Yin and Yang According To Macrobiotics Versus Chinese Medicine, Part 2/3

Yin and Yang, According to Macrobiotics

Yin and Yang according to Macrobiotics shares some similarities, and several key differences compared to early and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which I discussed in my previous post, Part 1 of this 3-part series.  In Part 1 we looked at the origins of Yin and Yang in Chinese language, the I Ching, and how it is used in Chinese medicine.  Now we focus on the use of Yin and Yang –– The Law of Complementary Opposites – according to macrobiotics, with a summery of how they compare with one another.   Part 3 focuses on how to use the knowledge of Yin and Yang for self-healing.  

Image by Lebensmittelfotos courtesy of Pixabay.com

To understand the use of Yin and Yang according to macrobiotics, we need a little background about its origins, beginning with Sagen Ishizuka, (1850-1909), who hypothesized that restoring and maintaining optimal health required eating natural foods, in the right proportions, specifically with respect to the right balance of sodium and potassium salts.  

George Ohsawa, (1893-1966), considered by many to be the Father of (Modern) Macrobiotics, formulated his theories about Yin and Yang which he called The Unique Principle: The Philosophy of Macrobiotics, based on the work of Ishizuka.  He wrote extensively, and traveled around the world, including to Africa, India, Europe and America to lecture about the practice of macrobiotics, empowering people to heal themselves from even so-called 'incurable' diseases.  He believed there are no incurable diseases, only incurable people.

His version of Yin and Yang differs from that used in Eastern philosophy and Chinese medicine.  Several macrobiotic books –– including classic books by Murimoto, Jessica Porter, and others –– include a footnote saying that if you happen to go to an acupuncturist, their version of yin and yang is different than how it is used in macrobiotics.  It has been a conundrum Don and I –– as practitioners of both Chinese medicine and macrobiotics –– have long tried to understand, and which I am addressing in this series of posts.  

To get to the root of the matter, we find some clues from Herman Aihara, (1920-1998), another beloved Japanese teacher of macrobiotics, and author of several macrobiotic books, including Acid and Alkaline. You can read more about a few of the early macrobiotic pioneers in my article here, with more detail in my book, The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness, (or simply, The MAP), available in paperback and Ebook formats.  

Buckle up, because after our discussion about acid and alkaline, we need to take a brief look at centrifugal and centripetal forces as well.  

Acid / Alkaline, Potassium & Sodium Salts & Yin and Yang

Sagen Ishizuka  was born after Japan opened up to the West.  As I wrote in The MAP, "Sagen Ishizuka, M.D., lived during a time when the Western influence on diet, lifestyle, and agricultural practices were strongly felt.  Prior to this time period, meat, eggs, dairy products, white bread and refined sugars were not consumed as part of the traditional Japanese diet."

After years of observing human nature and the natural world, and studying ancient texts of Chinese medicine, He concluded that, "the proper choice of foods and the appropriate growing and preparation methods created the foundation for good health."  He specifically emphasized the importance of getting the right balance of sodium and potassium salts within the body, and that, "appropriate agricultural practices will maintain an ideal balance of these two important salts in the soil."

Ishizuka asserted that whole grains were the ideal principal foods for those living in temperate climates.  Beans, vegetables, seeds, nuts, sea vegetables, and local fish and game were supplementary to whole grains.  This is similar to the five common dietary patterns of successful cultures worldwide.  His primary focus was on getting the right balance, which he believed was primarily determined by foods ––  the right balance of preparation techniques, flavors, foods in a meal, and sodium and potassium salts.  He became quite popular, seeing a hundred patients per day.

George Ohsawa grew up during a time when Western foods and medicine had become more mainstream.  His mother and two siblings all died at a young age with tuberculosis.  He also contracted tuberculosis while in his late teens, however, being orphaned and lacking financial resources, he could not afford Western medicine, and instead restored his native Japanese diet of rice and vegetables.  As he states in Essential Ohsawa, From Food to Health, Happiness to Freedom, "At eighteen, I rediscovered the Far Eastern medicine with its solid basis in a cosmological philosophy.  It cured me completely."  

A philosopher and teacher at heart, Ohsawa adapted the use of Yin and Yang from Chinese medicine to Ishizuka's theories about the relationship between potassium and sodium salts, and achieving the right acid / alkaline balance in what became the fundamental philosophy of macrobiotics.  Ohsawa discuses his theories in his book, The Unique Principle:  The Philosophy of Macrobiotics.  

