How to Nourish Yin

Kidney Yin represents nourishment deep within us. It corresponds to the parasympathetic system, responsible for restoration and revitalization.

Key Foods to Build Kidney Yin

Try to incorporate some foods that nourish Yin into your diet daily. These include:

• Animal Products
  • oyster, sardine, beef, chicken and if you tolerate dairy (milk, yogurt, sheep’s cheese)
• Blue and black foods
  • blueberries, blackberries, mulberry, black beans, beetroot
• Bone-Marrow Broths & Soups
  • this is an excellent Yin tonic
• Fruits
  • grape, blackberry, raspberry, mulberry, banana, watermelon
• Grains
  • millet, barley, wheat, rice, teff, quinoa
• Legumes
  • black beans, kidney beans, mung beans, beetroot
• Moistening herbs
  • marshmallow, slippery elm, comfrey, aloe vera gel, flaxseed tea
• Nuts
  • walnuts, chestnuts
• Salty flavoured foods
  • miso, sea salt, tamari, salted raw sauerkraut or kimchee
• Seafood
  • fish, shrimp, seaweeds
• Seeds
  • flax, pumpkins, sunflower, black sesame
• Tonics
  • Spirulina, kelp, chlorella, wheatgrass
• Vegetables
  • asparagus, deep green leafy vegetables
• Water
  • drinking enough water throughout the day is vital

Foods that deplete Yin include:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Hot spices

Other ways to support Yin

• Sleep
• Meditation