The importance of balance in every aspect of life

New age lifestyles like Zen - which is actually a religious practice - have evolved over the years to become an international phenomenon. Stemming from religious teachings, Zen has spilled over to denote a certain lifestyle captured to some degree by decor, food and even design. Similarly, Feng Shui - a traditional Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment - is now fast gaining recognition around the world and is becoming a household phrase in most parts. The literal translation is "wind and water".

More and more people, in their search for balance and health, have picked up on trendy exercise routines and adopted healthy snacking habits (choosing biscuits with high wheat cereal and low fat content). They have also recently started applying the art of Feng Shui to food. Although food is not usually described as having good or bad Feng Shui in itself, believers in Feng Shui say that certain food through energy composition or visual appearance are able to add or subtract from the Feng Shui of their surroundings.

The ideas of yin and yang are used in the sphere of food and cooking. Yang foods are understood to increase the body's heat (i.e. raise the metabolic rate) while yin foods have the opposite effect. As a generalization, yang foods tend to be denser in food energy, especially from fat, while yin foods tend to have higher water content. The Chinese ideal is to eat both types of food to keep the body in balance and avoid problems such as acne and bad breath as the result of excessive yang energy while the opposite may result in the person being lethargic or anemic.

There are foods that are classified as neutral as they are considered to have a good balance of yin and yang on its own. Almost no food is purely yin or yang, as they are classified based on the one characteristic that dominates. This is why there is no complete agreement among experts as to which foods exhibit yin or yang forces. Moderation is best and it is good to maintain a diet that contains a healthy balance between the two.

Here are some examples of the types of food in the different categories:

Yin Qualities
Spinach, Celery, Duck, Eggplant, Crab, Soy sauce

Yang Qualities

Garlic, Salt , Chicken, Turkey, Pineapple, Beef, Vinegar

Neutral Properties

Abalone, Potato, Rice, Grains, Crackers, Biscuits, Lemon

Interestingly, cooking methods also have more of a yin or yang property, as the list below demonstrates

Yin Qualities
Boiling, Poaching, Steaming, Fresh or Raw

Yang Qualities
Deep-frying, Roasting, Stir-frying, Baking

Taking this into consideration, how then would you decide on a menu for the family reunion dinner on the eve of the Chinese New Year, which Chinese all over the world celebrate on 18 February each year. Keep in mind that it is customary to include certain dishes as they are believed to usher in wealth, happiness and good fortune; for example, serving a whole fish to signify abundance, baked rice cakes to symbolize prosperity and longevity noodles to connote long life.

As the Chinese New Year dinner menu will be typically yang heavy, you can try to keep it in balance with yin energy by opting for steamed fish instead of deep fried fish. You can also choose food with less salt which is believed to have extreme yang polarities and go for more wheat cereal food which is rich in antioxidants and beneficial to overall health.

To enjoy a guilt-free indulgence at the reunion feast, balance out the rest of the day's diet by choosing a neutral breakfast such as wheat crackers or grain cereals, and a yin lunch such as salads or fruits. Consuming nutritious biscuits rich in wheat cereal, which are neutral, at regular intervals will ensure that your meals are balanced and will keep energy levels high throughout the busy period!

If you know the basic concept of balancing the yin and yang properties in food, you don't have to worry about over-indulging and having your health compromised in days that follow. Reading labels on food products can also help in identifying the right amount of yin and yang and help you plan your menu. While it is common for most people to look for the negatives (such as preservatives or other chemical additives) when reading labels, this practice can also be used to pick up the right stuff to ensure that we pack a balanced diet to support our active lifestyles while maintaining this equilibrium between the yin and yang energies.

This method of finding a balance in the food we eat is similar to the more widely accepted moethod of the food pyramid, which is a tool widely used by nutritionists as a guide to a balanced diet, with a bigger portion of neutral foods such as fibers and grains, and moderate portions of fruits and vegetables (yin) and meats and dairy products (yang).