However, Oshawa ultimately focused on associating Yin and Yang with centrifugal and centripetal forces, and inverted key characteristics of Yin-Yang.  Here lies our conundrum:   Did George Ohsawa always use Yin and Yang the way it eventually became codified in macrobiotics?  

If not, when did he make this switch  and why? 

The Acid Alkaline / Yin Yang Switch

In Acid and Alkaline, Herman Aihara (1920-1998), provided a clue as to when and why George Ohsawa seemingly inverted many of his interpretations of Yin and Yang from its original source found in ancient Chinese philosophy, including the I Ching, and Chinese medicine, which I discussed in the previous post.  Aihara explains that Ohsawa originally called acid yang, and alkaline yin, although he later changed to calling acid yin, and alkaline yang.  

Aihara proposes that Oshawa may have originally assigned acid as being yang, and alkaline as being yin, because acid changes blue litmus paper red, a yang color, and red litmus paper blue, a yin color.  However, for some reason, in 1960, during his first lecture in New York, he switched to calling acid yin, and alkaline yang.  This counterintuitive 'switch' apparently confused some macrobiotic students.  Since Ohsawa considered grains to be yang, his students incorrectly believed that brown rice and many other whole grains were alkaline, versus acid forming,   

Aihara states that Ohsawa was not discussing acid being yin, and grains being yang on the same level.   Rather, that grains are more yang when compared to vegetables.  Ohsawa also did not differentiate between acid and alkaline foods, and acid or alkaline forming foods, which Aihara fleshes out in greater detail in his book.

Perhaps Ohsawa made the switch to make his theory that sodium was more yang, and potassium more yin jive with his way of ranking foods, despite both elements being positively charged ions.  The higher the ratio of potassium to sodium, the more Yin; the lower the ratio of potassium to sodium, the more Yang.

Ohsawa's broader understanding of the origins of Yin and Yang does harmonize with Chinese cosmology, even if expressed in different terminology.  According to Aihara, Ohsawa believed that, "Yin and Yang are two sides of Oneness, which is the Creator of the Universe, God, Universal Consciousness, or whatever it may be called.  Oneness is invisible.  When the invisible reality manifests in the world, it appears as yin and yang, two antagonistic forces or phenomena.  Therefore, yin and yang are relative manifestations of God or Universal Consciousness..."  

This leads us to the topic of centrifugal and centripetal, and attributes Ohsawa assigned to Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang - Centrifugal and Centripetal Force (According to Macrobiotics)

Several macrobiotic teachers ~ including George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi ~ explained the creation of all phenomena based on the spiraling movement of two opposing forces, centrifugal and centripetal, which Ohsawa assigned to be Yin and Yang respectively.  The terminology of centrifugal and centripetal are unique to macrobiotics' use of Yin and Yang, and is not prominent in TCM.  

According to Miriam Webster online dictionary: 

Centrifugal is an adjective, 'proceeding or acting in a direction away from a center or axis.'  It is a word used to describe the force that keeps a string with a ball at the end taut when being twirled about in a circle.

Centripetal is an adjective which tends towards centralization.  A unifying force, that proceeds or acts in a direction towards a center or axis.

According to Science Questions with Surprising Answers, "the centrifugal force is an inertial force, meaning that it is caused by the motion of the frame of reference itself and not by any external force."

Winter squash with dense, orange flesh & skins 
require roasting or baking are more yang
than summer squashes, which have a 
higher water content, and cook quickly.

Over all, fruit are more yin than vegetables,
they tend to be more cooling; strawberries
(red color) are a more yang fruit

In Philosophy of Oriental Medicine, Key to Your Personal Judging Ability (originally titled The Book of Judgement), Ohsawa describes these two Yin Centrifugal and Yang Centripetal forces as follows:

Centrifugal yin produces: cold (slackening of the components' movement); dilation; expansion; lightness (thus, the tendency to go upward); enlargement; tall (in the vertical sense) thin forms.  Colors on the cold spectrum in the blue and purple shades are associated with yin items, including fruits and vegetables in this spectrum.

Centripetal yang produces: heat (thus the activity of the molecular components); constriction; density; heaviness (thus the tendency to go downward); flattened, low, horizontal forms.  Warmer colors such as reds and oranges are associated with items or foods displaying a dominance of yang energy.

