Yin Yang For Balanced Health

I studied traditional Chinese medicine and do-in (ancient form of qi gong) a little when I was back in Japan. The whole idea is based on their philosophy of yin yang and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

The yin yang is still a foreign idea for many Americans. I think the idea can help develop our understanding of non-polarity, so in this article, I will explain it in a way that relates to everyone — foods. (Photo credit)

Yin yang basics

Yin is the energy that loosens up, the energy of the moon and female, that is soft, moist, and cooling. Yang is the energy that tightens up, the energy of the sun and male, that is hard, dry, and warming.

Yang is the potential of things and it moves around seeking manifestation (yin). Yin attracts and pulls in the yang energy, manifesting the potential. Men may have the seeds, but it’s the women who conceive and give birth to new lives

Yin Yang and health

Men inherently have more yang energy than women. Women, with more inherent yin energy, tend to get stuck in yin, which may manifest as overweight problem, coldness (especially in lower abdomen and feet) and depression. Men, on the other hand, tend to “burn up”, which may manifest as boldness, hyper tension, and difficulty in anger management.

We tend to lose life energy as we age, especially yang energy. So men start to have more yin related issues around their 40s, while women get stuck even deeper in their yin issues.

Of course, there are individual variations. Some men are heavy on yang. Think of the red faced mascot outside the bar. With that much of yang, he craves to be cooled down with beer. But some men are more balanced. Similarly, some women are very yin. They have so much manifestation energy they hardly “do” anything. (Kind of a modern “witch”, I guess.)

The yin yang in a person changes depending on the seasons, their life situations, and . . . their foods.

(Also, there seems to be differences between the races, too. This is not something ancient Chinese figured out — they never met white nor black people. But I really think Asians tend to be more yin. Black people are very yang. The question is white people — thinking of their fair coloring, you would think they are yin, but I find many white people to be quite yang.)

Yin yang is not the opposite

At first glance, yin yang appears to be yet another pair of polarities. But it is best understood to be two directions on one spectrum. There are very few 100% yin nor 100% yang. The ancient Chinese sage says, “The full moon is the beginning of the waning of the moon, and the new moon has the potential of waxing to be the full moon. Likewise, there is yang in yin and yin in yang.” The tai chi symbol visually shows this concept.

My friend Lisa, the Mommy Mystic, wrote an excellent article that there are no opposites. Everything is on the spectrum and is various aspect of one unity.

Yin Yang food

So when we apply the yin yang philosophy to healthy eating, we want to seek balance of the yin yang. Not that any food on the spectrum is bad. We want to assess our own yin yang status and choose foods that balance us.

There are yin yang food list on the internet, but I think it’s better to understand the principles so that you can apply them to any foods, that may not be on the list.

More Yin
Produce that comes from the tropical and sub-tropical regions are yin. This includes bananas, mangos, papayas, pineapples, coconuts and avocados. Also sugar (sugar cane), chocolate (cacao) and coffee.

Produce that grows in the summer sun are yin. This includes many “fruit” vegetables such as tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, eggplants.

Icy cold foods are high yin.

More yang
Most animal foods are yang, especially red meat. Exceptions are shell fish such as crabs and shrimps.

Produce that grows in the ground are yang. This includes root vegetables such as carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Cooking heat increases yang. So does sun drying.

Spices increases yang. Spicy produce such as ginger roots, onions, and peppers are very yang.

Salt decreases yin by pulling out the foods’ water. (Himalayan salt, the ancient sea salt that has been “heated” by the earth is very yang.)

Also, lighter color fools are more yin. For example, white daikon radish is more yin even though they grow in the ground. Poultry is more yin than red meat, making them neutral. Milk is white but when they are cultured to be yellowish cheese (naturally, of course), they become more yang. Tofu is very yin. Tempe is more yang.

Greens are neutral (slightly yin). Most grains are neutral.

Raw food diet problems and yin yang

I started to eat high raw vegetarian early last year. I did fine in spring and summer, when the yang energy was abundant in the atmosphere. Things got difficult in fall, however. I felt unstable. On some days, I just felt weak. With the many rainy days in the Northwest, I felt depressed.

Too much yin!

I think this is the major issue with raw food diet. It tends to be very yin. It works wonders to people who are high yang, but not to everyone all the time, I guess.

So this year, I am decreasing my raw rate, eating more cooked grains, beans, and root vegetables.

More about how I am applying yin yang to my healthy eating

Also, I am incorporating more local produce. I choose berries, apples, and pears over tropical fruits. (It doesn’t mean I will never eat a banana. It’s about balance.)

I am also considering to get dark maple syrup as the primary sweetener. It’s definitely more yang than sugar and agave (another tropical plants). Or maybe inulin from chicory root works as a sweetener. (Note: Inulin is a highly refined product, so you wouldn’t want to take too much amount of it.)

When the summer sun comes out, I might dry some vegs on the deck. This might make wonderful preserved foods for the winter.

And, it’s not about eating, but I am very mindful to get out to have some sunshine. The sun is the ultimate yang. (For those of you suffering with too much yang, you might want to cool down by semi burying yourself in the cool soil, or at least sitting or lying on the ground. The Mother Earth is yin.)

Does this yin yang info help you? Do you have any questions?