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The Macrobiotic path to total health

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

The Macrobiotic Way of Eating
The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health: A Complete Guide to Naturally Preventing and Relieving More Than 200 Chronic Conditions and Disorders
by Michio Kushi, Alex Jack

Even in medical schools, alternative medicine is blossoming. Two thirds of them now offer courses in complementary healing practices, including nutrition. At the heart of this revolution is macrobiotics, a simple, elegant, and delicious way of eating whose health benefits are being confirmed at an impressive rate by researchers around the world.

Macrobiotics is based on the laws of yin and yang-the complementary energies that flow throughout the universe and quicken every cell of our bodies and every morsel of the food we eat. Michio Kushi and Alex Jack, distinguished educators of the macrobiotic way, believe that almost every human ailment from the common cold to cancer can be helped, and often cured, by balancing the flow of energy (the ki) inside us. The most effective way to do this is to eat the right foods, according to our individual day-to-day needs. Now in this marvelous guide, they give us the basics of macrobiotic eating and living, and explain how to use this powerful source of healing to become healthier and happier, to prevent or relieve more than two hundred ailments, conditions, or disorders-both physical and psychological.

This encyclopedic compendium of macrobiotic fundamentals, remedies, menus, and recipes takes into account the newest thinking and evolving practices within the macrobiotic community. The authors integrate all the information into a remarkable A to Z guide to macrobiotic healing-from AIDS, allergies, and arthritis, to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. They also clearly explain what we need to know to start eating a true macrobiotic diet that will provide us with a complete balance of energy and nutrients.

Living as we all do in environmental and climactic circumstances that are largely outside our personal control, it is vital that we follow a healthy lifestyle, including a flexible diet that we can adjust to meet our own individual needs. The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health gives us precisely the tools and the understanding we need to achieve this goal. Use it to build a strong, active body and a cheerful, resourceful mind.

As the 21st century begins, the world faces an unprecedented health and environmental crisis. New diseases and epidemics have emerged, family and social conflicts have increased, and ecological threats have multiplied and spread, imperiling humanity’s biological and spiritual evolution, as well as the future of other life on this planet. At the heart of this escalating crisis is the integrity of the world’s food supply. Genetic engineering, cloning, food irradiation, microwave cooking, and other new technologies are radically changing the way humans have eaten, fed their families, and managed their health for thousands of years, violating millions of years of natural order.

Personal and planetary health are inseparable. World hunger and poverty cannot be divorced from eating beef, chicken, and other animal foods that require up to ten times more grain to produce than growing grain directly for human consumption. SARS, AIDS, mad cow disease, and other new epidemics are connected with a widespread decline in natural immune function as a result of the modern way of eating and overmedicalization. Violence and war are intimately related to liver, kidney, and pancreatic imbalances that give rise to anger, fear, and greed on a personal, family, or societal level.

The macrobiotic way of eating is very broad and comprehensive. It has been observed by millions of human beings for thousands of years, contributing to health, happiness, and peace for endless generations and our species overall biological and spiritual evolution. For the most part, it is based on whole cereal grains (the traditional staff of life), vegetables from land and sea, beans, and other fresh foods, with a minimum of animal products. With the advent of the modern era about 400 years ago, this way of eating steadily declined around the world, as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy became the center of the diet; white flour and white rice displaced whole-wheat flour and brown rice; and canned and frozen foods, highly processed foods, and foods grown with or containing chemicals largely replaced fresh, local produce grown organically and consumed in season.

Today the modern supermarket and natural foods store contain a cornucopia of foods from all over the world. Bananas, mangoes, and other tropical foods are eaten by people living in the Arctic, while dwellers in the rain forest have access to hamburgers, french fries, and soft drinks. Watermelon, strawberries, and other perishable fruits are consumed in winter, and steak, fried chicken, and other heavy animal foods are consumed in summer. The typical family today rarely eats home-cooked food together, and electric or microwave ovens are found in the vast majority of households. The end result has been a wave of epidemic and degenerative disease, including heart disease, cancer, AIDS, new multiple-drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, and other afflictions. The advent of cloning and genetic modification of foods and medicines; the rise in organ transplants and implants, especially from animals to humans; the spread of artificial electromagnetic fields from computers, cell phones, and other technology; and the destruction of the environment, including desertification, the thinning of the ozone layer, and the onset of global warming, have contributed to a further decrease in natural immunity to disease. The biological degeneration of human beings, reflected in a sharp rise in infertility and the use of new artificial birth technologies, as well as the spread of infectious, degenerative, and immune-deficiency diseases, threatens the continued existence of our species. The modern evolutionary crisis encompasses all of the nearly 200 conditions and disorders dealt with in this book.

The world is now splitting into two directions. The first is respecting nature, traditional wisdom, and natural order. The second is oriented toward artificial intervention into natural processes. Our natural evolution on this planet will end if the second way prevails. The present situation is similar to that described in the story of Noah and the great flood. Unless we awaken to the spreading chaos around us, the earth will be engulfed by a biological catastrophe of its own making.

Our species and the planet as a whole are in urgent need of healing. For many years, the macrobiotic community has warned that the outer environment is a reflection of the inner environment and that the key to the health and environmental crisis is a return to a more natural way of life centered on a natural way of eating. Personal and planetary health are indivisible. When one person is nourished, the whole planet benefits. When the earth prospers, each person is energized and refreshed. Modern macrobiotics is devoted to creating a world of universal health, happiness, and peace in harmony with natural order for endless generations.

Despite the lack of a leading philosophy and its practical application to every dimension of the crisis, modern society is beginning to take positive steps to redress the balance. First, the health revolution, as noted in the introduction, is now spreading. This includes organic farming, the environmental movement, and the macrobiotic community. Modern science and medicine has rediscovered the central importance of whole grains, as reflected in the Food Guide Pyramid and other dietary and nutritional guidelines. Second, communications networks are elevating consciousness. Through the Internet, information on health and diet is easily exchanged, and there is the potential to reach every home or community directly through this new technology. Third, new alternative approaches to health and well-being have emerged that emphasize a balanced diet, healing with energy and vibration, and living a natural way of life.

