When to Eat What

Energetic quality of food is either or yang. Meat is more yang then vegetables.  Red meat is the most Yang. Veal and pork are more yin. Poultry is the most yin of meat, although some fish such as tuna is quite yang. Fish is more yin than meat.

Vegetables that grow in the ground such as potatoes and beets are more yang than leafy vegetables. It is recommended to eat cooling or yin food during the strong yang season of summer and to eat yang food during the strong yin season of winter. Makes more sense to have a steak and mashed potatoes in the winter then on a hot summer day when salads and fruit are more appropriate.

It is always recommended to eat the food of the season because they are in balance with the energy of that season. The color of fruit and vegetables is often used as a telltale sign of when it is best to eat them. For example, yellow fruit and vegetables are recommended during the transitional Earth season (the period of 18 days between seasons as we will see in later blogs) while a red tomato is preferred during the summer, the Fire season.