Yin and Yang Universal Forces
Expansion and Contraction
Earth's Force and Heaven's Force
Yin and Yang are the primal forces in nature.
Yin represents the energy of expansion.
And Yang, the energy of contraction.
These invisible forces create everything in the universe, and manifest
on the Earth as..
1 a downward, contracting force that spirals in from the universe
(yang/heaven’s force), and...
2 an upward, expanding force generated by the Earth's rotation
(yin/earth’s force).
They are antagonistic, yet complementing.
And they appear everywhere and in everything, including foods.
Here are some characteristics of each energy
Yin
Centrifugal, expanding, upward
larger, loose, soft, light
cooling, wet, relaxing
passive ,feminine...
Yang
Centripetal, contracting, downward
smaller/compact, hard, dense, heavy
warming,dry, tense
active, musculine...
But it's not definite, but relative, everything has both energies, one
more predominant.
They are in a constant change,balancing out each other.
And we need both of energies in balance.
Yin and Yang in Foods
Looking at foods from yin and yang perspective helps us see how
these energies, and foods influence us.
First let's begin by observing the shape, size, and density of each
food.
Take carrot (with tops), for example.
It is long shaped, growing downward below the ground.
Relatively dense, contracted.
It is influenced more by downward, contracting heaven’s force(more
yang) .
And even the carrot itself, each part has its own unique constitution.
The green part is more light, wide spread and growing upward, which
is influenced more by earth’s expanding energy (more yin)
Gobo, or burdock root, for instance, is longer, more dense and dry
compared to carrot.
That means, you can say "gobo is more yang than carrot".
Let’s look at leafy green vegetables, such as kales, spinach, scallions
or collard green.
They are lighter, bigger, more moist(water) compared to root veggies.
They grow upward, so they are influenced more by earth’s
expanding/upward energy (more yin).
How about onions, cabbage, winter squash,cauliflower?
They are round shaped.
They grow on the ground.
So relatively more balanced compared to leafy greens or root
veggies, influenced almost equally by both yin and yang forces.
* For a balanced diet, it's good to have some veggie from all 3
categories (leafy, round and root) in one meal.
Beans are more dense, smaller, and drier than most vegetables,
influenced more by contracting energy(yang).
Grains are more so than beans.
So you can say vegetables are more yin than beans and grains.
and "grains are more yang than beans and vegetables."
Animal (yang), plants (yin)
Animals are more active, and warmer body temperature, full of
energy, while plants are quiet, have cooler quality.
So you can say animal (meat) are more yang and plants are more yin.
Among animals, fish has cooler temperature, so they are more yin
than land animals.
Eat in harmony with season and environment
There are other factors to determine the energy of food.
Where it grows.(including origin)
In which season it grows.
How fast it grows.
Or how it was grown (organically or conventionally)
If the food is harvested in cold seasons or cold climate, the food is
influenced by more contracting energy.
So winter veggies are more yang.(root veggies, winter squash, etc),
have "warming effect".
While foods harvested in warmer seasons or warmer climate, the food
is influenced more by expanding energy.
So summer veggies are more yin.(leafy salad greens, scallions,
spinach, egg plants, cucumber, etc), have "cooling effect".
Tomatoes, for example, are originally from central America.
And they are harvested in summer, and relatively very fast-growing.
Also they contain lots of water and potassium.
So they are “strong yin”, more cooling effect.
Once you realize which force is more predominant in each food, you
can tell what kind of effect the food will have on you.
Foods that have "extreme effect"
And there are some foods that have “extreme effect”
Extreme Yin foods have weakening effect.
Such as sugar, other sweeteners, chocolate, coffee, tropical foods,
chemicals, drugs, alcohol, spices, etc
Extreme Yang foods have tightening/heardening effect
Such as animal foods, salt, baked/over cooked/dry foods(bread,
pastry, cookies, chips etc)
Eating these foods/drink regularly is like making a "balance" on
seesaw, or riding a roller coaster.
And eventually you would lose the foundation of your health, leading
lots of health problems.
"Extremes never create a balance".
Other Factors
Not just season, but the environment in which we live must be taken
into consideration.
Eating foods grown where you live, or at least similar climate is most
natural and suitable, keeps us in balance and healthy.
Basically everything we need is naturally offered by the nature in each
environment & each season : )
In other words, if you regularly eat foods from different climate, you
are giving too much stress on your body/mind, will lose the natural
immunity to disease in your local environment, and conditions of
chronic imbalance will result.
Take bananas, for example.
They are very nutritious, high in vitamins, potassium etc,and as long
as organically grown, they are considered a healthy breakfast or
snack.
But bananas are from tropical climate, so they have too much yin
energy (cooling effect, excess potassium).
They are suitable for people living in tropical climate, but not so much
for those living in North America, especially in cold seasons.
