From Wikipedia:A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the
Greek "macro" (large, long) and "bios" (life), is a
dietary regimen that involves eating
grains as a
staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as
vegetables and
beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be
chewed thoroughly before swallowing.
Important macrobiotic theorists, including George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi, stress the fact that yin and yang are relative qualities that can only be determined in a comparison. Every single thing in the universe has both yin and yang factors, but one will always be dominant over the other.
For instance, take a carrot. It is neither yin nor yang by itself. The orange, dense, hard part of the carrot is yang in comparison to the leafy, expansive, light-seeking, green tops, which would be considered more yin. But that same "yang" orange carrot would be considered more yin in relation to another object that was even more yang than the orange carrot, say a ginger root, which is even more dense and hard and heating than a carrot. The carrot's sweetness compared to ginger's lack of sweetness makes it more yin compared to ginger.
These are classified as extreme
yin (stimulating) in their effects:
- Sugar
- Alcohol
- Honey
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Refined flour products
- Very hot spices
- Drugs
- Chemicals and preservatives
- Commercial milk, yogurt and soft cheeses
- Poor quality vegetable oils
These have yang (strengthening, but stagnating effects if over-consumed).
- Poultry
- Meat
- Eggs
- Refined salt
From www.macrobiotics.co.uk :
10 Useful Steps for Starting Macrobiotics
by Melody Gardot
1. KEEP COOKING BOOKS HANDY
for referring to recipes. It keeps you from forgetting exactly what you need and how to cook things when you're just beginning.
2. KEEP FOOD SUPPLIES ORGANIZED to eliminate scavenger hunts while your items are cooking.
Keep all your grains in containers clearly marked, all your refrigerated items neat and all your seaweeds together.
Do this for your pots and cooking supplies as well.
3. THINK "OUT WITH THE BAD AND IN WITH THE GOOD" when it comes to food shopping. By clearing out your cabinet of the foods that you used to eat you will be less likely to eat them again.
Every once in a while you can reward yourself with a treat, just make sure it's not overkill or else you're back to square one. I like to have a sweet treat once in a blue moon.
Mochi is particularly good, but if this isn't quite your thing, try a small serving of sorbet on rare occasion.
4. KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU'RE EATING with a calendar noting the breakfast lunch and dinners that you plan to eat each day.
Start with a weekly calendar. This way, you know that you're balancing meals throughout the day not just taking certain meals and cooking them again and again.
Macrobiotics is about balance and just because you're cooking macrobiotic foods doesn't mean you're getting the right ones.
5. KEEP TRACK OF HOW YOU FEEL while you are in the midst of adjusting.
It took me three months to notice anything. I had a great deal of toxicity from medication and months of eating the wrong foods that needed to be eliminated from my body.
Those months were hard adjusting to the new food and how my body felt. By keeping track I was able to see the improvements
6. PACK A TO GO BAG so that when you are out you don't reach for junk.
It s the hardest thing to deal with road cravings especially when you are bombarded by temptation after temptation screaming "24 hour' or "drive though".
By keeping food with you in a lunch bag, you can resist temptation and eat what you should.
7. EAT AT HOME because you'll find it's hard to figure out what's in the foods you order in restaurants.
Some places use oil some don't. Some places microwave, some don't.
Since you are going to need every bit of help you can get to make sure you are really making a change for the good, pass on lunch with friends out at your old favorite restaurant and instead offer to cook for them at your place.
8. SHARE THE JOY WITH A FRIEND who is eating macrobiotic as well. Some people find it hard to do lifestyle changes alone.
Macrobiotics can be as strict or as loose as you like, but you'll feel better knowing you're not alone in your change. Go to health stores and start up conversation with someone who is buying the same tofu as you.
It might turn out they eat macrobiotic too. Go to a yoga center and meet people. Often people who practice Yoga look to macrobiotics for health.
No matter how you do it, find a friend to share the joy of living life with macrobiotics
9. INCORPORATE OTHER MEANS OF HEALTHY LIVING with yoga, tai chi or meditation. Doing so will keep you calmer and promote happiness. The breathing exercises involved help to soothe your nerves and ease your mind so you can appreciate each day more so.
One of the concepts of macrobiotics is to sit down and eat your meal slowly so you enjoy each meal and you are thankful for the food before you.
In modern society people are lucky if they get a 30 minute lunch break so it's very important to keep yourself calm and chew your food well despite being on a tight schedule. Breathing exercises can help in this way.
10. STAY MOTIVATED by rewarding yourself for a job well done. Keep yourself motivated by referring to your journal that described how you feel.
Every once in a while look back to day one, when you were just beginning. Look in awe at the improvement you have made and the knowledge you have gained.
You learn by doing and with macrobiotics, you'll quickly see that it is much more than a diet, it's a lifestyle. And the rewards of living this way are far greater than you could have ever imagined.
