Chinese Yin and Yang Characteristics in Food and their Influence on the Body

These imply the particular specified internal organ of person or meridians on which the foods get to act upon. For instance, it is believed that carrot acts on the spleen and lungs while celery on the lungs and stomach. However, all these foods were divided by the Chinese people into three major distinct categories: warm, neutral and cold on the basis of its appearance, growth locations and seasons. When an individual eats the cooling food, it is considered that they are adding a cooling effect to their body and eating warm food will add warming impacts on their bodies. In the contemporary world, there has been increasing risks of poor nutrition that pose threats which have led to many people looking for ways of eating healthfully.

For example, it was found that people who always consumed small amount of alcohol was less possible to get strokes. After that, more and more benefits of moderate drinking were found. People mixed the experience with the idea of body’s yin and yang, so the basic idea such that food could be used as traditional medicine to balance to prevent and treat illness was inspired and then recorded by ancient humans. It highly influenced modern Chinese people’s mind, despite westerns analysis of food’s nutrition components by precision machine. Asian people, especially the Chinese, trust their body’s reaction to various foods. The lack of balance in the yin personality can become ungrounded, “spaced out,” passive, weak-willed, and timid.

When an individual consumes excess yin foods without balancing with the yang factors, an imbalance occurs in their mind as well as the body. This is also the main reason that Chinese people who knows yin and yang always take the balance of their bodies seriously. Foods are thus classified in accordance to their characteristics along the yin and yang factors. However, it is important to note that foods are not completely yin or yang. The growth locations and seasons go hand in hand with the cold areas as well as winter season plants or foods generating the yin effect whereas the summer plants and foods that grow in warm regions belong to yang. To have a well-balanced diet, the TCM practitioners that people should consume meals that contain approximately two parts of yin as well as three portions of yang food.

The most common types of yin foods include the following; certain meats like the duck and crab; soy products like soybean sprouts and tofu; fruit like star fruit and watermelon; vegetables like the cabbage, cucumbers, watercress, and carrots; and water and cold drinks among others. On the contrary, the most common yang foods comprise of the following: certain meats like beef, pork, and chicken; foods rich in high fat content, calories, protein, and sodium; and warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger eggs (Young, 2003). Other foods that are also situated in the yang category include bamboo, glutinous rice, mushrooms, sesame oil, and alcoholic beverages. Through the observation of the body and understanding of the food energetics, people are able to make activity and food choices that can speed up the healing process of the body (Lee & Shen, 2008).

Imbalances usually come from an individual consuming excess or inadequate yin or yang food. The simplest presentation of an overview of the patterns of yin and yang imbalance as well as the choices that can help people to restore the required balance is shown below. Patterns of Imbalance for Yin When an individual has consumed foods excessively rich in yin is bound to display the following patterns; Person feels cold; The urine becomes very clear; Person tends to dress warmly and likes heat, Soft, fleshy muscles; Individual is often tired and sleeps a lot; Pale complexion stools; Rarely thirsty; Health worse in cold pressed weather; Slow metabolism drinks; Tendency to feel depressed; Tendency to feel chilled; Preference for warm food/drinks; and Quiet and withdrawn.

The above cold pattern is usually observed in vegetarians and the people who primarily eat raw foods, especially when they reside in the cold regions. Moreover, individuals with excessive yang consumption also tend to overwork, consume more alcohol and even sugar, which eventually increase their heat even further (Langevin et al. The remedy for these patterns could include swimming, meditation, yoga, and walks in nature to reduce the imbalance. The most ideal foods to consume by such individuals are lightly cooked green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, and salads. Every kind of vegetables is also helpful, but their consumption should however be limited. Other foods that can generate cooling effect to restore balance for such people include the following melons, mung beans, sushi, bean dishes, non-spicy soups, pears, lots of water, and sprouts (Lee & Shen, 2008).

On the other hand, yang or hot foods have high calories and are rich in sodium (Young, 2003). The weather in some months is, so people might be affected by the sudden change of outdoor temperature. For example, people are easily feel under the weather in September. Therefore, for them to be healthy in these months, they need these yang foods to keep their body warm and avoid the flu or cold. Without a clear understanding of these foods, an individual could consume excess of one type and throw their body off balance, leading to negative health effects. The cold energy foods can be given to them to help in relieving their symptoms. For an individual to attain a balance, it is therefore important to define the food as either yin or yang.

Connection to Psychology According to the psychologists, one of the most fundamental building blocks of the human nutritional metabolism is not the vitamin, neither molecule, nor mineral (Murphy & Mercer, 2013). But rather, it is the relationship that people have with food. The psychologists put it as it is the sum total of the innermost feelings and thoughts regarding what people eat. For instance, when looking at a bowl containing pasta, chicken, and salad, a lady with a desire to lose weight could only see the fat and calories in the plate. In most cases, such an individual would favorably respond to salad and chicken, and look at the pasts with fear. A body builder of athlete who wants to gain muscle may look at the same bowl and see a meal full of protein and favor every food on that plate ((James, 2017).

On the other hand, a pure vegetarian might see something which is extremely distasteful on seeing the dead animal in the bowl, while the chicken farmer would feel very proud of providing a good piece of meat. In general, the yin and yang creates a balanced perception towards all the views of food by introducing the healing aspect of food and attainment of body’s full potential (James, 2017). Jiang, S. , & Quave, C. L. A comparison of traditional food and health strategies among Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  Journal Of Ethnobiology And Ethnomedicine, 9(1), 61. , Sherman, K. J. Kaptchuk, T. J. Yin Scores and Yang Scores: A New Method for Quantitative Diagnostic Evaluation in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research.  Management & Organization Review, 10(2), 321-332.