Food Sources Of Different Energies & Flavours Overview
In Western diet, foods are evaluated for proteins, calories, carbohydrates, vitamins & other nutritional benefits. However, in Chinese diet (includes herbs), foods are evaluated for not only vitamins and minerals but also the energetic properties of food like energies & flavours.
According to Traditional Chinese medicine theory (TCM), foods are like herbs & with right combination can help to improve chronic illnesses’ symptoms & strengthen our immune system, etc.
Food sources with different energies can help to improve our health problems’ symptoms & strengthen our immunity better by identifying its body types’ imbalances.
| Yin/Yang | Energy Type | Food Sources |
| Yin | Cold | ● Fruits: Banana, grapefruit, muskmelon, persimmon, pomelo, starfruit, sugar cane, watermelon and especially most white/ tan & brown fruits, etc.
● Meat & Seafood: Clams, crabs, cuttlefish, jellyfish, pig’s bone marrow & snails, etc. ● Vegetables: Arrowhead, bamboo shoots, bitter gourd, kelp, kudzu root, lotus root, luffa, seaweeds, sprouts, tomatoes, water chestnut, watercress, wild rice stem and especially most white/ tan & brown vegetables, etc. ● Others: Chicken egg yolks, salt, soy sauce & Teas (eg: Chamomile, chrysanthemum, jasmine flowers, green tea, lotus plumule), etc. |
| Yin | Cool | ● Beans: Beancurd, green beans & soymilk, etc.
● Fruits: Chinese pears, coconut, green apples, green grapes, honeydews, kiwi fruits, lemons, loquat, mongsteen, oranges, papaya, pears, pineapple, strawberries, water caltrop and especially most white/ tan & brown fruits, etc. ● Grains: Amaranth, barley, buckwheat, Chinese barley, millet, wheat & wheat bran, etc. ● Herbs & Spices: American Ginseng, Dan Sheng, hops, lily flowers, peppermint & tea leaves, etc. ● Meat & Seafood: Clams, frogs, pig skin, rabbit meat & sheep’s liver, etc. ● Vegetables: Alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflowers, celery, cucumber, eggplant, green peas, mustard greens, lettuce, lily bulbs, luffa, mushrooms, radish, spinach, taro leaf, wax gourd and especially most white/ tan & brown vegetables, etc. ● Others: Cheese, duck eggs, egg white, oyster shell, sesame oil & yogurt, etc. |
| Balanced Yin & Yang | Neutral | ● Beans: Adzuki beans, almonds, broad beans, cashew nuts, chick peas, Chinese almonds, gingko nuts, lotus seeds, peanuts, pistachio nuts, soybeans & sunflower seeds, etc.
● Fruits: Avocado, blueberries, figs, goji berries, olives, plums, etc. ● Grains: Corn, oats, rice bran, rye & white rice, etc. ● Herbs & Spices: Licorice & saffron, etc. ● Meat & Seafood: Beef, duck, goose, loach, oysters, pork, scallops, sea eels & sea shrimps, etc. ● Vegetables: Beets beetroot, black fungus, carrots, fuzzy melon, potatoes, radish leaf, shitake mushrooms, string beans, sweet potatoes, turnips, white fungus & yams, etc. ● Others: Honey, milk, peanut oil, quail eggs, rock sugar, royal jelly & sugar, etc. |
| Yang | Warm | ● Beans: Black beans, black sesame seeds, chestnuts, kidney beans, pine nuts, red beans, sword beans & walnuts, etc.
● Fruits: Apricot, bergamot, cherries, coconut meat, dates, guava, hawthorn fruits, longans, lychees, mango, nectarine, peaches, pomegranate, red apples, red dates, raspberries, tangerine, tangerine peel, especially most red/ black/ blue/ purple/ orange/ yellow & dark green fruits, etc. ● Grains: Black glutinous rice, brown rice, Chinese sorghum, germinated brown rice, glutinous rice & quinoa, etc. ● Herbs & Spices: Basil, cloves, caraway seeds, cardamom, Cordyceps, coriander, cumin, dill seeds, fennel, garlic, ginger (fresh), Ginseng, green onions, Lingzhi, onions, oregano, parsley, rosemary, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, sweet marjoram, thyme & white pepper, etc. ● Meat & Seafood: Abalone, carps, chicken, fresh water eels, fresh water shrimps, hairtail, hams, lobsters, mussels, pig’s liver, pig’s stomach, salmon, sea cucumber, sea urchins, sparrow & venison, etc. ● Vegetables: Dark green leafy vegetables, capsicum, chives, kale, leeks, mustard greens, pumpkin, especially most red/ black/ blue/ purple/ orange/ yellow & dark green vegetables, etc. ● Others: Coconut milk, coffee, butter, Teas (Eg: Garland chrysanthemum, Ginseng, osmanthus flowers & rose buds), goat’s milk, goose & sparrow eggs, brown sugar, maltose, vegetable oils, vinegar, wine and tobacco, etc. |
| Yang | Hot | ● Herbs & Spices: Black pepper, chillies, cinnamon, ginger (dried), horseradish, mustard seeds, mutton, soybean oil & trout, etc. |
Food sources with different flavours are inter-related with our organs and consuming them will help to improve our health problems’ symptoms & strengthen our immunity better.
| Flavors | Related Organs | Benefits | Food Sources |
| Bitter | Blood, Heart, Small Intestine & Tongue |
Clear heat, dry dampness, stimulate appetite and promote lowering effects like urination & bowel movements. | Arrowhead, asparagus, bergamot, bitter gourd, Chinese almonds, coffee, gingko nuts, lettuce, lily bulbs, lotus leaf, pig’s liver, plum kernel, seaweeds, tea leaf, turnips, vinegar & wine, etc. |
| Sweet | Mouth, Muscles, Spleen & Stomach | Slow down acute reactions & neutralize the toxic effects of foods. Also lubricate & nourish the body. | Abalone, apples, beef, carps, carrots, cherries, chestnuts, Chinese barley, corn, dates, glutinous rice, grapes, honey, longan aril, lotus root, milk, peas, peanuts, pears, potatoes, pumpkin, shitake mushrooms, soybeans, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, white rice, wheat & yam, etc. |
| Sour | Eyes, Gall Bladder, Liver & Nerves |
The astringent effect helps to arrest abnormal discharge of fluids and other substances from the body, such as diarrhea, emission & heavy sweating. | Apples, grapes, hawthorn, lemon, loquat, mango, olives, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, pomegranates, pomelo, royal jelly, strawberries, tangerine, tomatoes & vinegar, etc. |
| Salty | Bladder, Bones, Ears & Kidneys | Dissipate accumulations, soften hardness, nourish blood & lubricate intestines to induce bowel movements. | Abalone, amaranth, barley, clams, crabs, cuttlefish, duck meat, hams, kelp, millet, mussels (fresh & dried), oysters, pig’s bone marrow/ blood & organs, pork, jellyfish, quail’s eggs, sea cucumber, shrimps & snails, etc. |
| Pungent | Colon, Hairs, Lungs, Nose & Skin | Promote circulation (Qi) & stimulate appetite. | Basil, cabbage, capsicum, celery, chillies, chives, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, garlic, ginger, green onions, kumquat, leeks, mustard leaf, mustard seeds, onions, oregano, parsley, pepper, peppermint, radish, radish leaf, rosemary, Sichuan peppercorn, sweet marjoram, tangerine, tangerine peel, thyme, turnips, wine & yam, etc. |
Reference: Body Constitution Types & Right Food Diet Facts
