Overview
Did you know that Yin and
Yang, the principle at the
heart of Chinese philosophy,
applies to Chinese food and
cooking as well?
In Chinese medicine, all food can be divided into
four “Qi”s:
• Hot, warm, cool and cold; or
• yang, mild yang, mild yin and yin respectively.
* All photos courtesy of istockphoto

Yang Food vs Yin Food
YANG YIN
Improves blood Quenches thirst,
circulation and cleanse body and
warms us up. cools us down.
But Induce constant Lower our
if too thirst, hot flashes, metabolism and
much… night sweats and weaken our
constipation. bodies.
Let’s look at some examples of yin and yang food.

Grains & Beans
Mild Yang Just Right Mild Yin
glutinous rice, black rice, corn (maize), sweet potato, soy Wheat / flour, barley,
rice, sago, sorghum beans, rice beans, oat, long beans, mung beans, buckwheat,
sesame, sweet peas, kidney beans, millet
lentil

Meat & Dairy Products
Mild Yang Just Right Mild Yin Yin
beef, lamb (mutton), chicken egg and egg duck, abalone duck egg, crab, clam, octopus,
chicken, shrimp, white, pork, scallop, squid, escargots, raw food
lobster, mussels, goat fish, cow milk, yogurt
milk

Vegetables
Mild Yang Just Right Mild Yin Yin
spring onion, garlic, carrot, potato, taro, tomato, celery, egg plant, spinach, bok choy, arrowhead, water
leeks, coriander / mushroom, turnip*, asparagus, artichoke, cauliflower, tofu spinach, watercress, bamboo
parsley, onion, pumpkin black fungus* (and soy milk), lotus root, winter melon, shoots, seaweed, straw
cucumber, needle mushroom mushroom, bitter melon,
* Very mild Yin
water chestnut

Fruits and Nuts
Mild Yang Just Right Mild Yin Yin
peach, almond, dates, lychee, plum, grapes, olive, sunflower apple, pear, orange, persimmon, pomelo, banana,
long yan, lemon, papaya, pine seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut strawberry, pipa star fruit, kiwi, water melon,
nut, walnut, chestnut, cherry, milk, peanut, hazelnut sweet melon
mango

Other Foods & Ingredients
Yang Mild Yang Mild Yin Yin
pepper, spices ( young ginger, clove, dill, rosemary, green tea, honey, beer, soy sauce, soy
Cinnamon sage, turmeric, thyme, cayenne, nutmeg, chrysanthemum tea, mint bean paste, salt
cumin, star anise, ginseng); stimulants
(alcohol, coffee, black tea)

How Does It Apply To Us?
According to the Chinese, each of us are born yin,
yang or somewhere in between.
• Always crave for spicy food? You’ve got a \"yin\" body;
• Love watermelon anytime in the year? A Yang.
Your health condition can also indicate the yin-yang
balance of your body.
• Constant cold hands and feet? A Yin;
• Get soar throat easily and have a quick temper? A Yang.
• Seasonal and geographic variations will also affect our
preference on yin and yang foods.

The Advice
To achieve the equilibrium in your body:
• When cooking yin food (applies to most vegetables) add
yang herbs and spices such as garlic, spring onion, ginger
and coriander.
• Eat seasonal food: let the nature guide us how to eat.
• Balanced diet: if we eat a wide variety of food, the yin and
yang will balance out.
Got Questions? Please post in the comment section of:
The Chinese Kitchen
http://the-chinese-kitchen.com/yin-yang-food-how-does-it-affect-you