A simple diet of cooked whole grains, beans
& steamed or QB Veggies is the foundational diet
recommended by both traditional Chinese Medicine
& Macrobiotics

Macrobiotics and Chinese food therapy 
recommend consuming raw or pressed 
salads more as part of the Spring or Summer Diets.

Tempeh Cutlets w/ Rice Balls & QB Kale
w/ Cucumber Salad utilizes quicker
cooking techniques which are best during
spring, summer, and early fall

Chickpea Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Yukon
& Cauliflower Crust is a richer, more savory
dish using longer cooking that warm us up during 
fall & winter

The Yin and Yang of Foods According to Macrobiotics

Taking in all the above background information about the ratio of potassium to sodium salts in the diet, acid and alkaline, centrifugal and centripetal, we finally arrive at the use of Yin and Yang with respect to food according to macrobiotics.  

In macrobiotic teachings, all foods are categorized in a spectrum between Yin and Yang, with many macrobiotic books showing a simple horizontal line drawing with the most extreme Yin foods (and substances) ~ refined white sugar, alcohol, and recreational drugs, followed by tropical fruits and their juices ~ being on one side, and the most extreme Yang foods ~ salt, eggs, hard cheeses and meats being on the opposite end.  

Whole grains, beans and pulses followed by land and sea vegetables and seeds are the most centered, balanced foods from which the bulk of the macrobiotic diet is derived.  Grains are more yang; vegetables more yin.

As Ohsawa explains, 

"Biologically, all animals are only converted vegetables - hemoglobin being a mutation of chlorophyll.  Our physical, psychological and even spiritual condition depends upon the proportion and preparation of our foods, as well as upon our way of eating."

Grilling zucchini, peppers, portobello mushrooms &
pineapple ~ all foods less commonly consumed
in macrobiotic circles ~ are made more yang
by applying heat, and can be enjoyed as part of 
a summer diet (plate made as part of the FOK online 
cooking class exercise offered through Rouxbe

Raw tomatoes are limited in macrobiotic
circles, considered a tropical fruit that is
too yin, and tends to lead to cravings for extreme yang foods.  In both Chinese food therapy & Western nutrition,
 tomatoes have many health benefits

Factors Affecting Yin and Yang Nature of Foods

The Yin and Yang balance of individual foods is altered through cooking, to help us adjust for seasonal variations in temperatures.  

During the cooler months, salt, heat (fire), pressure, and time ~ such as using more savory condiments such as tamari, miso, or sea salt in recipes, and using slow roasting, pressure cooking, baking or long simmering techniques ~ increase the yang energy of foods, and helps us stay warm during the fall and winter.  

During the summer, we use less salty flavor, shorter cooking times with more water cooking techniques ~  such as steaming and Quick Boiling ~  and more raw or pressed salads or fruits to increase yin, and balance summer heat.

Eating appropriately throughout the year helps us maintain a balance of Yin and Yang forces for a healthy immune system, and prevention of seasonal flu bugs.

Slow simmering stews with more savory, rich flavors increase
the yang, and are perfect during the cooler months

Quick Boiled Greens & Vegetables are cooked quickly
in water, ideal during warmer months

Potassium, Sodium and Our Instinctual Drive Towards Balance 

According to Ohsawa, the Yin and Yang proportion of our food must always be in a 5 to 1 ratio, yet he admits that because of factors acting upon foods during cooking, such as mentioned above ~ adding salt, water, and heat ~  it is difficult to strictly maintain this ratio.  Modern agricultural practices have also altered this balance, as fertilizers enrich soils with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

In You Are All Sanpaku, Ohsawa further ranked each category of foods ~ fruits, vegetables, dairy products, whole grains, fish, all other animal foods, sweeteners, oils and beverages ~ from most yin to most yang.  For example, among cereals, corn is more Yin, and buckwheat, a hearty winter grain is more Yang.  Therefore, you would eat more corn during the summer (when corn ripens), and more buckwheat during the winter, which is more warming.

With respect to beverages: coffee, fruit juice, champagne and wine are classified as extreme Yin, while Kuzu Tea, Umeboshi Juice, and grain coffee drinks made with chicory, dandelion and others (Perro, Roma Dandy Blend & Teeccino are a few favorites) are more balanced, or slightly Yang (relative to juices and alcohol), while Ginseng is the most Yang.  Herbal teas, mineral water, mint tea are in between.