I have seen many vegetarian/vegan people who eat salad, green
juice, bananas, avocado, mango, all through the year, even in winter,
and constantly complaining about cold hands/feet, running nose,
catching colds/flu, low energy etc.
That's because those foods have a cooling effect .
They are good if you live in Hawaii or Mexico, or good to enjoy some
in the middle of hot summer.
But you cannot adapt to the harsh, cold winter in New York when
eating those foods all the time.
* excess potassium thins and weakens the blood quality, thus make
people more susceptible to infections.(veggies and fruits from tropical
origins)
This is one of the biggest differences between Macrobiotic way of
eating and vegetarian/vegan diet.
Making a conscious choice through "yin and yang"
Knowing Yin and Yang in foods helps you choose the right food
depends on your needs and condition, life style or environment
(season etc).
And eating in tune with your own body, seasonal cycle, and the order
of nature gives you an adaptability and flexibility to cope with any
change of external environment.
When you eat food, you are not just taking in nutrition, but the
character and the unique energy of each food.
Build your "Dietary Foundation"
Eat "neutrally balanced food"
The most balanced way of eating is to eat as neutral as possible,
foods "closer to the center", instead of making a balancing act
between "extremes".
What is the most "neutral food" then?
Whole grains!
They are nutritionally, energetically most balanced, falls right around
between animal foods and vegetables/fruits.
And human beings have evolved by eating whole grains throughout
the history.
By eating diet centered around whole grains such as brown rice as
your core food, you are able to develop a good, balanced foundation,
sense of stability, for the health of your body and soul : )
And by knowing yin and yang, you will be able to regain the control
over your health and wellness, and true sense of freedom : )
more about yin and yang...(click below)
Adapting yin and yang to everyday life
Quit Smoking
Protecting from Radioactive
Expansion and Contraction
Earth's Force and Heaven's Force
Yin and Yang are the primal forces in nature.
Yin represents the energy of expansion.
And Yang, the energy of contraction.
These invisible forces create everything in the universe, and manifest
on the Earth as..
1 a downward, contracting force that spirals in from the universe
(yang/heaven’s force), and...
2 an upward, expanding force generated by the Earth's rotation
(yin/earth’s force).
They are antagonistic, yet complementing.
And they appear everywhere and in everything, including foods.
Here are some characteristics of each energy
Yin
Centrifugal, expanding, upward
larger, loose, soft, light
cooling, wet, relaxing
passive ,feminine...
Yang
Centripetal, contracting, downward
smaller/compact, hard, dense, heavy
warming,dry, tense
active, musculine...
But it's not definite, but relative, everything has both energies, one
more predominant.
They are in a constant change,balancing out each other.
And we need both of energies in balance.
Yin and Yang in Foods
Looking at foods from yin and yang perspective helps us see how
these energies, and foods influence us.
First let's begin by observing the shape, size, and density of each
food.
Take carrot (with tops), for example.
It is long shaped, growing downward below the ground.
Relatively dense, contracted.
It is influenced more by downward, contracting heaven’s force(more
yang) .
And even the carrot itself, each part has its own unique constitution.
The green part is more light, wide spread and growing upward, which
is influenced more by earth’s expanding energy (more yin)
Gobo, or burdock root, for instance, is longer, more dense and dry
compared to carrot.
That means, you can say "gobo is more yang than carrot".
Let’s look at leafy green vegetables, such as kales, spinach, scallions
or collard green.
They are lighter, bigger, more moist(water) compared to root veggies.
They grow upward, so they are influenced more by earth’s
expanding/upward energy (more yin).
How about onions, cabbage, winter squash,cauliflower?
They are round shaped.
They grow on the ground.
So relatively more balanced compared to leafy greens or root
veggies, influenced almost equally by both yin and yang forces.
* For a balanced diet, it's good to have some veggie from all 3
categories (leafy, round and root) in one meal.
Beans are more dense, smaller, and drier than most vegetables,
influenced more by contracting energy(yang).
Grains are more so than beans.
So you can say vegetables are more yin than beans and grains.
and "grains are more yang than beans and vegetables."
Animal (yang), plants (yin)
Animals are more active, and warmer body temperature, full of
energy, while plants are quiet, have cooler quality.
So you can say animal (meat) are more yang and plants are more yin.
Among animals, fish has cooler temperature, so they are more yin
than land animals.
Eat in harmony with season and environment
There are other factors to determine the energy of food.
Where it grows.(including origin)
In which season it grows.
How fast it grows.
Or how it was grown (organically or conventionally)
If the food is harvested in cold seasons or cold climate, the food is
influenced by more contracting energy.
So winter veggies are more yang.(root veggies, winter squash, etc),
have "warming effect".
