All the Yin Yang Day

If a person fills their gas tank with bad gas, no one is surprised when the car breaks down. If a person fills their piggy bank with pieces of lint, no one is surprised when it turns out the lint isn't worth much. And if a person eats the wrong kinds and quantities of food, no one is very surprised when that person complains of a tummy ache or worse.

The old adage -- you are what you eat -- is very true! The authors of "The Tao of Food" take this thought a bit further by classifying different foods by their yin and yang qualities.

The notion that foods can be defined as predominantly yin or yang is very old, but it is important to remember that in a Taoist approach to cooking and food we seek to find balance. If you eat predominantly yin foods your body will be capable of producing only yin energy -- darker, slower-moving, and colder. If you predominantly eat yang foods you will produce only yang energy -- faster, hotter, and much more energetic.

So, how do you know what foods are yin or yang? According to the authors, here's a general sketch.

• If it grows in the air and sunshine it is probably yang;
• If it grows in the earth or darkness it is probably yin;
• If it is salty it is yang; if it is sweet it is yin;
• If it is lean it is yang; If it is fatty it is yin;
• If it is rich in sodium it is yang;
• If it is rich in potassium it is yin.

While most foods feature predominantly one quality or the other, there are a few foods -- beans, grains and pulses -- that strike a happy balance and should be included in a person's daily diet.

As a vegetarian, it looks like I fall squarely in the yin camp. In terms of this methodology, there are few yang foods I eat. The only two yang foods that I partake of occasionally are hard cheese and eggs.

But what I find genuinely interesting about this approach is what the authors have to say about the ill effects of eating a predominantly yin diet. When I look at my psychological and physical issues, it's damn eerie how accurate their description is.

If you eat only heavily yin-enriched foods you will find your system becomes extremely cold and this will cause ill health. You will also find yourself becoming more and more distant from reality. The nature of yin is space. The nature of yang is time. Yin food will encourage a remoteness from everyday life...Too much yin makes us "spacey" so we will continue to seek foods that encourage fear and worry...

So, maybe it would do me some good to go out and order a Big Mac! It just might, but I'm not going to do it. The path I've chosen is vegetarianism -- most Taoists are carnivores -- and I simply can't fathom the thought of ever eating meat again. It's been nearly 25 years since I ate meat regularly and I have no interest whatsoever in turning back the clock.

I guess the best I can do is increase my intake of grains, beans and rice. Hmm. I think I'll go eat another bowl of cereal. :D)