Among fruits and vegetables: pineapple, papaya and mango are among the most Yin fruit, along with cashew and peanuts, while strawberries and apples are categorized as Yang among compared to other fruits.  Eggplant, potato tomato, mushroom, sweet potato, and asparagus are among the most Yin vegetables, while root vegetables, including dandelion root, burdock root, carrot, leek, radish and pumpkin are more Yang.  

He categorized foods according to the direction and speed in which they grew, their color, size, shape and density, and probably most importantly, their potassium to sodium ratio, with foods having a higher ratio of potassium to sodium being ranked as more Yin.

While ranking all foods on a straight line continuum between the most Yin, to the most Yang may be over simplistic, it helps new followers to macrobiotics have a better sense of what foods will best engender a healthier balance, and which foods lead to imbalances, or fluctuating cravings for extreme foods from one  end of the spectrum to the other.  For example, after a really salty snack or meal, one may crave something very sweet.

Next, I summarize the similarities and differences between the use of Yin and Yang according to macrobiotics versus Chinese medicine. 

Fermenting vegetables in a brine makes them 
more yang

Pressed Red Cabbage Salad uses salt and 
squeezing to make the otherwise raw
cabbage easier to digest 

Yin and Yang -  Similarities Versus Differences Between Macrobiotics and TCM

As you can see, there are commonalities between Yin and Yang according to macrobiotic versus Chinese medicine, along with several differences.  

Where Macrobiotics And Chinese Medicine Harmonize 

In both macrobiotics and TCM, Yin is more cold or cooling, and corresponds to the cool spectrum of colors.  Fruits and vegetables are more Yin than animal foods.  

Yang is more hot, or warming, and corresponds to the warm spectrum of colors.

Where They Differ:  

• Centrifugal and centripetal terminology is not a central teaching to The Law of Complementary Opposites in the practice of Chinese medicine.  As Simon Brown states in his article, Yin Yang, Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, Meridians, San Chi and Ba Gua in the Winter 2025 issue of Macrobiotics Today, "Ohsawa created a new model based on centripetal force and centrifugal effect.  Although this is an interesting approach to understanding how complementary opposites work together....this is not yin-yang."  Yin and Yang are used broadly in Chinese medicine as part of syndrome identification and in choosing appropriate treatment protocols.
• In Eastern philosophy and Chinese Medicine, Yin is associated with the Earth, feminine polarity, and material substance.  Therefore, it is denser and darker relative to Yang, which is lighter and more expansive.  As you recall from above, Ohsawa considered yin to be lighter, more expansive and enlarged, qualities considered more yang in TCM.
• In Eastern philosophy and Chinese Medicine, Yang is associated with the masculine polarity.  It refers to Qi, Spirit, or energy, and is more expansive.   In macrobiotics, yang relates to density, heaviness, constriction, and a tendency to go downwards.  Yet this opposes basic laws of physics.   Heat rises, it does not descend.  We apply heat to tight or injured muscles to improve circulation; cold constricts blood flow.  When we are hot, we spread out to cool off, when cold, we curl up (pull in) to keep warm. 
• According to Bob Flaws, a highly regarded teacher and practitioner of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese food therapy, "Yin and Yang, the two, are represented in the human body as Water and Fire.  Contrary to popular Macrobiotic doctrine, Classical Chinese Medicine does not classify all food in Yin and Yang categories that can be laid out and linearly compared." (From Prince Wen Hui's Cook, Chinese Dietary Therapy.)

Ohsawa claimed that Chinese medicine used a more metaphysical approach to Yin and Yang, but this is plainly false.  I guarantee most clients who show up at an acupuncture clinic are not there to talk about metaphysics!  The majority of clients that we treat at our clinic come to us seeking pain relief.  Other conditions we commonly treat relate to endocrine system imbalances including menstrual pain or irregularities and infertility, migraines, relief from symptoms while undergoing chemotherapy, skin conditions, digestive issues, allergies, etc.   

Food therapy is (unfortunately) used minimally, mostly because people in the West are not accustomed to seeing an acupuncturist for the equivalent of a Chinese dietetic prescription, although this is considered one of the first lines of treatment, as it is least invasive.

Yin and Yang is used in Chinese medicine to describe physical phenomena in relation to one's symptoms; food or herbal therapy, and/or acupuncture, cupping or other modalities are used accordingly, whether to clear toxins, relieve pain, improve the flow of blood and qi, drain dampness, resolve phlegm, and restore balance.   

