Macrobiotic Diet
Learn about the yin and yang of healthy eating.
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BACKGROUND
With a macrobiotic diet, you’ll eat wholly natural foods, free of the manmade, processed additives that fill your body with toxins. A macrobiotic diet balances the foods you eat to work in tandem with your body, not against it; the idea of yin and yang. Dating back to 1920s Japan, macrobiotic diets are popular amongst those living an holistic lifestyle. As with most alternative methods, a macrobiotic diet has yet to have any scientific research to back its claims.
FOOD & RECIPES
The philosophy of yin and yang are the center of a macrobiotic diet. Foods that fall under yin are cold, sweet and passive; yang are hot, salty and aggressive. Any food that falls on the far end of each side of this spectrum are to be strictly limited, or you risk throwing your diet into imbalance. More neutral fare is what you’re seeking. Cookies, ice cream, potato chips, coffee, additives, citrus and hot sauce are out.
Remember, a macrobiotic diet will really bring you in touch with food straight from the Earth as it was intended. Your diet will be rich in whole grains with a significant portion of your daily food source being barley. You’ll also start spending a lot of time in your produce section as you’ll eat plenty of vegetables, which should be about a third of your daily food source. You’ll need to identify markets selling organic, locally grown produce. Soy and beans will make for about 10 percent of your diet. A few times each week, you can enjoy fish. You’ll be nearly limited to drinking only filtered water.
EXERCISE
N/A
EXPENSE
Cost of a book like, Macrobiotic Diet by Michio Kushi and Aveline Kushi.
PRO
- Promotes natural foods.
CON
- Organic food is more expensive.
CONCLUSION
A macrobiotic will command serious dedication and a complete overhaul of your way of life - if you’re not already prescribing to a holistic lifestyle. You’ll be faced with a variety of excluded foods and beverages, and be restricted for the way in which you purchase and prepare food. A macrobiotic diet can also prove costly, which is why a lot of followers grow a lot of their own herbs and vegetables.
Common misspellings: Macrobotic Diet, Macrobiotic Deit, Macro Diet, Macro Deit
Meg Wloff: This diet saved my life! I was diagnosed with advanced breast camncer and no hope. Nine year later I am alive and cancer-free. Thanks for writing about it, you have it correct. Sincerely, Meg Wolff
