Nourishing Kidney Yin with Food

Consult your TCM practitioner for diagnosis and additional guidance

Yin Deficiency symptoms: Dry throat and mouth, low backache and weak legs, red tongue with little coating, nightsweating, flushed cheeks with warm hands and feet, irritation, nervousness

Foods that Nourish Yin:

Grains: Millet, barley

Legumes, nuts, & seeds: Tofu, tempeh, miso, pinenut, black bean, water chestnut, black sesame seeds, kidney beans, sunflower seeds

Vegetables & fungi:Spinach, asparagus, white fungi, string bean, cabbage, carrot, mung bean

Fruits: Apple, tangerine, persimmon, pear, melons, watermelon, blackberry, mulberry, huckeberry, raspberry, strawberry

Animal Products:Oyster, clam, mussel, eel, octopus, pork, pork kidney, duck, egg, goat’s milk, butter

Common supplements: Kuzu root, kelp, seaweed

Notes of Food preparation: Limit or avoid bitter foods and herbs. For moistening dry lungs, increase intake of boiled pears and honey, as well as persimmons and apple. Avoid overeating or eating late at night. Minimize eating raw foods.

Foods to Avoid: Coffee, alcohol, red wine, excess tea, “hot” spices