While foods harvested in warmer seasons or warmer climate, the food
is influenced more by expanding energy.
So summer veggies are more yin.(leafy salad greens, scallions,
spinach, egg plants, cucumber, etc), have "cooling effect".
Tomatoes, for example, are originally from central America.
And they are harvested in summer, and relatively very fast-growing.
Also they contain lots of water and potassium.
So they are “strong yin”, more cooling effect.
Once you realize which force is more predominant in each food, you
can tell what kind of effect the food will have on you.
Foods that have "extreme effect"
And there are some foods that have “extreme effect”
Extreme Yin foods have weakening effect.
Such as sugar, other sweeteners, chocolate, coffee, tropical foods,
chemicals, drugs, alcohol, spices, etc
Extreme Yang foods have tightening/heardening effect
Such as animal foods, salt, baked/over cooked/dry foods(bread,
pastry, cookies, chips etc)
Eating these foods/drink regularly is like making a "balance" on
seesaw, or riding a roller coaster.
And eventually you would lose the foundation of your health, leading
lots of health problems.
"Extremes never create a balance".
Other Factors
Not just season, but the environment in which we live must be taken
into consideration.
Eating foods grown where you live, or at least similar climate is most
natural and suitable, keeps us in balance and healthy.
Basically everything we need is naturally offered by the nature in each
environment & each season : )
In other words, if you regularly eat foods from different climate, you
are giving too much stress on your body/mind, will lose the natural
immunity to disease in your local environment, and conditions of
chronic imbalance will result.
Take bananas, for example.
They are very nutritious, high in vitamins, potassium etc,and as long
as organically grown, they are considered a healthy breakfast or
snack.
But bananas are from tropical climate, so they have too much yin
energy (cooling effect, excess potassium).
They are suitable for people living in tropical climate, but not so much
for those living in North America, especially in cold seasons.
I have seen many vegetarian/vegan people who eat salad, green
juice, bananas, avocado, mango, all through the year, even in winter,
and constantly complaining about cold hands/feet, running nose,
catching colds/flu, low energy etc.
That's because those foods have a cooling effect .
They are good if you live in Hawaii or Mexico, or good to enjoy some
in the middle of hot summer.
But you cannot adapt to the harsh, cold winter in New York when
eating those foods all the time.
* excess potassium thins and weakens the blood quality, thus make
people more susceptible to infections.(veggies and fruits from tropical
origins)
This is one of the biggest differences between Macrobiotic way of
eating and vegetarian/vegan diet.
Making a conscious choice through "yin and yang"
Knowing Yin and Yang in foods helps you choose the right food
depends on your needs and condition, life style or environment
(season etc).
And eating in tune with your own body, seasonal cycle, and the order
of nature gives you an adaptability and flexibility to cope with any
change of external environment.
When you eat food, you are not just taking in nutrition, but the
character and the unique energy of each food.
Build your "Dietary Foundation"
Eat "neutrally balanced food"
The most balanced way of eating is to eat as neutral as possible,
foods "closer to the center", instead of making a balancing act
between "extremes".
What is the most "neutral food" then?
Whole grains!
They are nutritionally, energetically most balanced, falls right around
between animal foods and vegetables/fruits.
And human beings have evolved by eating whole grains throughout
the history.
By eating diet centered around whole grains such as brown rice as
your core food, you are able to develop a good, balanced foundation,
sense of stability, for the health of your body and soul : )
And by knowing yin and yang, you will be able to regain the control
over your health and wellness, and true sense of freedom : )
more about yin and yang...(click below)
Adapting yin and yang to everyday life
Quit Smoking
Protecting from Radioactive
Plants More Yin
among them, can you see either
downward(yang) or upward(yin)
energy?
among them, can you see either
downward(yang) or upward(yin)
energy?
Animal (meat) More Yang
Whole Life with Jin
Whole grains has
perfect nutritional
balance for
human body.
The ratio of
carbohydrates
and protein/fat is
about 7: 1
also well yin-yang
balanced (neutral)
perfect nutritional
balance for
human body.
The ratio of
carbohydrates
and protein/fat is
about 7: 1
also well yin-yang
balanced (neutral)
Yin and Yang in Cooking Methods
Not just what to eat, but how you cook
has a different effect on you.
It can be more yin or yang depends on
the heat, amount of water, and length
of cooking time
more yin
raw (salad, juicing, etc), pressed salad,
steaming, quick boiling, quick
sauteing/stir frying
more yang
soup, stew, baking, etc
Not just what to eat, but how you cook
has a different effect on you.
It can be more yin or yang depends on
the heat, amount of water, and length
of cooking time
more yin
raw (salad, juicing, etc), pressed salad,
steaming, quick boiling, quick
sauteing/stir frying
more yang
soup, stew, baking, etc