The Macrobiotic Diet

The macrobiotic way of eating has been practiced widely throughout history. Each culture and civilization has applied principles of balance to the proper selection and preparation of food and developed a unique cuisine in harmony with its natural environment. The macrobiotic approach is based not only on meeting optimal nutritional needs but also on a deep understanding of the earth’s relation to the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies; the evolution of life on the planet; ancestral tradition and heritage; ever-changing environmental and climatic conditions; humidity, pressure, and other atmospheric influences; local availability, affordability, and other economic factors; natural storability and other practical considerations; and the effects of different foods and beverages on our mind, body, and spirit.

The macrobiotic way of eating is not a set diet that applies rigidly to everyone, but a flexible dietary approach that differs according to climate, environment, condition of health, sex, age, activity level, and personal need. Macrobiotics is the collective wisdom and universal heritage of humanity. It is not the manifestation, property, or exclusive possession of a single era, culture, society, nation, religion, school, family, or individual. The goal of macrobiotics is freedom-the ability to create and realize our dream in life as part of our endless spiritual journal in the infinite universe. Standard macrobiotic dietary practice provides almost limitless variety and choice to prepare healthful, delicious food suited to our unique requirements, needs, and goals. No food is prohibited in the macrobiotic way of eating, and no food will heal all diseases. The standard macrobiotic diet is based on a comprehensive approach that takes into account the overall balance of energy and nutrients of food and looks at multiple causes and effects. Table 1 summarizes the major approaches to healing.

In comparison with the modern way of eating, the standard macrobiotic way of eating has the following general nutritional characteristics:

• More complex carbohydrates, fewer simple sugars

• More vegetable-quality protein, less animal-quality protein

• Less overall fat consumption, more polyunsaturated fat, and less saturated fat

• A balance of various naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients and less supplementation

• Use of more organically grown, natural food and more traditional food processing techniques and less chemically grown, artificially produced, or chemically processed foods

• Consumption of food primarily in whole form as much as possible and less refined, partial, or processed food

• Greater consumption of food that is high in natural fiber and less food that has been devitalized by overprocessing

Dietary Guidelines

The following guidelines represent a standard average for persons in usual good health. Those with one of the conditions described in this book may need to limit some types of foods, especially fish and seafood, fruit, juices, seeds and nuts, snacks, and desserts, as well as the amount of salt, oil, or other seasoning used in cooking, until their health improves. Please refer to the specific conditions and disorders in Part II for dietary advice and Part III for one of three comprehensive healing diets that can be indivi- dually tailored to your condition and needs. Part III also includes a comprehensive list of the major foods used in the modern macrobiotic diet in a temperate climate as well as a list of foods that are generally avoided or minimized.

DAILY FOOD FOR THOSE IN GOOD HEALTH

WHOLE GRAINS

The principal food is cooked whole cereal grains, comprising from 40 to 60 percent of the daily food intake (average 50 percent by weight). Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat berries, barley, millet, and rye, as well as corn, buckwheat, and other cereal grasses cooked in a variety of styles. Short-grain or medium-grain brown rice is the staple today in most macrobiotic homes around the world, generally pressure-cooked or occasionally boiled, and is eaten at least once a day. It may be cooked plain or together with about 10 to 20 percent millet, barley, whole wheat berries, fresh corn kernels, or other grain. It may also be cooked together with a small volume of adzuki beans, lentils, chickpeas, or other beans. The majority of whole grains are to be eaten in whole form, and ideally constitute the center of every meal. Occasionally, several times a week, whole-grain products, such as cracked wheat, rolled oats, noodles, pasta, unyeasted sourdough wheat or rye bread, and other unrefined whole-flour products may be taken as part of this category. White flour and other highly refined and polished grains are avoided or minimized. From time to time, organic white rice may be taken for relaxation, enjoyment, or medicinal benefits. Whole grains should be freshly prepared at least once a day and may be used for leftovers the same day or the next day.

SOUP

One to 2 servings of fresh soup are consumed each day, either a cup or bowl, making up about 5 to 10 percent of daily food intake. The soup is frequently seasoned with miso (naturally fermented soybean paste) or shoyu (naturally fermented soy sauce), to which wakame (a sea vegetable) and carrots, onions, or seasonal land vegetables are added during cooking. The taste of miso or shoyu should be mild, not too salty or too bland. Barley miso, rice miso, or hatcho (all-soybean) miso, aged for two to three years naturally, are recommended for regular use. A wide selection of sweet vegetable soups, bean soups, and grain soups may also be prepared. Soup is to be prepared with fresh ingredients each day and not be canned, packaged, or precooked.

VEGETABLES

About 20 to 30 percent of daily food includes fresh vegetables prepared in a variety of ways, including steaming, boiling, and nishime-style (long simmering). Vegetables are also occasionally sautéed, stir-fried, baked, deep-fried, or prepared tempura style. Further, salads are boiled, pressed, or occasionally eaten fresh. The vegetables include a wide variety of leafy green and white vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, and watercress; round and ground vegetables such as cabbage, onions, and fall- and winter-season squashes and pumpkins; and root vegetables such as carrots, daikon, and burdock. Shiitake and other mushrooms are also used occasionally. The major portion of vegetables is cooked and a minor portion is pickled or eaten raw. When preparing root vegetables, the root and leaf portions may be cooked together to achieve a balance of energy and nutrients. Tropical and semitropical vegetables are best avoided, including eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, sweet potatoes, yams, avocados, peppers, and others, unless you live in a hot and humid climate. Mayonnaise and commercial salad dressings should also be reduced or minimized. Vegetables are to be prepared as freshly as possible and not canned, frozen, or bottled, which reduces their energy and nutrients. As much as possible, vegetables are to be eaten the same day they are prepared.

BEANS

A small portion, about 5 to 10 percent of daily food, consists of cooked beans or bean products. Beans for regular use include adzukis, lentils, chickpeas, and black soybeans, while all other beans may be used on occasion. Bean products such as tofu, tempeh, and natto may also be used daily. Beans will keep for about 24 hours and may be reheated or added to soups, stews, and other dishes.

SEA VEGETABLES

A small volume of sea vegetables, about 2 percent, is taken daily, including nori sheets, wakame, and kombu. Nori, the thin sheets used to wrap sushi, is eaten as a condiment, while wakame is used daily in miso soup, and kombu is frequently cooked with grains, beans, and vegetables as a seasoning to supply minerals. Hijiki or arame may be taken as a small side dish about twice a week, while all other sea vegetables such as dulse, sea palm, and Irish moss are optional. Sea vegetables are very strong and after cooking will usually keep for a day or two.

