Macrobiotic Diet

healthy appetite

By Natural Health+

Macrobiotic is Greek and means “the doctrine of the great life.” Its spiritual fathers were the Zen Buddhists. The basic assumption of the doctrine is the thesis that the universe consists of two different forces—the Yin and the Yang of the expansive force, the contractive force.

The Yin is assigned the following attributes: acid, potassium, sugar and fruit

Yang is allocated accordingly: basic, sodium, salt and grain

According to the theory, the world is built on opposites of Yin and Yang, which are supposed to complement and attract. A happy life is the philosophy possible only if the balance between Yin and Yang is true.

Dietary Guidelines

The classification of Yin and Yang in food is not as easy. You have to find one depending on the source and their classifications. On the other hand, the Yin Yang principle as it applies to food preparation could also be used.

The cause of many diseases of civilization is seen in a diet with food that are attributable to the Yin. Whole grain products have the optimum ratio according to the doctrine of Yin and Yang. That is the reason why they are the base or the main driving force of the macrobiotic diet.

The macrobiotic division into “levels” shows a gradual reduction in the diet up to the exclusive grain consumption. In principle, the whole grains remains as a base, but it could also be processed into any meal preparation.

It could be served with fresh vegetables, beans in various forms of preparation, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of fruit. The food should be mainly organically cultivated.

Soy products play a large role in the macrobiotic diet as they are the main sources of protein in the diet. Algae-made products play an important role. In general, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants (too much yin), sugar, canned food, fruit, and vegetables that have been treated with chemical fertilizer or insect repellents are not recommended.

Even foods that are not from their own region or not seasonal, would be rejected. Milk is not included in the menu, which is not very surprising, since the consumption of dairy products in the birthplace of macrobiotics is not common.