Proteins: aduki beans, black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, fish and seafood (except shrimp and prawns), beef, duck, goose, pork, rabbit, chicken and duck eggs. Dairy: cow, sheep and goat dairy products (if tolerated), ghee. Yogurt is considered especially cooling and yin nourishing.
Nourish yourself with clean, whole foods on a daily basis. Ensure your body has enough fuel at all times by eating regularly. Protein helps build yin, so make sure you eat enough good quality protein and plenty of vegetables and fruit at each meal.
To nourish Yin, one would use points such as SP-6 Sanyinjiao, Ren-12 Zhongwan or KI-3 Taixi. Generally, one can use the Yuan points of the Yin organs to nourish Yin (KI-3 Taixi, LIV-3 Taichong, SP-3 Taibai, LU-9 Taiyuan, HE-7 Shenmen).
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.
Root vegetables, such as beetroot, carrots and turnips, and tubers, such as potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, are considered 'fresh'. Milk, yoghurt, light cheeses and eggs are also seen as yin, alongside some seafood such as oysters, mussels and all shellfish.
In Chinese medicine, avocados are cool in nature and are especially important to nourish yin, building blood, moisten the intestines, and creating healthy cervical mucus while also supporting breast milk in nursing mothers.
Foods to avoid
It is important to ensure that stimulating foods are not being consumed, as these will only further depleate yin. Caffeine, alcohol, sugar and strong heating/ pungent spices all belong in this category.
Vegetarians and plant-based eaters tend to fall under the "yin" category. Yin bodies tend to gravitate toward — and benefit from — warming, hearty "hot" yang foods, which include: stews and soups, cooked root vegetables, baked winter squash, baked tofu, boiled spinach, oatmeal, quinoa, and buckwheat.
Yin deficiency can often be the result of prolonged stress levels and fatigue. A chronic disease, poor dietary habits, and sometimes genetics can also lead to a deficient yin. To keep bodily functions up and running, restoring yin balance becomes inevitable.
Most of Yin deficiency and internal heat of depression is the deficiency syndrome, and its main clinical manifestations are anxiety, depression, tension, suspicion, irritated fever, night sweat and zygomatic red, palpitation and insomnia, red tongue with little moss, and thready and rapid pulse [10].
Bringing balance to this body constitution requires cooling essences to counteract excess heat commonly found within a Yin Deficient body. Your new best friends are green teas, especially matcha, and also mint and the cooling florals of hibiscus.
Symptoms of too much yang and not enough Yin are: feeling hot, restlessness, dry skin, scanty urination, constipation, and fast pulse. Symptoms of too much Yin and not enough Yang are: feeling cold, not thirsty, low energy, edema, frequent urination, looses stools, and slow pulse.
To improve sleep, individuals can eat foods that nourish Yin, such as black beans, goji berries, and spinach. They should also avoid spicy and greasy foods, caffeine, and alcohol.
Here are some examples of cooling (Yin) foods: Cooling meats: duck, pork, egg. Cooling grains: millet, barley,wheat. Cooling vegetables: celery, broccoli, spinach, napa cabbage.
Food recommended by Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Chia seeds and seeds in general have a downward movement in the body (think seeds planted into the earth) and can help bring all that anxious energy down to nourish the yin and calm the mind. Goji Berries: believed to nourish the blood and yin.
A few examples of yin foods include white sugar, white processed breads, pastas and pastries, soft cheeses, watermelon, apples and green beans. There is ample information on Chinese yin yang food therapy online; a simple search will produce numerous resources.
When we eat large quantities of more yin foods (sugar, honey, spices, fruit juices and alcohol), this causes expansion and weakening in the body. Quite often, the intestines become loose and expanded causing conditions such as chronic diarrhoea or constipation, the growth of diverticula, colitis and enteritis.
Raw vegetables, fruits, juices, sugars, alcohol and drugs are all more yin. Soups, smoothies, and all watery foods are also yin. The most yang foods are salt, meat, eggs, poultry, fish and cooked vegetables.
Use low lighting, create a quiet and cool environment, and decorate with gentle, soft textures. However, remember to include Yang elements in order to create a sense of balance. Use lighting that can be turned up, decorate with small, warm coloured accents, and hang artwork with bright, lively colours.
According to traditional Chinese Medicine, wild salmon is a wonderful source for nourishing the yin and blood. Yin is an element in the body which moistens and cools, it can occur as a substance such as tears or cervical fluid, or it can be insubstantial in the form of energy.
Yin/Cool: Millet, barley, wheat, buckwheat, eggplant, cucumber, celery, peppermint, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard leaf, spinach, amaranth, pea, mung bean, pear, cantaloupe, apple, pineapple, persimmon, coconut, strawberry, orange, tangerine, mango, papaya, green tea, tofu, mushrooms, egg white, sesame oil, ...