SEASONING

Naturally processed white sea salt is used as a regular seasoning, along with miso (soybean paste) and shoyu (naturally fermented soy sauce). Daily meals, however, should not have an overly salty flavor, and seasonings are generally added during cooking and not at the table. Other seasonings may be used occasionally such as umeboshi plums, umeboshi vinegar, rice vinegar, lemon, ginger, horseradish, mirin, garlic, mustard, black or red pepper, and orange. Naturally processed, unrefined vegetable oil is used in cooking, especially light or dark sesame oil. Kuzu is the principal thickener used for gravies and sauces. Commercial seasonings, herbs, spices, and other sugary, hot, pungent, aromatic, or stimulant seasonings are avoided or minimized.

CONDIMENTS

Condiments are placed on the table for use, if desired, to balance the meal. Condiments for daily use include gomashio (toasted sesame seed salt), made usually from 16 to 18 parts roasted sesame seeds to 1 part roasted sea salt, half ground together in a small earthenware bowl called a suribachi; roasted wakame or kombu powder, made from baking these sea vegetables in the oven until black and crushing them in a suribachi and sometimes adding toasted sesame seeds and storing in a small container or jar; umeboshi plums, small salted plums that have been dried and pickled for many months with sea salt and flavored with shiso (beefsteak) leaves; tekka, a root vegetable combination of carrot, burdock, and lotus root chopped finely and sautéed in sesame oil and miso for many hours; and green nori flakes. Other condiments may be used from time to time.

PICKLES

A small volume of homemade pickles is eaten each day to aid in digestion of grains and vegetables. A variety of vegetables may be used to make pickles, including daikon, red radish, turnip, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, and turnip. These are made with bran, brine, miso, shoyu, or umeboshi and are aged from several hours to weeks, months, and even years. Lighter pickles (pickled for a shorter time) are recommended in spring or summer or for persons who need to reduce their salt intake. Saltier pickles (pickled for a longer time) can be eaten during colder weather or by those who need to strengthen their condition. Sauerkraut is a traditional pickle and may be eaten regularly. Commercial pickles made with spices, sugar, and vinegar are avoided or minimized.

GARNISHES

To balance various dishes and make the meal more beautiful, garnishes may be used frequently. These include grated fresh ginger root, chopped scallions, grated daikon, grated rad- ish, grated horseradish, green mustard, lemon slices, orange slices, red pepper, black pepper, and others.

BEVERAGES

Natural water is used for drinking, cooking, and preparing teas. Spring water, well water, or filtered water are most suitable. Bancha twig tea is the principal beverage, while roasted barley tea, brown rice tea, and other grain-based teas or any traditional, nonstimulant, nonaromatic beverage may be used occasionally.

Supplemental Foods for People in Usual Good Health

ANIMAL FOOD

A small volume of fish or seafood may be eaten a few times per week. White-meat fish is less fatty and oily than red-meat and blue-skin varieties. This includes cod, haddock, flounder, trout, and many others. It should be taken with grated daikon, lemon, or horseradish as a garnish and plenty of fresh vegetables at the meal. Infrequently, other types of fish, seafood, or shellfish may be taken. All other animal food is customarily avoided in the modern macrobiotic community, including meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy foods of all kinds.

FRUIT AND JUICE

Fruit may be taken several times a week, preferably temperate-climate fruit such as apples, pears, apricots, berries, or melons. It may be taken stewed or cooked, naturally dried, or fresh in season with a pinch of sea salt. Tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, figs, dates, and kiwis are avoided or minimized. Citrus fruits such as orange, tangerine, and grapefruit may be taken in small volume, especially in season or in warmer weather. Juice is very concentrated and has more expansive effects than fruit. A small volume of cider or temperate-climate juice may be taken, preferably in season and at room temperature or warmer.

NUTS AND SEEDS

A small volume of nuts and seeds may be taken, about 1 cup a week. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and other smaller nuts are preferred over large or tropical varieties of nuts, such as cashew, macadamia, and Brazil nuts. Sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and other seeds may be eaten lightly blanched or roasted as an occasional snack. Nut and seed butters are highly concentrated and may be taken in small volume.

SNACKS AND DESSERTS

Delicious snacks and desserts may be taken in moderate volume two or three times a week and may include a wide array of sweet dishes prepared with natural ingredients. Often desserts can be prepared with sweet vegetables such as squash, pumpkin, and parsnip; fruits such as apples, berries, or melon; chestnuts; adzuki beans; and other naturally sweet foods without a concentrated sweetener. However, for dishes that need a strong taste, a grain-based sweetener is recommended, including amasake (a fermented sweet rice beverage), barley malt, or brown rice syrup. Soft snacks such as mochi, sushi, noodles, puddings, kanten, and chest- nuts are preferred over hard baked snacks and desserts. Cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, rice cakes, popcorn, and puffed grains, however, may be taken in small volume. For custards, whipped toppings, and frosting, agar-agar, tofu, tahini (roasted sesame butter), or kuzu (a white root that is used to thicken dishes) may be used instead of eggs, cream, milk, and other animal products. In macrobiotic households today, sugar, chocolate, brown sugar, honey, molasses, fructose, saccharin, and other highly refined or artificial sweeteners are strictly avoided. Maple syrup is used sparingly for special occasions.

BEVERAGES

Recommended daily beverages include bancha twig tea, roasted brown rice tea, roasted barley tea, and other traditional nonstimulant, nonaromatic teas. Spring water, well water, or filtered water is used for daily drinking, cooking, or preparing teas. Occasional-use beverages include kombu tea, umeboshi tea, mu tea, and grain coffee (made without figs, dates, or tropical sweeteners). Carrot or other vegetable juice may be taken several times a week. Infrequent-use beverages include green tea, soy milk, beer, sake, and other light to moderate alcoholic beverages. Stimulants such as coffee, decaf, black tea, and aromatic herbal teas such as peppermint, rose hips, and chamomile are avoided or minimized. Chlorinated, fluoridated, and other chemically treated water is avoided, as are distilled water, carbonated and bubbling waters, soft drinks, very cold beverages, and hard liquor.

Way of Eating

The standard way of eating provides a complete balance of energy and nutrients. There is no need to count calories or calculate individual nutrients. You may eat regularly 2 to 3 times a day, as much as is comfortable, provided the proportion of each category of food is generally observed. Thorough chewing is essential to digestion, and it is recommended that each mouthful of food be chewed 50 times or more until it becomes liquid in the mouth. As Gandhi wryly observed, drink your food, and chew your liquids. Eat when you are hungry, but it is better not to overeat. Leaving the table satisfied but not full is recommended. Similarly, drink only when thirsty, but do not unnecessarily restrict liquid. Avoid eating for three hours before sleeping, as this can cause stagnation in the intestines and throughout the body, overburden the pancreas and contribute to hypoglycemia, and disturb the kidneys and bladder.

