Yang attributes are contractive or centripetal, hot, dense, heavy, flat and low. Yin attributes are expansive or centrifugal, cold, dilated, light, vertical and thin. Foods and people can be categorised according to the balance of these attributes. Men are said to be yang and women are said to be yin, although each has attributes of both—that is to say everything in nature is yin-yang but the proportions differ.

Know the yin from the yang

The following foods are listed in relative order from yin to yang: chemical additives, [the most yin], processed foods, fruits, night shade vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, seaweeds, greens and other vegetables.

Relative order from yang to yin: Starts with salt, eggs, meats, cheese, fish, most grains and brown rice and whole grains.

The yin-yang of foods is judged by characteristics such as their colour, growth pattern, climatic condition, height, density, hardness and sodium-potassium ratio. The most yang colour is red, corresponding to the base chakra i.e. the one closest to the ground. The most yin colour is violet, corresponding to the crown chakra, which is the greatest distance from the ground and the most yin state.

It is important to remember that the more yang-tending or red-orange-yellow fruits are still basically yin in the total spectrum of yang and yin foods. White is a sign of a yin vegetable and black is a sign of a yang vegetable. Vegetables and fruits that are heavier, harder, shorter, and grow slower and horizontally are considered yang. Yin fruits and vegetables are lighter, softer, taller, thinner, grow faster and vertically. Foods that grow bigger and more abundantly in warmer climates are more yin. Bear in mind that the way we cut and cook our food can change its yin-yang quality.

How different is this from Ayurveda?

Ohsawa spent some time in India studying Ayurveda and therefore the many similar concepts between Macrobiotics and Ayurveda. Both systems stress on a balanced diet, based on whole grains including brown rice and millets with a variety of vegetables. In the Japanese system, pulses are replaced by beans and soya. In India, we have a variety of local green leafy vegetables, whilst in Japan seaweed is predominant. Both systems stress the use of natural salt—either rock or sea salt—in place of refined salt. Both systems use cold pressed oil, although the use in India is more liberal and is in addition to the use of ghee. Nuts and seeds are used in both systems; India has a greater variety of seeds. Both systems use a limited amount of natural sugars and not white sugar.

Fruit is essential in the Indian diet because of our climate. This is of course meant to be fruit which is naturally ripened, un-juiced, grown locally or at least within the country, seasonal and eaten on an empty stomach. If not, the magical properties of fruits that are normally alkaline for the body may become just the opposite by contributing to an acidic situation in the blood.

In both healing diets, tomato, brinjal, capsicum and potato are considered to be not the best choice of vegetables, especially when one is recuperating from an illness. These vegetables are more yin than other vegetables.

Can there be too much yin or too much yang?

It is best to stay away from extreme yin and extreme yang foods, except when we use salt to bring balance to our meal just as we use pickles to do the same. Yet, at the same time we need to understand that even if you did consume extreme yin foods, left to its instincts your body would immediately crave the extreme yang food in order to bring the balance that it needs for survival. Thank God it does this, for without it we would all be one big mess, as is the case when we do not follow the signals of our body.

For example, when we reach for the extreme yin alcohol, the body, in its wisdom will crave for its opposite—fried salty snacks or meats or that cigarette. White sugar and white rice will make the body crave similar extreme yang foods.

When you eat too much extreme food, the body survives but in the long term it cannot deal with this stress, since essential known and unknown vitamins and minerals are missing in such foods. Therefore there is an increase in the incidence of depression. The trick, therefore, is to allow your body to do the choosing, but in the range of yin-yang foods that are better balanced to serve our health rather than take away from it.

Ohsawa says that our will is affected by what we consume. A strong will is built by consuming mineral-rich [balanced yang] foods whilst avoiding extreme yin items that deplete our bodies and brains of minerals. Sugary foods, cookies and snacks made with white flour, white rice and carbonated beverages all lack minerals so our blood leaches them from the body, brain tissues, bones and teeth. The continued use of extreme yin foods makes the brain and its functions dilated and makes mental disorders a reality. Thus a yang body is the supportive foundation for a mind that can be yin [open to inspiration], yet probing and creative at the same time.

