What Is Macrobiotic Diet?

What is a macrobiotic diet? It is a diet designed with a view to improve our health and well-being because it is believed that what we eat has a great impact on our lives. Following a macrobiotic diet means eating food that is not processed and thus conventional methods of cooking are used. Eating a simple and a well balanced diet is what a macrobiotic diet is all about. In the 1920s, George Ohsawa, the founder of modern day macrobiotics asserted that he was cured of a grave illness by modifying his diet. What macrobiotics means is 'the great life' and it means living in harmony with all of nature that surrounds you.

Macrobiotics is very akin to the Yin and Yang theory of the Chinese. Yin and yang work in different directions. A balance between the two is to be maintained for good health and this is the essence of a macrobiotic diet. While yin is passive, sweet and cold, yang is more aggressive, saline and hot. Perfect health means a perfect balance between the two.

Foods vary in their tastes and properties. So grains and vegetables are important in a macrobiotic diet because they are classified as neutral foods, not having very strong yin or yang. Light foods are good for maintaining a balance between yin and yang, foods that are heavy are preferably avoided in a macrobiotic diet. A macrobiotic diet consists of organically grown grains and vegetables. Foods in their natural form are the best. Unpolished rice, oats and other kinds of millets are considered to be the basis of a balanced diet. Though whole grain is the preferred choice, small quantities of products made from refined flour is allowed.

One third of the macrobiotic diet consists of fresh and organically grown vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, collards, onion, pumpkin, kale, etc. Vegetables should not be over cooked as they lose their flavor. They must be parboiled, steamed or fried lightly in unrefined corn or sesame oil. Sea vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals should also comprise a small portion of a macrobiotic diet. Beans like lentils and chickpeas should also be included. Soya in the form of tofu and soya used as a paste in soups and broths with beans and vegetables are good additions.

Seafood, dry fruits and pulses should also form a part of a good macrobiotic diet and should be consumed weekly. Malt extracted from barley and rice syrup are good examples of sweeteners as is plum or brown rice vinegar. Food flavorings used should be pure and natural like sea salt and Tamari soy sauce.

Drinking water or any other beverage in a macrobiotic diet is recommended only when one gets thirsty. Teas that are strong and have caffeine must be avoided whereas teas prepared from roasted grain and green teas are acceptable. Water used for drinking and the preparation of food must be filtered and clean.

Poultry and milk, cheese or clarified buttered must all be avoided as they have very prominent yang properties. On the other hand citrus and other fruit juices, spicy food and caffeine in any form must be avoided as they have very prominent yin properties. Processed foods must not be consumed as they have preservatives and unnatural flavors. You must remember that a macrobiotic diet is not just a diet - it is a way of life.

Some Basics Of A Macrobiotic Diet

A macrobiotic diet is a diet formulated by the belief that food,
and the quality of food, has an affect on a person's life on a
greater extent than most people realize. Practitioners of a
macrobiotic diet believe that food has an affect on health, as
well as happiness and well being. Those who follow a macrobiotic
diet believe that natural foods with little to no processing are
the best choice of food. In addition, they believe in using
traditional methods of cooking and they enjoy cooking for
themselves, as well as for family and friends.

Literally translated, macrobiotics means "great life."
Physicians and philosophers from around the world have
associated macrobiotics with living in harmony with nature while
eating a simple and balanced diet. In the 1920's, George Ohsawa,
who founded the modern form of macrobiotics, claimed to have
cured himself from a serious illness by changing his diet.

Ohsawa believed in the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang. They
yin represents outward centrifugal movement and the yang
represents inward centrifugal movement. Yin and yang are always
opposite, with yin being sweet, cold, and passive and with yang
being salty, hot, and aggressive. In a macrobiotic diet, the yin
and yang need to be kept in balance for good health.

Because this balance of the yin and yang is at the core of the
macrobiotic diet, foods are all classified as one or the other.
This division is in accordance with their properties, tastes,
and effects on the body.

Grains and vegetables are not strong in either yin or yang.
Therefore, they are especially important in the macrobiotic
diet. These more neutral types of foods make it easier to
maintain balance of yin and yang and these foods that are
extremes in either yin or yang or to be avoided in the
macrobiotic diet.

All foods included in the macrobiotic diet must be organically
grown. Whole grains, such as barley, brown rice, oats, millets,
rye, core, buckwheat and whole wheat are thought to be the most
balanced of foods in a macrobiotic diet. Therefore, these foods
make up about 50 to 60% of the macrobiotic practitioner's diet.
Whole grains are the preferred type of grain in a macrobiotic
diet, but small portions of bread and pasta derived from refined
flour are acceptable.

Fresh vegetables make up approximately 25 to 30% of the
macrobiotic diet. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower,
collards, turnips, mustard greens, turnip greens, radish, onion,
butternut squash, acorn squash, and pumpkin are the primary
vegetables to be included in a macrobiotic diet. Iceberg
lettuce, celery, snow peas, mushrooms, and string beans are to
be included in the diet only two or three times per week. In a
macrobiotic diet, these vegetables are to be prepared by either
being steamed lightly or being saut้ed with unrefined cooking
oil, ideally corn oil or sesame oil.

5 to 10% of the macrobiotic diet consists of sea vegetables and
beans. Chickpeas, adzuki beans, tofu, and lentils are the
recommended types of beans. Sea vegetables should be included in
the diet. These vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Soups and broths make up about 5 to 10% of the macrobiotic diet.
Soups should contain a soybean paste. They also should contain
beans and vegetables.

In a macrobiotic diet, a few servings of seeds, nuts, and fresh
fish (such as flounder, halibut, and cod) each week are
acceptable. Acceptable sweeteners in the macrobiotic diet are
barley malt, and rice syrup, which is a sweet drink made from
rice. Plum and brown rice vinegar may also be occasionally used
in the macrobiotic diet. Tamari soy sauce and sea salt can be
used to add flavor to soups and to grains.

A person following a macrobiotic diet only drinks when thirsty.
The only drinks that are generally accepted in a macrobiotic
diet are teas, which are made from dandelion greens, roasted
grains, or the leftover cooking water from preparing soba
noodles. Teas containing caffeine or aromatic fragrances are
unacceptable. In addition, all cooking water and drinking water
must be purified before use.

Foods such as eggs and dairy products are thought to have strong
yang qualities. Similarly, chocolate, refined sugars, tropical
fruits, coffee, fruit juice, soda, and hot spices are believed
to contain strong yin qualities. Therefore, all of these foods
are avoided in the macrobiotic diet. All foods with artificial
flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives are also avoided.

The macrobiotic diet is more than just a diet, it is a
lifestyle, and it embraces a simplistic diet bound closely to
nature.