Before and after the meal, express your appreciation to God, the universe, or nature for the food you have received, and reflect on the health and happiness it is dedicated to creat- ing. Appreciation may take the form of grace, prayer, chanting, or a moment of silence. Express your gratitude to parents, grandparents, and past generations who nourished us and whose dream we carry on, to the plants and animals that gave their lives so we may live, and to the farmers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and cooks who contributed their energies to making the food available. Every day it is also helpful to reflect on your physical, mental, and spiritual condition. Take just a few minutes to review the events of the day, including thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Try to connect them with your way of eating, especially foods consumed in the last 24 hours. Soon a clear pattern will emerge, and you will know intuitively what kind of effects different foods and beverages have on your daily health and happiness.

From the Hardcover edition.

Excerpted from The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack Copyright © 2003 by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack. Excerpted by permission of Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Michio Kushi is a leader in the international macrobiotic community. The author of many books, Kushi received the Award of Excellence from the United Nations Writers Society. In recognition of his role in launching the modern health and diet revolution, the Smithsonian Institution opened a permanent Kushi Family Collection on Macrobiotics and Alternative Health Care in 1999. Kushi lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
More by Michio Kushi

Alex Jack is an author, teacher, and dietary counselor. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Cancer Prevention Diet, Imagine a World Without Monarch Butterflies, and The Mozart Effect. President of Amberwaves, a network devoted to preserving whole grains from the threat of genetic engineering, he lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and family.
More by Alex Jack

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Macrobiotic - Yin and Yang

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic - mysterious power of Yin and Yang

Yin Yang
Every meal you eat contains some energy in itself. Watch over your energy balance and your body will reward. Macrobiotic defenders assert, that this way you’ll achieve long, happy and healthy life.

The word macrobiotic is deduced from Greek “macro” and “bios”. It could be explained as natural way of living. If you’ll adhere to macrobiotic, you should be assured about longevity, inner harmony and health ofcourse.

Macrobiotic works with idea of yin and yang

Yin and Yang are basic antipole energies, that are as two magnets constantly attracted, repeled and harmonize.
Macrobiotics assert that every particle, thing and living creature are result of these energies.
The same is for every food you eat, it has own energy - either balanced or extreme.
Psyche shows after this meal either harmonized or extreme contition. If you’ll for a long time consume foods balanced from the point of yin and yang, you’ll establish harmony to your organism and so health. On the contrary if you’ll consume extreme foods for a long time, your body won’t able to regulate constant disharmony and succumb to disease.

Yang energy

It’s centripetal energy, contracting.
Extremely yang - belongs there meat, poultry, eggs, salty cheese, fish (red meat), refined salt
Moderate yang - belongs there fish (white meat), mollusc, sea salt, soya, fermented vegetables

Yin energy

It’s centrifugal energy, releasing.
Extremely yin - sugar, honey, sweetness, cofe, alcohol, milk, yogurt, cream, tropical fruits and vegetable, spice and herbs
Moderate yin - salads, local fruits, nuts, vegetal oils, non-stimulating drinks

Macrobiotic - impact on alimentation

For the last several years was manner of eating changed so much, that the main component of nourishment are all complex foods. Even the products alone, the ones you cook from, are results of industrial modifications.
The main mistake is, that disappeared whole grains from the cooking menus, that in the shape of white baked goods lose their most valuable components. Furthermore the consumption of fats was increased, simple sugars, animal proteins and chemicals, used in the processing foods.

Macrobiotic for balanced body

What to eat then, to get your body in harmony? The base are whole grains (unhusked brown rice, barley, millet, husked oat, wheat and rye grains, corn, buckwheat), soups (from any vegetables), seaweeds, legumes. Up to third of every meal should make vegetable cooked in steam, boiled in water, stewed on the minimum of oil or infused.
The food could be filled with fishes and sea products baked on grate or boiled. From drinks is ideal tea from 3 year tea twigs or tea from roasted rice or barley grains. And ofcourse drink to too cold spring water.
From condiments use with light degree sea salt, soy sauce or salty plumps umeboshi. Sour taste to foods give rice or cereal vinegar, piquant will be grated ginger, shallot or horseradish. For a sweet taste you can use rice or barley malt.

Eat macrobioticaly is not easy at all and it won’t do without restrain. But the one who have tried macrobiotic, will surely confirm, that balance of foods will penetrate to whole body and will solve all ailments.

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Macrobiotic food and sugar crave

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic food and sugar crave

How to deal with strong sugar cravings, how to steer away from the wrong types of sugar foods, how to naturally satisfy your need for sweet taste?

Everybody needs delicious sweet taste during the day. The sweet is giving your body relaxing energy, uplifting feeling. Sweet is connected with love on the emotional level. But you need to take only good quality sweet sources, that will not harm your body and psychic. Simple refined sugar is very bad for your health/body. It’s not called refined by chance. The reason is, it’s totally exhausted product, where only the simple monosacharids stay in. But monosacharids are not good for your digestion at all. They are very quickly going into the blood and if you are not marathon runner, or very active person, you can’t burn them so fast as they are provided. The end effect is, they put a big load on the digestion organs and if they are not burned, they are transformed to fats and stored in various body parts. Refined sugar wasn’t option in the human history until the recent century. Look more into the human history if you want to live and be healthy. People were eating much more natural sweet products. They were eating simple fruits. Only the seasoned fruits that were around them. They dried them for winter storage and consumption. They couldn’t transport subtropical fruits (bananas, oranges, mangos) to the moderate climate zones. The nature has great logic, just watch and learn from it. The best macrobiotic sweeteners are rice malt, barley malt, rice syrup and sometimes maple syrup. Also all kinds of available fruits, dried or fresh. Because sweet is considered yin in energy, try to make your cakes with the little of yang energy too. It’s good to use kuzu to your desert preparation. Or to cook your fruits with a pinch of quality sea salt.
If you are Earth element in the Nine star ki, the sweet is your dominant taste. You will crave for sweet taste very often. You need to learn few principles to overcome this sweet need everyday. The best method is to prepare sweet vegetable drinks. You can prepare them once in 3 days. Because they can be stored in the fridge for 3 days easily. They are very simple to make, but you’ll be very surprised how sweety they are. They are perfect to drink when you crave for sweet taste. They are made from sweet vegetables like onion, cabbage, carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, turnip, parsley and many others (try to experiment). Just chop all vegetable to very small pieces and put into the pot with water. The water/vegetable ratio does vary and it’s up to you, but try to start with 1:1 ratio. Don’t add anything else and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Drink your 1-2 cups warm and store the rest into the fridge, after it gets cold. It will last easily for 3 days there.
Another important thing how to prevent you from sweet cravings is daily fresh salads eating. It’s something like fast pickles. It’s just like pickling the vegetables for 30 minutes. Pickling does mean, that you mix chopped vegetables (not only the sweet types for this, you can use anything and even fruits) with salt and press it (the best is with your hands) until the juice comes from the vegetables. Then let it rest for 30 minutes and you can eat this delicious uplifting salad. You can store this salad in the fridge for 3 days too and take a little bit each day. You now see, it’s very easy to cook macrobiotic. You wouldn’t believe it’s very simple to cook macrobiotic pudding like the one on the picture.

