without further ado, let’s begin!

1-28: Cold (Strong Yin)

Cold animal foods

1. Clam

2. Crab

3. Mullet

4. Sea urchin

5. Snail

Cold grains, legumes, and nuts

6. Mung bean

7. Wheat germ

Cold vegetables

8. Bamboo shoot

9. Bitter melon

10. Cucumber

11. Dandelion leaf

12. Konjac

13. Lotus root

14. Mung bean sprout

15. Rhubarb

16. Tomato

17. Water chestnut

18. Water spinach

19. Water spinach

20. Watercress

Cold fruits

21. Banana

22. Cantaloupe

23. Cranberry

24. Gooseberry

25. Honeydew

26. Persimmon

27. Sugarcane

28. Watermelon

29-89: Cool (Yin)

Cool animal foods

29. Cheese

30. Cream

31. Duck

32. Duck egg

33. Frog

34. Goose

35. Jellyfish

36. Lamb liver

37. Milk

38. Octopus

39. Rabbit

40. Yogurt

Cool grains, legumes, and nuts

41. Amaranth

42. Barley

43. Buckwheat

44. Chia seed

45. Kamut

46. Lima bean

47. Millet

48. Seitan

49. Tofu

50. Wheat

51. Wheat bran

52. Wild rice

Cool vegetables

53. Alfalfa sprout

54. Asparagus

55. Beet greens

56. Bok choy

57. Broccoli

58. Celery

59. Chinese broccoli

60. Daikon

61. Eggplant

62. Endive

63. Lettuce

64. Luffa

65. Mushroom

66. Napa cabbage

67. Okra

68. Plantain

69. Radish

70. Seaweed

71. Spinach

72. Summer squash

73. Swiss chard

74. Zucchini

Cool fruits

75. Apple

76. Blackcurrant

77. Blueberry

78. Coconut

79. Grapefruit

80. Kiwi

81. Mangosteen

82. Mulberry

83. Orange

84. Pear

85. Pineapple

86. Pomelo

87. Starfruit

88. Strawberry

89. Tamarind

90-172: Neutral

Neutral animal foods

90. Abalone

91. Beef liver

92. Beef tripe

93. Beltfish

94. Carp

95. Chicken egg

96. Cod

97. Crawfish

98. Cuttlefish

99. Loach

100. Mackerel

101. Oyster

102. Perch

103. Pigeon egg

104. Pollock

105. Pork

106. Pork heart

107. Pork kidney

108. Pork trotter

109. Quail egg

110. Salmon

111. Sardine

112. Scallop

113. Sea bass

114. Sea cucumber

115. Sturgeon

116. Tuna

117. Turtle

118. Yellow croaker

Neutral grains, legumes, and nuts

119. White rice

120. Rye

121. Soybean

122. Almond

123. Pumpkin seed

124. Adzuki bean

125. Black bean

126. Black sesame

127. Black-eyed pea

128. Broad bean

129. Brown rice

130. Cashew

131. Chickpea

132. Flaxseed

133. Gingko nut

134. Hazelnut

135. Hemp seed

136. Kidney bean

137. Lentil

138. Sunflower seed

139. White sesame

Neutral vegetables

140. Artichoke

141. Beetroot

142. Brussel sprout

143. Cabbage

144. Cauliflower

145. Chinese yam

146. Corn

147. Daylily

148. Kale

149. Kohlrabi

150. Olive

151. Pea

152. Potato

153. String bean

154. Sunchoke

155. Taro

156. Turnip

157. Winter melon

158. Wood ear

159. Yam

Neutral fruits

160. Apricot

161. Avocado

162. Blackberry

163. Cherry

164. Date

165. Fig

166. Grape

167. Loquat

168. Mango

169. Papaya

170. Plum

171. Pomegranate

172. Raspberry

173-220: Warm (Yang)

Warm animal foods

173. Anchovy

174. Beef

175. Beef kidney

176. Bison

177. Chicken

178. Chicken liver

179. Eel

180. Lamb kidney

181. Lobster

182. Mussel

183. Pheasant

184. Pigeon

185. Pork liver

186. Pork tripe

187. Quail

188. Shrimp

189. Turkey

Warm grains, legumes, and nuts

190. Chestnut

191. Glutinous rice

192. Oat

193. Peanut

194. Pine nut

195. Pistachio

196. Quinoa

197. Sorghum

198. Spelt

199. Tempeh

200. Walnut

Warm vegetables

201. Bell pepper

202. Carrot

203. Chive

204. Fennel bulb

205. Green onion

206. Leek

207. Mustard leaf

208. Onion

209. Parsnip

210. Pumpkin

211. Sweet potato

212. Winter squash

Warm fruits

213. Guava

214. Jackfruit

215. Kumquat

216. Longan

217. Lychee

218. Nectarine

219. Peach

220. Quince

221-231: Hot (Strong Yang)

Hot animal foods

221. Caribou

222. Elk

223. Goat

224. Lamb

225. Moose

226. Reindeer

227. Trout

228. Venison

Hot grains, legumes, and nuts

229. Cocoa beans

Hot vegetables

230. Chili pepper

Hot fruits

231. Durian

Feed Yourself for a Lifetime

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” My hope is that by providing you an abundance of examples, you learn how to fish for yourself. 

When you feel you can differentiate between yin and yang foods, combine these foods to cook yin yang balanced meals.

Want My Customizable Yin Yang Food Chart?

Grab my chart containing everything mentioned in this list (and more).

Related Posts