Thus, a diet predominantly of organic brown rice, millets, lentils, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds will serve us well. These are balanced non-extreme yin and yang foods. Meats, eggs, dairy should form a smaller part of our intake if we enjoy them, but even so, ensure that they are from organic sources. The extreme yin foods, as in refined, chemically processed foods are best avoided. Today we have so many organic options that we have no excuse reaching for foods that lead us away from living to our full potential.

Eating with consciousness allows us to build our immunity. Yes, we can make ourselves germ/virus proof if we just start listening to what our unadulterated taste buds tell us.

I hope that this article has given you an introduction to yin-yang foods without getting you obsessed about it. Don’t let it become one more confusing concept. Instead, make it one more reason to trust yourself when you choose local, seasonal, natural, whole, unrefined and organic foods.

This was first published in the April 2015 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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There is a strong belief in the vitamin magic — so much so, that in the village I did my rural internship, patients who had generalised fatigue and pains would ask us to prescribe Taaqat cha injection [Strength injections], their term for vitamin B-complex shots.

Minerals are yet to have that kind of mass appeal. Minerals in nutrition are like the spices we add to food. A little goes a long way and each one has specific function/s to perform—from cellular functions to building our teeth and bones. They deserve as important a consideration in our diet as do vitamins. It is best that we rely on a balanced diet that provides all major food groups including vitamins and minerals to benefit from their health-bestowing properties.

Mineral excess: Examples

When it comes to taking mineral supplements, there is surely such a thing as too much of a good thing.

High doses of selenium, for example, may generate destructive free radicals that can hamper insulin production by the pancreas. A study conducted by Dr Saverio Stranges, at the State University of New York, US, came to the conclusion that selenium supplementation did not appear to prevent Type-2 diabetes, and it could actually increase risk of the disease. Therefore, patients were advised not to take selenium supplements greater than those in multiple vitamins.

Excessive amounts of potassium in the body whether due to intake, or other causes, may lead to disturbed cardiac rhythm and ultimately cardiac arrest, as well as other metabolic disturbances.

Excess calcium in the body gets deposited as “stone” in the kidney and gall bladder.

Better eating habits, or supplements?

Mineral supplements are not a substitute for a balanced diet. For some people, however, including those on restrictive diets that don’t supply all required nutrients, dietary supplements can provide vitamins and minerals. Pregnant women and older adults have heightened nutrient needs and may benefit from a dietary supplement.

In case of iron deficiency—in specific conditions like heavy periods, pregnancy or lactation—it would be best to resort to iron supplements, as absorption from food to replete lost iron store would be a time-consuming process. Children with fussy food habits or poor eaters also need to be reviewed on their overall growth and development, and prescribed supplements accordingly, if need be.

While each essential mineral has its own sources, it would be impractical to select a food each for every mineral. The practical approach is to eat whole foods that are not only a good source of vitamins and minerals but also provide other added benefits such as wholesome nutrition, essential fibre content and other protective substances such as antioxidants. Also, because of our generous intake of common salt, two minerals, viz., sodium and chloride are rarely found deficient in our body.

Easy mineral balanced meals

• Carrot rotis with yoghurt raita and banana slices with honey
• Whole wheat bread with peanut butter and a glass of soy milk or skimmed milk
• Hummus on pita bread with a fattoush salad [made with leafy greens, cucumber, onion and toasted bread]
• Brown rice with chowli beans [black eyed peas] and a tomato-cucumber kachumbar
• Shrimp salad, fish curry [salmon] and red rice
• Turkey meat burgers in whole wheat bread with mustard and radish greens and a glass of pineapple juice
• Oven baked potato wedges [with skins] with tomato salsa, almond soup and low-fat chocolate mousse.

Mineral water: Myths and truths

Bottled water is sold as mineral water. But, how many of us read the label on that pricey bottle to find out what’s really in it? It is also not clear if mineral water has any additional benefits, apart from basic hydration with clean water, because the mineral content in most brands is much less than that of tap water. It may, therefore, not be significant enough to work as a good source of essential minerals.

There are obviously no adverse effects from drinking mineral water, except for some brands containing a higher sodium level, which we can do without. In some countries, tap water may be richer in minerals than bottled mineral water—in Germany, regulations for tap water are stricter than that for bottled water.

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