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Macrobiotic menu foods

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic menu foods

What are the main macrobiotic food ingredients, main food categories, what kind of foods to eat daily in your menu plan?

When you are starting macrobiotic, concentrate on the simple menu plans before you get experienced and your macrobiotic recipe repertoire goes up and also your cooking style ability. Try to visit as many classes as possible at the beginning to widen your macrobiotic cooking, so you can supplement your menus with new food types. Basic macrobiotic menu does consist of few main macrobiotic food categories:

Whole Grain is the main food on your every plate, it does form 30-50% of the whole food plate. They can be cooked together with the beans, you can use them together with soups or mix with the vegetable and make a grain-vegetable salad. Sometimes you need to eat more vegetables and reduce the grain amount, your macrobiotic counsellor will tell you more details.

There are many condiments made from the whole grains. You sprinkle them on top of your dishes lightly before eating them. These condiments are gomasio (made from roasted sesame and salt, melted together in the suribachi), powder from the shiso, goma-wakame and many other condiments that are very high in the minerals. You can buy these condiments at shops, but for gomasio it’s always best if you prepare it fresh at home.

You will use many types of organic vegetables to compliment your whole grains. They are the second most important food (in the quantity meaning) after the whole grains. It’s recommended by Aveline Kushi to use at least 7 different types of organic vegetables every day. But don’t stress it too much. This is just the ideal, that’s good to think about, but don’t get obsessed. You can eat fresh uncooked vegetable salads many times through your week. Always consult exact amounts of each ingredient in your macrobiotic menu with macrobiotic expert counsellor. Sometimes raw vegetables are not suggested at all. The counsellor will tell you if you can use pickled veggies and how strong (with salt and pressing time) should they be.

Miso soup made from vegetables and miso is served every day. The amount used is 1-2 cups per person. It’s usually made from onion, carrot, shitake mushrooms. All these ingredients are boiled together for 15 minutes and miso is added for the last 30 seconds of simmering. Try to make miso soup always different, by changing the vegetable types, cutting styles, cooking time, adding all kinds of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax), using different types of cold pressed oils (sesame, sunflower).

Sea vegetables (seaweeds) are used daily in your macrobiotic menu, but in a very small amount in comparison to grains and vegetables. Recommended amount is 1 tablespoon of cooked seaweeds everyday. They are very rich in minerals and proteins. The types that are used: wakame, kombu, nori, aramame, hiziki.

Condiments as said above are used to give your food better taste. But don’t overuse them because they are quite salty. It’s good to use no more than 1/2 teaspoon per meal.

Pickles are used everyday to help your digestion and they have also alkaline effect on your body. Use them with 1-2 meals in your usual day. But be careful with the amount, because they are often quite salty. Use 1-2 slices of pickled vegetables. The most famous macrobiotic pickle is called takuan or pickle made from daikon (daikon radish pickle). Also organic sauerkraut is usually used for daily macrobiotic menu.

If you are thirsty, the number one macrobiotic drink is kukicha tea. You can drink it every day, after your meals or between them. Buy good quality kukicha teas made from roasted twigs. Drink the tea warm, not hot, not cold.

The other macrobiotic menu foods are: all kind of beans (adzuki, lentils, chickpeas), tofu, tempeh, seitan, natto - these are very rich in proteins and can form 10-15% of your plate. You can also use noodles, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax), oats, natural sweeteners (rice syrup, rice malt, barley malt, maple syrup, fruits). Other foods can be incorporated into the menu if you know what you are doing or macrobiotic counsellor guides you. The informations provided in this article are only informative and are very basic and you should investigate more detailed descriptions of macrobiotic menu plans in the books of Kushi and many others.

macrobiotic menu

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Macrobiotic history

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

History of macrobiotic diet

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 local foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans. Although in macrobiotics people may opt to use Japanese ingredients (Japan being the cradle of contemporary Macrobiotics), according to the general guidelines people should use the ingredients that are found locally (e.g. mustard instead of ginger), and avoid the use of sugar and other 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.

History

The earliest recorded use of the term macrobiotics is found in the writing of Hippocrates, the father of Western Medicine. In his essay ‘Airs, Waters, and Places,’ Hippocrates introduced the word to describe people who were healthy and long-lived. Herodotus, Aristotle, Galen, and other classical writers used the term macrobiotics to describe a lifestyle, including a simple balanced diet, that promoted health and longevity.

Macrobiotic methodology was utilized by many of the long-lived traditional cultures, such as the Incas, the Chinese in the Han Dynasty, etc. George Ohsawa drew from Oriental and Japanese folk medicine to create his version of this traditional philosophy of health.

George Ohsawa brought his teaching to Europe from Japan. Ohsawa was a Japanese philosopher, who was inspired to formalize macrobiotics by the teachings of Kaibara Ekiken, Andou Shōeki, Mizuno Nanbaku, and Sagen Ishizuka and his disciples Nishibata Manabu and Shojiro Goto.

Ohsawa brought his macrobiotic teachings to North America in the late 1950s. Macrobiotic education was spread in the United States by his students Herman Aihara, Cornelia Aihara, Michio Kushi and Aveline Kushi, and their students. Michio Kushi has been the most prominent of these teachers.

