Hello!
So you are new to macrobiotics and you are wondering what it’s all about. Well, this section will aim to fill you in with the basics.
I still find myself feeling quite over whelmed at times by all there is to know about macrobiotics; there are many different aspects. In beginning it is good to see macrobiotics as a way of moving towards a healthier lifestyle especially through food.
The foods to avoid are ones which are extremely yin or extremely yang because if you have something that is extremely yang then you will, as the body tries to maintain balance, crave something extremely yin. So, the extreme yin things include sugar,coffee, fruit (like tropical fruit & fruit juices) alcohol, dairy whilst the extreme yang foods include meat, eggs, cheese.
If you take cigarettes and alcohol as an example, alcohol is very yin whilst smoking is very yang hence why so many people find this combination a good one.
However, these extreme fluctuations come with a price which may not show up immediately but are, over prolonged use, having an extreme effect on the body.
So, the aim in macrobiotics is to give the body a break and allow it to function in a way that it is supposed without over burdening it.
Foods which are more balanced are ideal and these include seasonal vegetables, grains, sea vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds,fruits (mostly always cooked and local/seasonal) and then there are various other things you can use like grain sweetners, pickles, condiments etc
Basically, anything that is natural and hasn’t been interferred with too much is good.
You might find it rather challenging in the beginning and it is, especially because everyone else is doing the ‘normal’ thing and most things around you do not support this way of life. It really gets easier over time and once you start feeling better you have more of an incentive to keep on track.
So, a good place to start is to minimise the use of extreme foods and drinks and see how you feel. All you have to do is listen to your body and it will tell you if it likes it or not.
You might feel very limited to what you can and cannot eat in the beginning. I know I did. But as time goes on I am beginning to realise that there is just so much choice and so many different things you can make, all of which can be so tasty.
It’s difficult to really taste the food if you are still eating a diet with so much sugar, salt and whatever else in it. I’d recommend getting a decent cook book, a really good one is called The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner. She has loads of wonderful recipes in there and the book is so easy to understand.
Start by making small and gradual changes. Maybe you could start by having at least one meal a day made just from natural ingredients. This could be oat or grain porridge in the morning like brown rice porridge made with water and pinch of salt. You could then add some rice or oat milk once it’s cooked. You could roast some nuts and seeds and maybe have it with some stewed apples or raisins. Or try to have a lunch or dinner where you make a grain dish, a protein dish and a vegetable dish.
One of the amazing things about eating in this way is that it will be very individual and specific for you. We are all different and all have different bodies and different conditions going on and this means we will have different needs. So, it’s important to start trying to tune into your body and feeling what it needs.
On a daily basis it is good to think about doing things which benefit the main organs in your body. We can break the body down into pairs of organs and then more closely as what each of the pairs likes. Let’s have a look:
Kidney & Bladder
These organs like:
Salty taste (good quality sea salt, shoyu, miso etc), beans (any beans although black beans are particularly nourishing for these organs), soups, stews, sea vegetables (which have lots of minerals), buckwheat, rest, meditation, sleep, regular sleeping patterns
Liver & Gall Bladder
These organs like:
Sour taste (from lemon, sauerkraut, umeboshi), barley, upward growing vegetables like leeks, spring onion, celery, mushrooms, movement (dance & things like that), expression, creative expression
Heart & Small Intestine
These organs like:
Bitter taste (from walnuts, tekka), quinoa, polenta, big leafy vegetables, socialising, following your heart, making heart to heart connections with people, singing, talking
Stomach and Spleen
These organs like:
Sweet taste (but not from sugar, from natural things. When you cook things like onion, swede, carrots for a long time then they become sweeter and sweeter, also natural sweetners such as rice syrup or barley malt (but be careful not to use too many of these)), round vegetables like onions, swede, squash, pumpkin. Nourishing from others, nourishing the self, being aware of own needs and getting them met, hugs, being nurtured
Lung & large intestine
These organs like:
root vegetables, the pungent taste (so things like mustard and garlic), cardiovascular exercise, pressure cooking, baking, bbq, deep frying), regular contact with others, being organisted, structure in your life
If we can think about doing something for each of the pairs of organs on a daily basis then this can put us on the road to good health.
But there are also things which are particularly harmful for the organs and the further you go into studying macrobiotics, the more enlightening it becomes. In general, food things that are very weakening for these organs are as follows:
Sugar (sugar takes out minerals from the body and creates an acidic condition in the blood), alcohol, dairy products (these are mucous forming and can give the organs much more work to do, particularly the lungs), coffee, smoking, drugs, over eating.
Also processed foods. The more processed the food, the less nutrients it has and the more work it creates for the body.
Emotionally: overall it is good to be in a state where you are in touch with what your needs are and also being able to express and speak up for yourself.
Physically: not getting enough exercise or fresh air. Not moving the body or stretching.
More to follow shortly…
In the meantime, please do get in touch if you have any questions or would like any help with where to begin.
