Live
Life Macro Way
With
a basis in Far Eastern philosophy, macrobiotic diets claim to offer a balanced
approach to nutrition. BBC Good Food delves deeper
In the
Indian scenario today, everyone is taking to fad diets, primarily as a
temporary formula for weight loss. There is very little thought given to
prevention — either of weight gain or ailments. While fad diets offer only a stopgap
solution, prevention is a permanent cure that helps the body stay in complete
balance. Prevention of illnesses by way of a balanced diet is the philosophy
that drives macrobiotics.
In Greek, “macro” means great and “bios” means life (macrobiotics means “the larger view of life”). When Hippocrates, considered the father of Western medicine, first used the word macrobiotics, it was to describe people who lived long, healthy lives. German physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland then outlined the concept of macrobiotics in his book, Macrobiotics: The Art of Prolonging Human Life. Hufeland understood macrobiotics as a medical philosophy that is geared towards preventing disease and prolonging life.
But it was Sagen Ishizuka, a Japanese army doctor, who first defined the tenets of a macrobiotic diet as we know it. Although he did not call it a macrobiotic diet, he established his own system of nutrition and medicine using principles of Oriental medicine. The knowledge he gleaned led him to write and publish two books: Chemical Theory of Longevity published in 1896 and Diet for Health published in 1898. believed that this dietary re imen, which primarily advocated eating whole grains and vegetables and eliminating highly processed and refined foods, helped Ishizuka deal with his own kidney and skin diseases.
George Ohsawa, a student of Ishizuka, is considered the founder of mode macrobiotics. Michio Kus macrobiotic educator who had trained with Ohsawa, is credited with having introduced modern macrobiotics to America in the 1960s. It started as a food movement, where people met in small groups, cooked together and shared thoughts on the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. Kushi Institute, the international macrobiotics education centre that Michio Kushi set up in Massachusetts, is considered one of the focal points of research on this diet.
What exactly is a
Macrobiotic Diet?
The macrobiotic diet is influenced by the Far Eastern philosophy that every living thing has a life force (known as “prana” in Indian philosophy and “qui” in Oriental philosophy). This life force translates into two polarities — yin and yang. Yin foods (such as melons, cucumbers, watermelons, bananas, pears and broccoli) are considered cooling to the body while yang foods (such as chillies, red and green peppers, coffee, garlic and onions) are believed to have a heat-producing quality. For the body to remain ailment-free, both these energies need to be perfectly balanced. The macrobiotic diet is primarily based on the concept of yin and yang and aims to achieve a balance between the energies of various foods. In simpler terms, macrobiotics is all about choosing the right foods and cooking methods and putting them into practice. The diet emphasises simpler eating habits, eating local and seasonal foods, avoiding processed and genetically modified foods and minimising the consumption of animal foods, dairy products and alcohol. The diet recommends eating vegetables (especially leafy, green vegetables and sea vegetables),
whole grains, beans/ legumes and goodquality fermented foods and fruit. Foods are cooked in cold-pressed oils, and seasoned with sea salt. Dairy is replaced with brown rice milk, or milk made from nuts and seeds (such as almond milk, pumpkin seed milk and cashew milk) and yoghurt and buttermilk are made out of these milks also. It emphasises foods that are low on the glycaemic index and aspires to strike a balance between acid- and alkaline-forming foods. It also brings into play the use of foods that act as natural mood boosters, stimulating the production of neuro-transmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
What sets macrobiotics apart from other dietary approaches is the use of specific cooking techniques. One such style is nishime or waterless cooking. A heavy cast iron pan is used to cook vegetables in their own juices, with as little as 1 tbsp of water for a cup of vegetables. In this method, the vegetables are allowed to cook in their own steam. It is believed that this style of cooking helps to achieve a perfect balance between yin and yang. Another technique that is used is fermentation. For instance, a vegetable is shredded and then pressed with sea salt for up to an hour, which is sufficient time for fermentation. Using a combination of cooking styles, such as fermentation, sautéeing, boiling and blanching, in one meal is emphasised, to allow the eater to take away different energies from a single meal.
Since Indian cuisine is quite heavily based on whole grains and vegetables, adopting the macrobiotic diet does not call for a drastic change in eating habits. With only a few readjustments, it is possible to follow macrobiotic principles.
Both Sides of the Coin
So should you go ahead and embrace macrobiotic principles? Some nutritionists believe that following the principles very strictly and excluding a number of foods such as dairy and animal products could lead to nutritional deficiencies such as a lack of proteins and vitamin B12, both found abundantly in animal products. Macrobiotic advocates insist that nightshade vegetables (broadly, these include vegetables that belong to the potato family, such as tomatoes, potatoes, aubergine, capsicum and okra) should be consumed minimally. However, such dietary restrictions may be impractical and hard to follow, especially when considered in the Indian context.