Ohsawa coined the term for a natural way of living, macrobiotics, in the late 1950s. Macrobiotics, from the ancient Greek language, means the way of longevity. This term has been used by many authors in describing longevity teachings from the Far East.

“Whole foods, such as brown rice, are central to a macrobiotic diet, and many of the first customers and owners of the alternative food stores were students of macrobiotics. In the 20th century, a few creative and brilliant teachers, such as the Kushis (who immigrated to the United States from Japan after World War II), emerged who distilled the wide-ranging ideas and interpreted them for modern, urban, and industrialized life.”

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Macrobiotic food proteins

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic

To the question if macrobiotic (or strict vegetarians, vegans) help to improve state of health, couldn’t be answered easily. From the one point is advantage of these nourishing methods high supply of fruits and vegetables and low volume fats in the menu. But big amount of important nutrients is missing. So it depends very much on that, how are your knowledges about sources of proteins, vitamins and minerals, to not be exposed to their deficiency.

Proteins - vegetal foods may be good source of proteins, however it depends on that, how they are combined together. Complete protein is made for example from proteins of soya and wheat.
Minerals - high intake of fibre typical for macrobiotic (so big as 60 g - hence two times the recommended daily dosage) may disrupt absorbtion of calcium, zinc and iron, even in the case when they are enough in the food.
Vitamins - one of the most heavy reproach towards macrobiotic is prohibition of consumption of crops from other climatic zones. That’s why in the winter is not possible to eat south fruits and similar. If we compare the volume of C vitamin in mandarins and apples, it’s sufficient to cover of daily dosage either 2 mandarins or 2 kg of apples. Ofcourse that recommended cabbage is also very good source of vitamin C, but it would be necessary of 200 g fresh cabbage daily and it would mean to it this amount every day. Macrobiotic is so narrowing possibilities of selection in the scope of fruits and vegetables.

As macrobiotic, so vegetarians recommend many health benefical foods (tofu, tempeh, seitan and similar). These foods is however better to line up to mixed menus.

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Macrobiotic food chewing

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic food chewing

How to chew your macrobiotic food and what are advantages of proper chewing, why to chew your foods so many times?

At first, sorry for my bad english, it’s not my native language.

It’s very recommended to chew your macrobiotic food until it’s liquid. Kushi says, that 50 times per mouthful is optimal minimum. In his words: “100 bites leads to a very strong health, 200 bites leads to an enlightenment”. When chewing, saliva acids are starting to digest the complex sugars (polysacharids) to more simple sugars (disacharids). Then the stomach gets optimally prepared food and the digestion can continue smoothly with acids in the stomach and colon.

Chewing has also another very beneficial aspect. From the energetic view: your mouth works like an energetic oven. You are “baking” your food while chewing and you are activating the earth & heaven energy with every bite. When the tongue connects with the upper mouth it creates an electricity charge into the food. The more you chew, the more you are getting very quality chi (ki, prana) into your food also.

While chewing, the muscles of your whole face are working, stretching and that is very important for the good blood circulation into all parts of your face, brain and because everything is connected, also into the whole body. While you chew your food, the special brain cells that are important for good/clear thinking are activated and getting fresh blood.

Another good impact of chewing is for teeth. Every teeth is connected/related with some meridian and when you chew, they are all massaged and meridians are activated. The energy can flow freely.

Sounds good? So sit, relax, don’t hurry and let your mouth work a little more than you are used to. You don’t need to count your chews. It will make you stressed quickly. Count it for a few times and then you will know from the experience and from the liquidity of food when to swallow. Kushi is sometimes very strict, because he recommends to chew your soups very well too. The benefits are still there ofcourse, but the patience needed for this is much bigger. It’s still very good to chew your liquids if you have the time.

But, the most important is, don’t get mad by all of this, if you don’t chew your last food perfectly. Easy and do the best you can, sometimes it’s twenty times chewing, sometimes it’s hundred. Anyway, I can tell you from my personal experience, the better you’ll chew your food, the faster you’ll get healthy, not only physically, but the healthy mind will naturaly follow - it means clear, relaxed, self-confident, positive thinking full of love and compassion and you’ll start to follow your big Dream!

All is very logical and simple in the macrobiotic world of yin and yang. Just start to cook good macrobiotic foods and enjoy their delicious taste while chewing. Your patience, love, thankfulness will be returned by the Cosmos hundred times to you.

Other macrobiotic articles about chewing follows. Much more professionally written. Enjoy

Chewing Well:
The Salivary Glands Partners for Life
by Kelly Reith, BA, RHN Back

We all know how to chew our food well and that this simple act helps digestion. The litre or more of saliva that our mouths produce every day also aids digestion. But chewing our food well and allowing it to be coated with our mouths’ saliva can lead to digestive magic.

The following words are just a reminder of all that chewing, saliva, and chewing combined with saliva can do.

Chewing

Chewing your food, even without the aid of saliva, can help your body begin to digest your food.

Here are a few examples:
•Chewing well grinds food into small bits, allowing it to be more easily swallowed. Ever try swallowing a poorly chewed food? It actually hurts on the way down the esophagus. You can feel the food tear and scrape your throat.

•Well-chewed bits of food are more easily coated with digestive juices once in the stomach. The body uses less of its energy to digest well-chewed food than hastily chewed and swallowed food.

•Chewing well also allows the molecules of nutrients from the chewed food to be more quickly released and assimilated.

•Keeping a food in the mouth longer and chewing it well allows the food’s flavours to be recognized by the tongue. When the tongue recognizes the flavour it sends a message to the brain, which in turn sends messages to the digestive system resulting in the release of the correct digestive juices needed for that food.

Saliva

Saliva can do a few things on its own as well:

•It moistens the molecules of dry foods so that we can taste the foods when we eat them.
We aren’t able to distinguish many flavours in dry food.

•It binds masticated food bits into a bolus, which we can swallow easily.

•It lubricates the esophagus. In fact, the bolus of masticated food never touches or potentially
damages the walls of the esophagus.

•It is important to oral hygiene. The mouth is almost constantly flushed with saliva, which flushes
away food debris and protects your teeth from decay. Saliva can actually kill some bacteria.

But where does all this saliva come from?

