Posts Tagged ‘miso’

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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Detoxication

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Detoxication

DETOX

It is that time of year, folks. I need to lose a few pounds of holiday excess. Anyone else? I like to do fasts and detoxes a couple of times during the year, the most hardcore one being the Master Cleanse I did last spring. It was not what you would characterize as pretty. Or easy. It did work, however. As I do not wish to subsist on lemon water in the middle of winter, I asked my doctor, a detox diet specialist, for the guidelines he uses to achieve a good detox that is not as hallucinogenic (in a bad way) as the Master Cleanse. He actually thinks that the Master Cleanse can be dangerous because the liver is not supported by the nutrients it needs. What it came down to was this: you can detox easily and effectively while you continue to eat as long as you are cutting out the foods and other substances that interfere with the detoxification process. Make sure you check with your doctor before you start any detox. Drink A LOT of water. I created this menu plan for a seven-day elimination diet. The shakes and juices are meant to be liquid meals that help decrease the amount of work your digestive system has to do. I will be suffering along with you to kickstart my year a bit lighter. Good luck to us all!

— Gwyneth Paltrow

According to Dr. Alejandro Junger* (our detox specialist) in addition to the above, there are a few more “basic principles of detoxification” that should be kept in mind while following our detox menus.

* Do deep breathing or gentle yoga.
* Take a couple of spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil at night to help stimulate your liver to eliminate bile and keep its circulation flowing.
* If your bowel movements get sluggish, you can accelerate things by drinking half a cup of castor oil or using a mild herbal laxative. Bowel elimination is paramount for correct detoxification.
* The skin gets rid of many toxins so it is important to sweat, either by exercising or taking a sauna.
* Finally, make sure you eat whole organic foods, which have the best chance of having all the nutrients needed for liver and general detoxification.

*This is an excerpt from Dr. Junger’s upcoming book Clean, which will be published in May. Be sure to pick up a copy!

MENUS (bold indicates a recipe)

Adjust the time to your schedule and the meals to your taste but remember that there can be no dairy, grains with gluten, meat, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), fatty nuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar and obviously no alcohol, caffeine or soda.
DAY ONE

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water*
1:30pm (lunch): Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
6pm (dinner): Broccoli and Arugula Soup
*Make sure that the coconut water has no added sugar. Fresh is ideal but the brands Zico or Vita Coco are readily available.
DAY TWO

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Raspberry and Rice Milk Smoothie (follow method for Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Detox Teriyaki Chicken and Steamed Greens
4pm (snack): Miso Soup with Watercress
6pm (dinner): Pea and Basil Soup (follow method for Broccoli and Arugula Soup)
DAY THREE

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Oatmeal (make with rice or almond milk instead of water so itӳ a bit more substantial)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
4pm (snack): Cucumber, Lime and Basil Juice
6pm (dinner): Super Greens Juice / Miso Soup with Watercress
DAY FOUR

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Mango and Coconut Milk Smoothie (follow method for Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Watercress
4pm (snack): A handful of blueberries
6pm (dinner): Steamed Salmon and Greens
DAY FIVE

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Peach and Almond Smoothie (follow method for Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Raw crudite (carrots, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini) with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice
6pm (dinner): Cucumber and Avocado Soup
DAY SIX

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Mixed Greens with Steamed Salmon, Olive Oil & Lemon Juice
4pm (snack): Super Greens Juice
6pm (dinner): Detox Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice, steamed zucchini
DAY SEVEN

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Raspberry and Rice Milk Smoothie (follow method for Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Vegetables
4pm (snack): A handful of almonds
6pm (dinner): Steamed fish, quinoa, roasted squash
RECIPES

Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
Broccoli and Arugula Soup
Miso Soup with Watercress
Detox Teriyaki Chicken
Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice
Super Greens Juice
Cucumber, Basil and Lime Juice
Steamed Salmon and Greens
Cucumber and Avocado Soup

SALAD WITH CARROT AND GINGER DRESSING

This dressing is the jam! Great on salad and also as a dip for vegetables. This recipe makes enough dressing for two salads, so be sure to save the extra.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 5 minutes

For dressing:

* 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
* 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
* 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger

* 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
* 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
* 2 tablespoons water

For salad:

* 1 head of baby gem lettuce (or any greens), roughly cut

* 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
* 1/4 avocado, diced

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.

