Tag Archive for: Macrobiotic Diet And Weight Loss

Planetary Health Series

Macrobiotic Diet – The Anti Aging Benefits

Learning the ins and outs of the macrobiotic diet might seem overwhelming when you first begin eating this way, but as with any other way of eating, it soon becomes natural for its followers.

Proponents say that people who eat a macrobiotic diet are less likely to get cancer and other diseases, will live longer lives and usually have more energy and vitality, even as they age.

macrobiotic diet

The basis of the macrobiotic diet is that followers focus on natural foods that are produced locally. They eat largely vegetarian, but also eat fish and seafood and sometimes meat that been raised naturally or is organic.

An additional cornerstone of this diet is that when you eat this way, you eat with the seasons. So, for example, you don’t eat corn in the winter. If you are eating corn, it means that either that corn was not produced locally (if it’s winter in your neck of the woods, it is summer somewhere else but that means your food was shipped a distance to get to you) or you’re eating frozen corn. Both are not recommended.

So getting a true idea of a day in the life of a macrobiotic diet follower is tough. Much depends on where you live (what locally grown foods are available at any given time?), what season it is and your personal preferences.

Each meal should ideally contain the following:

  • A grain
  • A protein
  • A sea vegetable
  • Vegetables (both cooked for a time and those that are raw)
  • Pickles
  • Dessert (optional and only sometimes)

There should also be a mix of crunchy, soft, sticky, smooth and other textures and tastes in the meal. This provides the “yin and yang” contrast that macrobiotic eating is founded on.

Let’s look at a sample menu. Let’s assume it’s winter where you live. Here’s what you might eat for dinner one night:

  • For your grain – Sticky rice
  • For your protein – Fried fish with ginger for flavor
  • For your sea vegetable – Shio Kombu
  • For your vegetable – Sweet/sour beets
  • For your pickles – A Takuan pickle
  • For dessert? How about winter squash pudding?

Now, let’s look at a summer menu. Most people who eat a macrobiotic diet find that summer is the easiest of seasons in which to plan menus. The produce is plentiful and it’s easy to find locally raised protein sources and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Here’s a sample summer menu:

  • For your grain – Polenta made with fresh corn
  • For your protein – Red lentils that are made creamy and rich
  • For your sea vegetable – Arame made with sunflower seeds and diced chives
  • For your vegetable – Green salad with carrots
  • For your pickle – Chinese cabbage with lemons and red radishes
  • For your dessert – Lemon pudding

Do you see how the daily meals combine creamy, sweet, sour, crunchy and other textures and tastes? This is the hallmark of the macrobiotic diet, other than the emphasis on fresh, whole foods and finding the proper “yin and yang” of food.

It might take a little planning and effort to purchase and prepare the food, but if the benefits are worth it to you, it’s worth giving the macrobiotic diet a try.

Planetary Health Series

The Macrobiotic Diet

In your search for the latest diets and trends, you have surely uncovered many different programs, which assuredly provided varying levels of success and legitimacy. Standing apart from these is the macrobiotic diet, a nutritional plan that has actually been around for a very long time.

The diet once included strict regulations and restrictions, but has since been infused with the knowledge of nutritional needs and body health. The result is an exciting program which sticks to the basic fundamentals of the original while ensuring your body gets a full range of nutrients and healthy, essential foods.

macrobiotic diet

To begin with, the macrobiotic diet is actually just a specific kind of vegetarian diet. It’s going to focus on a few specific food groups and areas and like basic vegetarian programs, you will not be able to eat any dairy or meat. Many vegans also utilize the macrobiotic system, however that is an additional, unnecessary step if it’s not to your liking.

The largest element of your diet is going to consist of nutritious and healthy whole grains. You’ll essentially be cutting out all of the junk from your diet, which includes processed foods and white pieces of bread which provide little to no nutritional value. You will be able to occasionally indulge in some pasta or something of that nature but only once a week or so to keep your body as healthy as possible. Whole grains will account for 50%-60% of your total calories.

Following whole grains is fresh vegetables. Vegetables are of course a major part of any health or diet program. In the macrobiotic diet, it’s important to cook the vegetables in a healthy way, meaning you boil or steam them or even sauté using a minimal amount of oil or dressing. The key is to avoid adding extra calories that frying or dressing provides. Adding to your vegetable intake will be beans, soy products and fish, which provides both essential omega 3 fatty acids and protein.

You’ll also be eating a lot of soup in the macrobiotic diet. Soup is extremely healthy because it can pack a potent nutritional punch but it can also fill you up easily with only a small amount of calories. Broth based soups are used rather than creamy or thick soups, and miso soup is the most popular choice for its nutrient rich soy base.

Despite how many vegetables you’ll be eating you won’t be eating that much fruit. Fruit actually contains a lot of carbohydrates and sugars. When you do eat fruit, you should avoid choices such as mangos or pineapples, instead opting for less exotic local fruits. Have fruit as a sweet desert or treat and avoid other sweeteners such as sugar or honey which provide the calories without the nutrients.

All together, the macrobiotic diet should significantly decrease the total number of calories you eat every day without making you feel as if you’re cutting back. The diet will be very high in fiber and very low in fat. You’ll shed excess flab and you’re body will feel much better from head to toe. You’ll be helping to combat not just your weight but also a large variety of symptoms and separate problems that can affect you, from cardiovascular disease to blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and much more.

The macrobiotic diet is an extremely effective nutritional program to increase how your body, spirit and mind feels. The all natural, nutrient rich ingredients will replace the processed, unhealthy foods that we eat and the results will be significant.