You have 3 pairs of major salivary glands and a few minor pairs located throughout you mouth. The salivary glands create saliva, which is then secreted into your mouth via the salivary ducts. Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Well here are a few of the less obvious facts about the three main salivary glands:
• The first pair of salivary glands to be considered here are the Parotid Glands. These glands, located just under the ears, produce a serous solution. The oral serous solution is clear and watery, and contains the digestive enzyme amylase, also known as ptyalin. It is no wonder that these salivary glands are the ones most associated with carbohydrate digestion. The ducts for these glands are near your upper teeth.

• The Sublingual glands are located under the tongue and produce a saliva that is primarily mucous. Mucous saliva is thick and gluey. It binds the masticated (chewed) food into a bolus as well as lubricating the esophagus. The ducts for these glands are located on the floor of your mouth.

• The Submaxillary glands, also known as the Submandibular glands, are located near the jawbone, secrete both serous and mucous saliva. The saliva reaches your oral cavity via ducts located under your tongue. The Submaxillary glands and the Sublingual glands also produce salivary amylase.

Partners in Health

You now know what chewing well on its own can accomplish, what saliva on its own can accomplish, and even a bit about where that litre (+) of saliva that you produce every day comes from. Now let’s put it all together:

• Chewing well combined with saliva are partners in digestion. We all know that chewing well and mixing your food bits with saliva leads to carbohydrate digestion but did you know eating protein-rich meals actually decreases the amount of salivary amylase produced? Eating a carbohydrate-rich meal leads to a slight increase in the amount of salivary amylase produced in your mouth.

• Saliva acts as a first defense against bacterial infection. By chewing food well and creating more surface area on which the saliva can act, more potential food-borne bacteria can be killed.

• The bicarbonate in saliva may activate the enzyme cellulase found in raw vegetables. The enzyme cellulase digests the fibre cellulose. Together bicarbonate and cellulase begin to digest the raw vegetables. Chewing well also helps to break down the cellulose. However, the combination of the saliva and chewing helps the body to fully digest raw vegetables and receive their nutrients.

Don’t forget – even the most pureed soup or juiced veggies need to be ensalivated. Swish nutrient-rich liquids around in your mouth before you swallow. The carbohydrates present in the soup or juice can be partially digested by your saliva.

I once read that the mouth doesn’t make enough saliva to initiate carbohydrate digestion so if you’re chewing for that reason, don’t bother. Fortunately that ‘idea’ has been thoroughly disregarded by the many who know better.

Chewing well and tasting your food is just plain common sense. The fact that our body produces a substance (saliva) that makes chewing, tasting, and swallowing easier is a bonus to our vitality. Chewing well and saliva - each have their own merits. It’s when they work together that we can really appreciate the partnership that nature has created for us.

- Kelly Reith, BA, RHN is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist living, working, and chewing in Toronto, Canada. She can be reached at kellyreith@mac.com

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Macrobiotic food diet

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic nutrition

Today very popular idea MACROBIOTIC comes from Greek words, that means “big, long life - longevity”. It’s needed to mention that macrobiotic does mean not only the way of nutrition, but also whole philosophical system connected with it, that from one part comes from religiously - philosophical zen-buddhism.

Zen doesn’t abjure life, it only propagate full merging to the life - food don’t have to degrade man, to man be its slave. Assure more deeper possibility of health by following the right path. That’s why with obesity is good to choose at least some methods from macrobiotic diet, compare them with energetical options of reduction diet.

Macrobiotic diet has more levels, altogether ten, from the lowest, that is the most similar to our racional nutrition, to the highest (that is not always recommended), where is nutrition composed solely from whole grain products. A kind of founder of modern macrobiotic doctrine is Japanese George Oshawa (1893 - 1966), he asserted, that there exist no illnes (so also no malignant tumours), that couldn’t be healed by appropriate use of natural foodstuffs. Convincing evidence about this are not yet there, even if with this nutrition you can preventively strike against emergance of malignant tumours (for example large intestine).

Lower levels of macrobiotic diet contain still relatively varied, not monotonous nutrition, higher levels are already stereotypic, one-sided, the higher have to eventually result into deficiency disease, deficiency of many basic nutrients (full-valuable proteins, essentials fatty acids, some vitamins, trace elements, salts). The food in the scope of these highest levels actually cease to be enjoyment.

The base of ideology of macrobiotic nutrition is assertion, that in foods exist mysterious energies, principles Yin (female) and Yang (man), whose mutual ratio gives the food their nutritive value. The best ratio of yin and yang has supposedly whole grain. Yin is dominant in potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, butter, bananas, honey, champagne etc. Whilst yang is in cereals, carrot, apple, goat cheese (not so in goat milk) etc. On the practical feature is basic requirement of macrobiotic nutrition, natural foods, non refined, not chemicaly manufactured, without fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, which is nearly inaccessible. Whole grains should be in their natural, non refined, so called integral form - for example brown rice, wheat.

Sort of middle form of macrobiotic diet is yet acceptable, it consist of 50% whole grains (rice, wheat, millet, corn, rye, barley), from 40% legumes, vegetables (that grows on the ground, sea - some seaweeds), soups from them, 10% prducts of animal origin (only white meats, fish, poultry, turkey, eggs and milk only a little), fruits minimaly, no sweet fares. The highest level of macrobiotic nutrition does mean 90% of whole grains and 10% vegetables.

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Macrobiotic food

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Macrobiotic food

What is considered macrobiotic food, how to know if the food is macrobiotic?

Macrobiotic is pretty detailed system of what to eat and what to stay away from. In every book you can find recommended food lists. There are also some foods, that are not considered macrobiotic, but can be used for the transition phase. Until your body eliminates all your old body rubbish and you start to be satisfied with the simple but very delicious macrobiotic food taste, you can use honey for sweating. But try to avoid it if you can and consider using maple syrup, rice malt, barley malt, fruits for sweating. Because honey still contains more simple sugar (disacharid) than these listed macrobiotic sweeteners, they are complex polysacharids. The macrobiotic food is viewed as pricey by many people. But I can assure you, that it only seems so from the first encounter. The most expensive foods like seaweeds, miso, tahini, amasake, mirin, shoyu, quality cold-pressed oils are used only a few each day and they will last for long time. Then the other foods on the macrobiotic list are very cheap. These are all whole grains (rice, millet, barley, oat, wheat, corn, buckwheat), legumes (lentil, all sorts of beans - adzuki, chickpeas, soya beans).