Combine the lettuce, onion and avocado in a bowl, drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.
BROCCOLI and ARUGULA SOUP

This is a clean, basic approach to soup that showcases the vegetable. You can make this with nearly anything ֠including peas and basil, zucchini, carrots and ginger. In this case, broccoli is made a bit more dynamic with a handful of peppery arugula. When youӲe detoxing and drinking lots of juices and smoothies, itӳ a nice change to have something warm. This recipe makes enough soup for at least two portions, but itӳ easier to make it once and eat it twice.

SERVES: 2
TIME: 15 minutes

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
* 1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
* 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 pound)

* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3/4 cup arugula (watercress would be good, too)
* 1/2 lemon

Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saut顦or just a minute or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green. Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for eight minutes or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the arugula until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids; start slowly and work in batches if necessary (you donӴ want the steam to blow the lid off). Serve the soup with a bit of fresh lemon.
MISO SOUP WITH WATERCRESS

You can make the broth early in the week and add the miso as you eat. Also, you can eat this plain, with the watercress, or bulk it up with other thinly sliced vegetables (mushrooms, zuchinni, carrots, etc.)

SERVES: 4
TIME: 30 minutes

* 6 cups water (filtered is best)
* 50 grams dried bonito flakes
* 3 dried shitake mushrooms
* 4″ piece of dried wakame

* 6 tablespoons miso paste (whatever kind you likeسweet white miso makes for a nice, light soup while aged barley gives a full, robust flavor)
* 2 cups watercress leaves

Heat the water in a small soup pot and when bubbles form around the edge, add the bonito. Turn the heat down and simmer for two minutes. Turn off the heat and let the broth sit for five minutes. Strain the broth into a clean pot, discarding the bonito. Add the shitakes and wakame to the broth and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the wakame and mushrooms. Discard the thick stems from the mushrooms, thinly slice the caps and slip them back into the soup. Chop the wakame into small pieces, discarding any thick pieces of stem, and return to the pot.

In a small bowl, combine the miso paste with a bit of the broth and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture back into the pot and let the soup simmer, being careful not to let it boil. Add the watercress at the last minute, just to wilt it, and serve.
DETOX TERIYAKI CHICKEN

This sauce is detox-friendly because it doesnӴ use sugar or soy, but it has a great depth of flavor and is the perfect consistency.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 20 minutes + time for marinating

For Sauce:

* 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/3 cup agave syrup
* 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1 teaspoon barley miso
* 1 teaspoon mirin
* 1 tablespoon water

Combine the balsamic, agave, ginger and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Cool and then add the miso, mirin and water.

For Chicken:

* 1 chicken breast
* Detox Teriyaki Sauce

* 1 finely chopped scallion
* 4 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped

Marinate the chicken in the sauce (reserve a spoonful or two) for at least one hour׵p to overnight.

Heat your grill to medium heat. Wipe off any excess marinade and grill the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve with the reserved, hasnӴ-touched-raw-chicken sauce, cilantro and scallions.
BLUEBERRY and ALMOND SMOOTHIE

This could easily be made with any fruitزaspberries, peaches, mango, etc. Also, feel free to substitute rice or coconut milk for almond milk.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 5 minutes

* 1 scoop of a complete nutritional, whey protein fortified powder (not soy protein)
* 1/2 cup blueberries

* 1 scoop of a ProGreens type of powder (preferably with probiotics)
* 1 1/2 cups almond milk

Blend everything together.
BEET, CARROT, APPLE and GINGER JUICE

This juice is the most incredible color and is wonderfully sweet. Beets are said to lower blood pressure, carrots pack a super beta-carotene punch, apples are cancer-fighters and ginger just loves your heart.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 5 minutes

* 1 large or 2 medium beets, cut into wedges
* 1/2 lemon, zest and pith removed

* 2 large carrots
* 1 large apple, cut into wedges
* 1″ piece of ginger

Juice everything into a glass, give it a stir and enjoy.
SUPER GREENS JUICE

Health in a glass!