As Brown states, "The way yin-yang was often presented in macrobiotics was to avoid the extremes so the ideal foods, such as brown rice, were seen as more in the middle between yin and yang."  Yet, as he explains, reducing polarity reduces movement.  The lack of nuanced ability to intuitively determine the right balance can lead people to the yo-yo cravings of extremes, as previously stated.

Ohsawa also emphasized getting adequate sodium in relation to potassium.  This is important, especially for those eating plant-based diets, as plants are much higher in potassium than sodium, whereas animal foods have a lower potassium to sodium ratio.  Many plant-based diet advocates are recommending low-sodium diets.  We don't recommend this restriction, as plenty of evidence suggests the need for far more sodium than many now consume, especially those eating plant-based diets.

A nuanced approach may be the key take-away.  Too many restrictions, complexities or rules can lead some to being hyper-focused on eating a 'super clean' diet, making the unnecessary goal of perfection to become the enemy of contentment with what is.  

Getting the right balance, which Ishizuka emphasized, is key.  Not too much nor too little sodium, especially in relation to the amount of potassium-rich foods consumed.  We want a balance of Yin and Yang elements in the diet.  

More so, we want the right Yin and Yang balance in our lives.   The stress of continually eating the right foods at the right time in the right balance can be counter productive.  

We encourage self-healing through self-knowledge.  Know thyself.  Monitor your thoughts, beliefs, and emotional reactions, prioritize healthy lifestyle practices, and you'll naturally find your balance.  All your experiences and symptoms will guide you to make adjustments as needed, providing you are paying attention.

To practitioners of both macrobiotics and Chinese medicine, the disparities between their uses of Yin and Yang can seem very confounding.  Yet, despite differences, many macrobiotic practitioners including George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi were able to effectively apply their conceptual framework of Yin and Yang to help countless people overcome major illnesses through appropriate diet and lifestyle recommendations, and their use of macrobiotic remedies.  They birthed a –– dare I say magical ––movement that linked people together from around the world, with a shared vision for world peace.  

That said, many were not able to sustain more restrictive iterations of a macrobiotic diet, depending on how that diet was conveyed to them.  In The MAP, I try to make it as simple as possible, and help readers find their own balance, based on their needs and preferences.

I included a list of common maladies, or symptoms and basic diagnostic observations according to whether they are more Yin or Yang according to Chinese medicine, along with recommendations for restoring balance in the appendix of The Macrobiotic Action Plan. 

For more information about Chinese medicine, acupuncture, herbal and food therapy, and a variety of conditions that can be addressed with Chinese medicine, check out our website at www.Barefoot-Acupuncture.com, or my website at www.tracymatesz.com,

Our desire is to help clear up any unnecessary confusion, and errors in judgement, to help inspire macrobiotics as a guidance system for self-healing.  

Author's note:

Before continuing, I want to be clear about my/our love for macrobiotics, as well as Asian philosophy and Chinese medicine.  It is our GPS system, guiding our choices based on The Laws of Complementary Opposites ––Yin and Yang –– which I elaborate on in my book, The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness.   Anytime we veer off course, macrobiotics in particular calls us home, time and time again!  

Don and I learned about macrobiotics during our early adulthood, and both became licensed practitioners of Oriental medicine.  This was before we met, in 2010.  Together, we have spent countless hours over the course of our marriage attempting to understand the contradictions between George Ohsawa's version of Yin and Yang ~ fundamental to macrobiotic teachings ~ and that of Chinese medicine, it's predecessor by thousands of years!    

It seems to us to be a source of a lot of unnecessary confusion.  We personally believe that George Ohsawa made tremendous contributions, however, he was like all of us not without errors in judgement.  We feel that had these two great systems of health harmonized more completely, macrobiotics may still be as active today as it was during its peak several decades ago.

I hope this clarifies Yin and Yang, according to macrobiotics versus Chinese medicine.  With respect to its dietary applications, and subsequent effects of improper diet and lifestyle, both macrobiotics and Chinese medicine are roughly in agreement.  How it is used in practice will vary according to the practitioner's frame of reference.  This will be the focus of my next post.

As long as it's use gets you to your desired destination, it's all good!

NEXT UP:

• How to Use Yin and Yang for Self-Healing 
• Why Understanding the Concept of Principal & Complementary Foods Matters!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

• The Brown Rice Diet
• Our Introduction to Macrobiotics and Early Macrobiotic Pioneers
• My Macrobiotic Weight Loss
• Crafting a Healthy Diet Based on Universal Principles 

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