Nutrition in Traditional Chinese Medicine # 2

Foods are constantly being put in different categories.  They may be meat or vegetable, organic or non-organic, carbohydrate or protein, local or foreign, heavy or light…the categories are endless.  But in China there is one category that they have had for thousands of years that we are only beginning to understand, and that is Yin and Yang foods.

Yin foods include asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, watermelon, tropical fruits, raw fruits and vegetables, soy products, many types of seafood and pork.  They are bitter, salty and light.  They are also ‘cooling’ on the body.  Yang foods have a warming effect on the body.  They are strong, rich and spicy e.g. beef, chicken, lamb, fatty meats, oxtail, lobster, eggs, pepper, scallions, garlic, ginger and pungent spices.  Neutral foods include cabbage, carrots, lemons, rice, whole grains, black beans, peanuts and bread.

Foods can be changed from yin to yang (and yang to yin!) depending on what they are cooked with and by different cooking methods.  For example, most seafood is ‘coolish’ in nature (but there are some exceptions e.g. shrimp).  When seafood is cooked with ginger, scallions, rice wine, cilantro, black pepper and/or vinegar, this changes the food from a ‘cool’ food to a ‘warm’ food.  Stir-frying, roasting and grilling are the most ‘warming’ methods of cooking.

Foods can also be considered tonics to help strengthen the system.
Energy Tonics:  beef, chicken, shiitake mushrooms and string beans.  These foods are great if you are low in energy, or if your internal organs aren’ t functioning efficiently.
Blood Tonics:  beef, liver, eggs, oysters, and pig’s trotters.  Great for those who may suffer from poor absorption of nutrients from their food, or from excessive bleeding.
Yin Tonics:  asparagus, tofu, tropical fruits, pork, shrimp, and tomatoes. For those who may have a shortage of fluid from chronic illness or excessive sex!
Yang Tonics:  very yang foods are beef kidney, cinnamon, lobster, oxtail and eggs. For those lacking yang energy in the kidneys, these foods are essential for body warmth during old age or chronic illness.