These are the diet archetypes of Chinese culture. Chinese believe strongly in the yin and yang qualities that form life. Yin is the feminine quality whereas Yang comes for the masculine quality. They consider that also different kinds of food differs in the quality that they carry and so they have a counterpart effect on our bodies.
The two qualities
Yin Quality
Yin is whatever carries a feminine quality.
words describing yin : nourishment, relaxation, femininity, coolness, dampness, and darkness.
Yang quality
Yang is whatever carries a masculine quality.
words describing yang : warmth, dryness, and light.
Balance
Chinese believe strongly in the power of balance and the power of complementary. The symbol of yin-yang is an evidence of this belief. The white color represents the yin quality and the black color represents the yang quality. The symbol shows that the connection of yin and yang, forms the whole, the one. If you see closely, you will observe that, yin carries a smaller yang quality in it, whereas yang carries a smaller yin in it. This is a great metaphor, to provide the knowledge that everything exist inside its opposite and balance comes from the connection of two.
Nutrition
Yin foods are believed to be cool and thought to moisten your body. “Cool” or yin foods are generally low in calories and high in potassium. They’re recommended in hot weather. Examples: dairy, honey, spices, oils, tropical foods, tofu, leafy greens, beans, sea veggies, nuts&seeds, sugar.
Yang foods are believed to be warm and drying. “Hot” or yang foods tend to be higher in calories and sodium. They’re recommended in colder months to help warm your body. Examples: sea salt, eggs, miso, red meat, cheese, poultry, fish, grains.
Chinese Medicine Theory
Good nutrition and good health requires the restoration of yin and yang balance inside the body. This is possible through the foods you eat. They also link certain disorders or health problems as a result to an excess of yin, yang, or both qualities in your body. Your food’s quality determine your health status by disrupting or re-establishing an equilibrium that allows you to live a long and healthy life.
How to Use these knowledge
- Go with the flow of seasons and eat the foods accordingly. For example, in summer days go for more fruits and veggies while in winter use more grains.
- If you feeling down and without energy, go for a yang food option that provides you energy.
- If you feel you need relaxation, go for a yin food option instead.
- You can use your food to pacify your emotions, for example anger is yang, you can have a herbal tea with honey to calm down.
Don’t forget that you are Unique!
If you found all the above interesting, you should consider to reach for a Chinese Medicine Practitioner.
A session is required to analyze your body quality and to get your own-unique nutrition. Chinese medicine works with the elements and each and every disorder in your body has an explanation accordingly. You form your body quality through your experiences, the way you respond to them, the foods you consume, the emotions you feel, the thought you make…
A typical diet doesn’t apply to all of us! We need to form a schema of nourishment for our own type of body! Don’t follow diets, find your own nourishing pattern. Chinese Medicine can help you if your heart/gut resonates with this practice…