Then there are vegetables. These you can buy chemically treated in the usual shop or organically produced in the special health shops. Please, invest in your health, there’s nothing much more important to invest your money anyway. And try to buy the quality organic vegetables and fruits for your macrobiotic cooking. The money is usually double or even triple cost of the chemical vegetables and fruits, but you don’t think in money terms about your healthy macrobiotic food. Vegetable is very important to deliver you the best, fresh, energetic cosmic energy (chi, ki, prana) into your body. The organic vegetable contains very clean and strong energy and if you chew it well, you will be overwhelmed by it. For protein intake, you will consider foods like - tofu, tempeh, seitan, natto. They can be made at home, but not many people have enough time to do them regularly. Although it’s a lot of fun to try it at least once. Or to make it your weekend relaxing habit. Making seitan is very easy. Tofu and tempeh are different, they take much more time and it’s better to buy them prepared at shops. But ask your macrobiotic friends, what tofu, tempeh, natto manufacturer is the best. Because there are many nowadays and still appearing new and not all of them do produce perfect quality macrobiotic foods.

Seaweeds are very important for daily cover of quality minerals (especially calcium). They are also rich in protein. Common seaweeds are - wakame, kombu, hiziki, arame, nori. You use wakame in miso soup, it can be cooked for short time, 2-20 minutes is enough. Kombu is used in pressure cooker and for longer cooking in general. You put them in the pot with legumes or grains. Cook kombu for at least 30 mins. Arame, hiziki are also used with grains in pressure cooker. Nori can be used very quickly, by roasting. It’s crispy and very delicious.

Use only hard pressed quality oils for cooking. Oils that are used daily are sesame and sunflower. Olive oil use only if you live in the hot climate zones. Recommended amount of oil to use each day, is like 1-2 tbspn. The more you are active (sporting, active job), the more you can use. But don’t think that you are doing good when you try to avoid using oil completely. Many people think, they can be better macrobiotics by restricting the already given food regime and making their new, strict macrobiotic version. Oils are very important and try to fry, deep fry, saute part of your foods everyday. It gives you the very much needed uplifting, fire energy.

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Is macrobiotic diet expensive

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Is macrobiotic diet expensive

How much does it cost to eat macrobiotic diet, do you pay more for your macrobiotic foods than for the regular, is macrobiotic only for rich people?

At first, please excuse my poor English, that’s not my native language, but I am still trying even with such hard themes like macrobiotic. But I think I have something to say here.. actually any comments and tips about my bad spelling and grammar are very welcomed, so I can learn.

The macrobiotic diet is viewed by many people as expensive form of eating. They see all the pricey products in the organic shops and think that it’s only for the lucky ones, with high salaries. Maybe also the celebrities, like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting that are known for eating macrobioticaly, add to this image that you need a lot of money to be on the macrobiotic diet. It’s well known fact, that you pay more for the real organic quality products, like vegetables, fruits, etc. As sad as it is, we have to accept that fact and not be tempted to exchange our real health for the money, by the means of paying less for the worse quality products. This is my first point to this thing.
But the most important thing I want to share here is, that the whole concept of macrobiotic diet being very expensive, is totally wrong. It’s far from truth and is shared only by the people that don’t eat macrobiotic at all, or that have very little experiences. This is spread by the people that only think about eating macrobiotic, but never started. They find negative aspects of this diet and if they can’t find any, they come with the “high cost” theory. I always suggest them, to try this wonderful diet for at least one month and then they will see if it’s really true. I am also willing to pay them for whatever they spend over their monthly limit. I am ok with offering something like this, because I am eating 4 years macrobioticaly and since my start I save 10-50% of my monthly food expanses, when I compare them to my previous bills (when eating non-macrobiotic food) and when I compare them with friends that are on the typical US diet.
There’s simple reason for this. The most costly macrobiotic foods are the ones, that are used very sparingly or that are used daily, but with a very small amounts. The most expensive macrobiotic foods are: seaweeds (wakame, kombu, hiziki, arama), miso (barley, rice, hatcho), malts and syrups (barley, rice, corn, maple), protein rich products (tofu, tempeh, natto, seitan), tahini (sesame paste), high quality cold pressed oils (sesame, sunflower, olive), organic vegetables and fruits.
I am talking about food costs here only. I don’t mention the initial investment into the cooking ware like pressure cooker, good knife, possibly good quality cooking pots (preferably ceramic ones), suribachi. You can omit many of the cooking ware and be content with the simple pressure cooker (you can also omit this one for the first month and test the macrobiotic diet with a simple pots).

For the expensive foods I mentioned above, I will add few comments to each. As I said, they are used very sparingly or in a tiny amounts.

Miso - you don’t need to buy than more type of miso for the start. The optimal daily amount of miso per person is 1 teaspoon. So you can imagine how long does 1 miso jar will last. For me it’s about 1-2 months.

Seaweeds - again, you don’t need many of them for the start. You can start simply with wakame for example. And they will cover your minerals, trace elements nicely when cooked in the miso soup. 1 Wakame packet will last me for 3-6 months. You can buy Kombu as the second, that is used for grain cooking and especially for the cooking of beans.

Malts - suggested ideal amount of malts per person per day is 1-2 teaspoons. Again, you can gues how long 1 jar of malt will last you. I am ok with 1 jar of barley malt every 7-14 days.

Soya products - if you want to be cheap, you can cover your protein body needs with a simply pressure cooked beans, which are also very delicious and are even more recommended than the processed foods like tofu, tempeh, natto, seitan. You can also prepare seitan at home, it’s quite easy. And because in macrobiotic diet, proteins are covered by 10-20% of the whole food plate, you will eat a small piece of these products in the end.

Tahini - not used very often, I am using 1-2 teaspoons 3 times a week.

Cold pressed oils - recommended amount is 1-2 tablespoons per day. I recommend sesame or sunflower for the start.

Organic vegetables and fruits - if you want to really save some money, don’t buy always organic veggies. But I consider this part as the investment to my better health and better life future. I don’t look behind for money, when we talk about health achieved by the natural way of prevention. It’s up to you. But I also started with the non-organic vegetables and my health was getting better everyday. So, don’t stress it and buy organic if you feel ok with spending money for it.

My 10-50% saving factor is achieved by a simple thing. The macrobiotic diet base on the whole grains. And the grains are very nutritious for the price they cost. You will be perfectly satisfied with 500g of grains per day and I am not sure about the US prices but 1 pack of rice is very cheap in my country.

That’s it. For me, the macrobiotic diet is very cheap, money saving and I can’t agree with the “expensive theory” at all.

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