The counterpart of the Western concept of the acid/alkaline balance is known in the Orient as the yin/yang principle. Yin is an expanding, feminine quality and yang is its complement: a contracting, masculine quality. Whereas the acid/alkaline balance is bio-chemically measurable, the yin/yang polarity is less concretely defined and is based on an electromagnetic energy model. Nevertheless, food (and everything else in existence) falls somewhere within this spectrum. And, like everything else, foods aren’t purely yin or yang, but can be seen as containing more or less of each quality in relation to or in comparison with other foods.  For example, meat is considered to be very yang (grounding, contracting), and ice cream (especially because of the sugar it contains) is considered to be very yin (airy, expanding).

A predominance of either too much yin or too much yang energy not only throws our physiology out of balance, but also creates unbalanced states of consciousness. Have you ever talked with someone who seemed “spacey” to you? Perhaps s/he had trouble completing a sentence or fully explaining a thought or an idea before skipping to another, and another. That would be considered an overly yin (expanded consciousness) condition. On the other hand, you may know someone who has inflexible opinions, can’t incorporate new ideas, may be loud and boisterous and doesn’t want to listen to others. That is an overly yang (contracted consciousness) condition. The goal is to find ourselves balanced physically, mentally and emotionally between the two states, or just slightly more yang (grounded, but not overbearing and inflexible).

The Japanese macrobiotic philosophy incorporates the yin/yang principle and applies it to food very specifically. Thus, what we eat plays a major role in how yin or how yang we are (see chart).

Overly yin conditions are usually caused by sweet foods and sugar, while overly yang conditions are often caused by too much meat and salt. Eating foods containing processed sugar (e.g. soda pop, candy, desserts, etc.) can create an extremely yin (expanded/“spaced out”) state. Children who eat a lot of these foods (especially sugared cereal in the morning and soda in the afternoon) often have trouble concentrating in school. On the other hand, meat is extremely yang (grounding/contracting); therefore over-consumption of meat can cause aggression and inflexible attitudes. One reason why dessert is desired after a meat-based meal is to counter-balance the yang effects of the meat. Pretty interesting!

The effects of each food will be different for different people as well. A person whose constitution is more yin than yang may be thrown off balance by eating ice cream, while someone with a generally yang constitution may enjoy the same dessert without experiencing any imbalance. It’s a complex, ever-changing dance of one element flowing into the other, but eating closer to the middle of the food spectrum (avoiding extremes) is wise. Limiting your intake of meat and eliminating sugary foods/candies/soda, as well as processed foods, is your best bet to developing yin/yang harmony.

Try to make food choices with the yin/yang balance in mind. Although you may desire to explore macrobiotic eating more closely, the most important thing to do is to avoid the extremes: sugary foods and too much meat. If you eat a variety of raw and cooked plant-based foods (cooking makes the food more yang), avoid sugar and refined foods and use tamari and sea salt for seasoning, you should stay well-balanced. For a deeper understanding of the yin/yang principles and macrobiotic cooking, read Herman Aihara’s excellent book, Basic Macrobiotics, which can be found on Amazon.com (since it’s no longer in print).

For vegetarians, who tend to be more yin because they aren’t eating meat, I recommend making meals more yang by cooking part of the meal in tamari sauce (e.g., rice, beans, tempeh, veggies, etc.). Cooking makes the food more grounding, as does the tamari. Sea salt has the same effect. The one thing I find missing in most vegetarian philosophies is this crucial understanding of the yin/yang balance. The reason behind those “spacey” vegetarians is not a lack of protein, but rather a lack of yang energy.

Yin and Yang of Macrobiotics:
Diet for a Happy Life

A macrobiotic diet isn't simply a diet - it's a philosophy and way of life. It isn't as much about the food you eat as it is about how that food can help you maintain a natural balance and live a happier life.

"It stems from an intuitive understanding of the orderliness of nature," said Michio Kushi in his book The Macrobiotic Way. Kushi was a student of George Ohsawa, a Japanese philosopher who brought his teachings on the macrobiotic diet to Europe and North America in the 1950s. "Modern macrobiotic philosophy focuses on offering a way of living that closes the widening gap between humans and the natural world."

Similar to a vegan diet, the staple foods of this regimen are whole grains, such as wheat, oats and barley, coupled with vegetables (mostly green leafy, roots and round veggies), fruits, beans, soy products, mild and natural seasonings, nuts, seeds and, occasionally, fish. It eschews refined sugars, processed foods, dairy, eggs and most animal products.

Practiced for thousands of years, with contemporary interest in macrobiotic diets stemming from Japan, followers of the diet believe that the quality of the food you put into your body has a great effect not just on your health, but on your happiness and well-being as well. The macrobiotic diet - macro meaning large and bio meaning life - also calls for the reduction of salts, fats, sugars and stimulants, such as alcohol and coffee, from your diet.

Those who follow the diet believe that sickness and unhappiness are nature's way of telling us that we need to adopt a healthier diet and way of life. They also believe there are physical manifestations of the diet, including a longer life and the reduction of many diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, obesity, gallbladder and liver disorders and cancer. Many studies over the years, including "Dietary Goals for the United States" (1977) and "Diet, Nutrition and Cancer" (1982), side with the macrobiotic diet, finding that a simpler diet based around whole grains is ideal for one's health.

Foods are categorized as either a "yin" or a "yang," depending on how the food grows, where the food was grown, its sodium-potassium content and the effect the food has on the body. Yin foods are rich in potassium, while yang foods are rich in sodium. There are also five elements that must be balanced as well. The "Seven Universal Principles" of oriental medicine are also followed in order to balance the yin and the yang.

And it's easier than you might think to maintain a macrobiotic diet. Once you rid your home of all the junk and processed foods you once ate, it's easy to keep your pantry full of healthy foods so you don't immediately reach for the junk. Also, while it might be difficult to go out to eat (though, go to any Asian restaurant, such as Chinese, Japanese or Thai, and ask about what they might be able to throw together for you), you can still ensure that you keep your diet. You can keep healthy snacks in the car or in your bag for when you get hungry while out of the house, and making sure you cook for yourself at home before going out will keep you from stopping off for a quick, and likely unhealthy, snack. It's also important to keep track of what you're eating. That way you can actually see how healthy you've been, and conversely, see how unhealthy you've been if you've strayed from the macrobiotic diet at all.