SERVES: 1
TIME: 5 minutes

* 1 cup tightly packed kale
* 4 stalks celery
* 1 1/2 pears, cut into large pieces

* 1″ piece of fresh ginger
* 1/2 lemon, zest and pith removed

Juice everything into a glass, being sure to alternate the kale with the other ingredients to help it get through the juicer easily (I follow each small bit of kale with a celery stalk). Give the juice a stir before drinking.
CUCUMBER, BASIL and LIME JUICE

This juice is especially refreshing when you blend it with a handful of ice cubes (use a whole lime if you do, as the acid is muted when itӳ cold). Think of it as a detox-friendly mojito.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 5 minutes

* 1/2 cup fresh basil
* 1 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise

* 1/2 lime, zest and pith removed
* 1 apple, cut into wedges

Starting with the basil, juice everything into a glass, give it a stir and enjoy.
STEAMED SALMON and GREENS

You could steam the fish on a bed of anythingشhinly sliced fennel, lemon, even scallions or leeks.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 20 minutes

* small handful (roughly 1/4 cup) of your favorite leafy herbs (parsley, basil, chervil, tarragon, etc.)
* 1 6 oz. organic salmon filet

* a cup of your favorite fresh greens (kale, spinach, dandelion, chard, etc.)
* 1 wedge of lemon

Line your steamer with the herbs and rest the salmon filet on top. Steam for 11 minutes. Put the greens alongside the fish and steam for an additional 7 minutes. Squeeze the lemon over the fish and greens and serve.
CUCUMBER and AVOCADO SOUP

Really light and refreshing, this soup is also incredibly satisfying because the avocado makes it so creamy.

SERVES: 1
TIME: 2 minutes

* zest of 1/2 lime
* juice of an entire lime
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, roughly chopped
* 1/2 avocado, peeled and roughly chopped

Blend everything together until totally creamy and smooth.

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Breast cancer

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer has reached epidemic proportions in modern society, affecting 1 in 8 women. Breast cancer rates are substantially lower in countries where plant-centered diets are eaten. The protective effects of miso, tofu, and other soy products high in phytoestrogens and isoflavones are being intensively studied around the world. See Carrots, Dairy, Estrogen, Isoflavones, Menopause, Menstrual Disorders, Miso, Phytoestrogens, Sea Vegetables, Soy Foods, Tofu, Tempeh, Vegetables, Vegetarian Diet, Vitamin D, War-Restricted Diet, Women’s Health.

• Macrobiotic Diet Lessens Breast Cancer Risk - Macrobiotic and vegetarian women are less likely to develop breast cancer, researchers at New England Medical Center in Boston reported. The scientists found that macrobiotic and vegetarian women process estrogen differently from other women and eliminate it more quickly from their body. The study involved 45 pre- and postmenopausal women, about half of whom were macrobiotic and vegetarian and half nonvegetarian.
The women consumed about the same number of total calories. Although the vegetarian women took in only one third as much animal protein and animal fat, they excreted two to three times as much estrogen. High levels of estrogen have been associated with the development of breast cancer. “The difference in estrogen metabolism may explain the lower incidence of breast cancer in vegetarian women,” the study concluded.
Source: B. R. Goldin et al., “Effect of Diet on Excretion of Estrogens in Pre- and Postmenopausal Incidence of Breast Cancer in Vegetarian Women,” Cancer Research 41:3771-73, 1981.

