According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each person is said to have one of five temperaments: Hyper-Yang, Yang, neutral Yin-Yang, Hyper-Yin or Yin — and our figure is thought to reflect it, in part. The Yin & Yang diet proposes rebalancing what we eat according to this temperament. It's a centuries-old dietary tradition that views digestion itself as a form of cooking the food we eat.
What Are the Principles of Chinese Dietary Therapy?
Like Hippocratic and Ayurvedic dietary traditions, Chinese dietary therapy aims to be preventive: it takes the seasons into account and classifies foods according to each person's temperament. It rests on the Yin/Yang duality, the circulation of Qi (vital energy), and the theory of the five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — which balance one another through a cycle of domination or generation.
This dietary approach recommends eating cooked, warm food rather than raw (unlike Ayurveda, it is not vegetarian), chewing thoroughly, and drinking something warm at the end of the meal, in moderation. It also values seasonal cooking, where harmony on the plate comes through the colour of foods: green (leafy vegetables), red (tomato, red fruits), yellow (grains, potatoes), white (rice, turnip) or black (olive, aubergine).
How Is the Nature of Foods Classified?
| Nature | Effect | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Hyper-Yin (cold) / Yin (cool) | Said to cool the body | Leafy greens, root vegetables, milk, yoghurt, eggs, shellfish, salt |
| Neutral | Said to provide stabilising energy | Grains, legumes |
| Yang (warm) / Hyper-Yang (hot) | Said to warm and invigorate the body | Meats, cream, butter, spices, sugar, alcohol, coffee, black tea |
Cooking method also affects a food's nature: baking, grilling or smoking is said to make it more Yang; boiling, poaching or steaming is said to make it more neutral or Yin; raw and fermented foods are considered Hyper-Yin, and fried foods Hyper-Yang.
How Can You Adapt Your Diet to Your Temperament?
A Yang food is said to benefit Yin people, and vice versa: the choice of foods and how they are prepared should be adapted to each person's profile, their needs, and the season.
| Temperament | Associated Traits | Dietary Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Yang / Hyper-Yang | Round or athletic build, active temperament, not very emotional, extroverted | Gentle cooking (steaming, parchment-baking), white meats, water-rich leafy vegetables, fruit eaten between meals |
| Neutral Yin-Yang | Stocky build, rosy complexion, calm and sociable temperament | Varied cooking methods, vegetable oil rather than cream, lean meats, whole grains |
| Yin / Hyper-Yin | Slender or slight build, emotional and introverted temperament | Quick cooking methods (wok, grilling, oven), regular meat and fish, spices and herbs to taste |
What Are the Generating and Controlling Cycles?
The generating cycle (Xiang Sheng) holds that each element gives rise to the next: Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth (as ash), Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, and Water generates Wood. This cycle is known as the 'mother and son law'.
The controlling cycle (Xiang Ke), meanwhile, holds that each element restrains the one that follows its 'son': Wood smothers Earth, Earth dries up Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood. This restraining law keeps any one element from excessively dominating the others — together, the two cycles maintain the balance of the whole system.
By Houda Chouk
