Macrobiotic Eating Views

Books

A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from macro (large) and bios (life), a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as local vegetables avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and most animal products. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing. Macrobiotics writers present it as a means of combating cancer.[1]

The macrobiotic way of eating is thought by some to be Japanese. During the Edo period in Japan peasants were not allowed to eat meat and had a diet of primarily rice and soy beans to get their protein. According to macrobiotic advocates, a majority of the world population in the past ate a diet based primarily on grains, vegetables, and other plants. Because macrobiotics is popular in Japan, and many of its popular teachers are Japanese, Japanese foods that are beneficial for health are incorporated by most modern macrobiotic eaters. Some macrobiotic ingredients are also standard ingredients in Japanese cuisine. [1], [2]

In 1971, the AMA Council on Foods and Nutrition said that followers of the macrobiotic diet, particularly the strictest, stood in great danger of malnutrition.[27] On the other hand, in 1987, the AMA stated in their Family Medical Guide: In general, the macrobiotic diet is a healthful way of eating. [28]

So how did binge eating and cravings become such alarge and accepted part of the macrobiotic culture? Simply puti…it is a lack of understanding of the food we choose to eat. Macrobiotic eating is a beautifully balanced symphony of unprocessed, seasonal foods, prepared in a manner appropriate to your condition and lifestyle …period. If the food we eat is chosen from the wide array of choices Mother Nature provides and prepared deliciously, cravings and binge eating play a minor role in your life, rather than serve as the guiding factors in the choices you make.