Yin and Yang Foods

Yin and Yang terms have been used during centuries in Tibet, China, Corea, Japan and Taiwan to describe two opposite strengths and complementary at the same time, which are present on every natural phenomena.

Yin/Yang principle is applicable to foods that you have but also to your own state. This way you can determine if your current state is more Yin (tired, slow, quiet) or more Yang (aggressive, impatient, obstinate) and balance by eating food that represent the opposite.

Yin y Yang

To determine how you currently feel, check out these columns. If you feel more identified  with one of them it means that you are feeling more Ying or Yang.

YIN                                                               YANG
Nervous                                                        Inflexible
Worried                                                        Demanding
Shy                                                                Not reasonable
Emotional                                                   Impatient
Lack of concentration                               Aggressive
Indecisive                                                    Irritable
Lack of memory                                         Impulsive

Yin and Yang Foods

The next step is to determine which kind of food you need to eat generally to balance your current state. Yin and Yang nature of a food can change depending on how it’s cooked. Other food are not Yin nor Yang, they are described as “balanced”.

 YIN foods features

– Increased potassium
– Prefer warm or hot climates
– They grow faster
– They grow larger
– They grow higher
– They are softer
– Aqueous
– They Grow up
– They Grow horizontally underground
– They have larger leaves

YANG foods feautures

– Increased sodium
– They prefer cool or cold climates
– They grow more slowly
– They are smaller
– They are lower
– They are harder
– They are drier
– They Grow horizontally above the ground
– They grow vertically underground
– They have smaller leaves

Ying and Yang – Cooking

Cooking Worldwide is based on 4 factors: Fire, time, pressure and salt
The combination of these four factors is what makes raw ingredients become a meal.

1. The more intense the fire the more Yang the food becomes.
2. If a dish requires little time the result is more Yin.
3. Pressure (cooker) is not recommended for cooking yin foods such as vegetables.
4. The most savory dishes are usually Yang.

An example: Salmon (fish) is a relatively Yang food. If you cook with heat for a while and add salt, the result will be a quite Yang dish. The salmon is extremely Yang, unlike raw salmon (used for sashimi) which is totally Yin.

Macrobiotics for Beginners, by Jon Sandifer, Founder of The Macrobiotic Association of Great Britain.