• Miso Retards Tumors - In laboratory experiments, Japanese researchers reported that chemically-induced breast tumors in rats could be significantly decreased by feeding the animals a diet consisting of 10 percent miso.
Source: T. Gotoh et al., “Chemoprevention of N-nitroso-N-methylurea-Induced Rat Mammary Carcinogenesis by Soy Foods or Biochanin A,” Japanese Journal of Cancer Research 89(2)137-42, 1998.

• Kombu Decreases Risk of Breast Cancer - In an experiment at the Harvard School of Public Health, laboratory animals fed a control diet with 5 percent Laminaria (kombu), a brown sea vegetable, developed induced mammary cancer later than animals not fed seaweed.
“Seaweed has shown consistent antitumor activity in several in vivo animal tests,” the researchers concluded. “In extrapolating these results to the Japanese population, seaweed may be an important factor in explaining the low rates of certain cancers in Japan. Breast cancer shows a three-fold-lower rate among premenopausal Japanese women and a nine-fold-lower rate among postmenopausal women in Japan than reported for women in the United States. Since low levels of exposure to some toxic substances have been shown to be carcinogenic, then it may be that low levels of daily intake of food with antitumor properties may reduce cancer incidence.”
Source: J. Teas, M. L. Harbison, and R. S. Gelman, “Dietary Seaweed [Laminaria] and Mammary Carcinogenesis in Rats,” Cancer Research 44:2758-61, 1984.

• Tofu and Miso Protect Against Breast Cancer - In a study of the effects of soy products on female hormones, Japanese scientists reported that consumption of miso and tofu reduced production of estradiol in 50 healthy premenopausal women. “Our results suggest that the consumption of soy products lowers the risk of developing breast cancer risk modifying estrogen metabolism,” the researchers concluded.
Source: C. Nagata, “Decreased Serum Estradiol Concentration Associated with High Dietary Intake of Soy Products in Premenopausal Japanese Women,” Nutrition and Cancer 29(3):228-33, 1997.

• Asian Diet Helps Heal - A diet high in soy foods, vegetables, and fish oil may reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study conducted by the Jonsson Cancer Center at the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. John Glaspy put 25 American women in remission from breast cancer on an Asian-style diet and reported that in three months on the diet the ratio of omega-3 in the women’s blood rose fivefold. The omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in breast fat is considered a major indicator of risk for this disease. Source: D. Bagga et al., “Dietary Modulation of Omega-3/Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Ratios in Patients with Breast Cancer,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 89(15):1123-31, 1997.

• Diet Lowers Risk for Hispanics - Hispanic women in the U.S. have the lowest mortality rate from breast cancer of all ethnic groups. University of Texas researchers reported that a study of 22 Hispanic women in the Houston area showed their mean intake of dietary fiber from grains, breads, beans, and vegetables was higher than other groups. “This may help explain the lower incidence of breast cancer among some Hispanic populations,” the study concluded.
Source: “Dietary Fiber, Hispanics, and Breast Cancer Risk?” Annals of the New York Academy of Science 837:524-36, 1997.

• Risks of Tamoxifen - Tamoxifen, a synthetic hormone that blocks estrogen, has been promoted for reducing the risk of breast cancer. However, it increases the risk of uterine cancer and blood clots. In a federal study, women who took tamoxifen had 45 percent fewer cases of breast cancer than controls, but over twice as much uterine cancer, nearly three times as many blood clots in the lungs, and 50 percent more blood clots in major veins.
For women age 50 or older, for every one thousand women treated with tamoxifen for five years, the drug might prevent 17 cases of invasive breast cancer, while causing 12 cases of endometrial cancer and 10 serious blood clots.
Source: Lawrence K. Altman, “Researchers Find the First Drug Known to Prevent Breast Cancer,” New York Times, April 7, 1998 and “Breast Cancer Breakthrough,” New York Times, April 8, 1998.

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