The macrobiotic diet has also been touted as a cancer-curing diet. However, while a diet rich in whole grains, legumes and vegetables and low in saturated fat and red meat has been shown to help prevent several forms of cancer, there is not enough clinically proven evidence to suggest that the diet can be considered a cure for cancer.
Before deciding to adopt it, it is important to evaluate your own health condition and dietary needs and to also follow the guidance of a trained professional who may be able to help you make the most balanced choices when it comes to your diet.
BACK TO BASICS
THE MACROBIOTIC DIET CONSISTS OF:
Whole grains: 40-50% Seasonal vegetables: 25% Protein-rich foods (like legumes & fish): 10% Soups and good-quality fermented foods: 5% Sea vegetables (such as kombu, hijiki and arame or spirulina in Indian context): 5% Fruits, nuts and seeds: 5%
In Greek, “macro” means great and “bios” means life (macrobiotics means “the larger view of life”). When Hippocrates, considered the father of Western medicine, first used the word macrobiotics, it was to describe people who lived long, healthy lives. German physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland then outlined the concept of macrobiotics in his book, Macrobiotics: The Art of Prolonging Human Life. Hufeland understood macrobiotics as a medical philosophy that is geared towards preventing disease and prolonging life.
But it was Sagen Ishizuka, a Japanese army doctor, who first defined the tenets of a macrobiotic diet as we know it. Although he did not call it a macrobiotic diet, he established his own system of nutrition and medicine using principles of Oriental medicine. The knowledge he gleaned led him to write and publish two books: Chemical Theory of Longevity published in 1896 and Diet for Health published in 1898. believed that this dietary re imen, which primarily advocated eating whole grains and vegetables and eliminating highly processed and refined foods, helped Ishizuka deal with his own kidney and skin diseases.
George Ohsawa, a student of Ishizuka, is considered the founder of mode macrobiotics. Michio Kus macrobiotic educator who had trained with Ohsawa, is credited with having introduced modern macrobiotics to America in the 1960s. It started as a food movement, where people met in small groups, cooked together and shared thoughts on the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. Kushi Institute, the international macrobiotics education centre that Michio Kushi set up in Massachusetts, is considered one of the focal points of research on this diet.
What exactly is a
Macrobiotic Diet?
The macrobiotic diet is influenced by the Far Eastern philosophy that every living thing has a life force (known as “prana” in Indian philosophy and “qui” in Oriental philosophy). This life force translates into two polarities — yin and yang. Yin foods (such as melons, cucumbers, watermelons, bananas, pears and broccoli) are considered cooling to the body while yang foods (such as chillies, red and green peppers, coffee, garlic and onions) are believed to have a heat-producing quality. For the body to remain ailment-free, both these energies need to be perfectly balanced. The macrobiotic diet is primarily based on the concept of yin and yang and aims to achieve a balance between the energies of various foods. In simpler terms, macrobiotics is all about choosing the right foods and cooking methods and putting them into practice. The diet emphasises simpler eating habits, eating local and seasonal foods, avoiding processed and genetically modified foods and minimising the consumption of animal foods, dairy products and alcohol. The diet recommends eating vegetables (especially leafy, green vegetables and sea vegetables),
whole grains, beans/ legumes and goodquality fermented foods and fruit. Foods are cooked in cold-pressed oils, and seasoned with sea salt. Dairy is replaced with brown rice milk, or milk made from nuts and seeds (such as almond milk, pumpkin seed milk and cashew milk) and yoghurt and buttermilk are made out of these milks also. It emphasises foods that are low on the glycaemic index and aspires to strike a balance between acid- and alkaline-forming foods. It also brings into play the use of foods that act as natural mood boosters, stimulating the production of neuro-transmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
What sets macrobiotics apart from other dietary approaches is the use of specific cooking techniques. One such style is nishime or waterless cooking. A heavy cast iron pan is used to cook vegetables in their own juices, with as little as 1 tbsp of water for a cup of vegetables. In this method, the vegetables are allowed to cook in their own steam. It is believed that this style of cooking helps to achieve a perfect balance between yin and yang. Another technique that is used is fermentation. For instance, a vegetable is shredded and then pressed with sea salt for up to an hour, which is sufficient time for fermentation. Using a combination of cooking styles, such as fermentation, sautéeing, boiling and blanching, in one meal is emphasised, to allow the eater to take away different energies from a single meal.
Since Indian cuisine is quite heavily based on whole grains and vegetables, adopting the macrobiotic diet does not call for a drastic change in eating habits. With only a few readjustments, it is possible to follow macrobiotic principles.
Both Sides of the Coin
So should you go ahead and embrace macrobiotic principles? Some nutritionists believe that following the principles very strictly and excluding a number of foods such as dairy and animal products could lead to nutritional deficiencies such as a lack of proteins and vitamin B12, both found abundantly in animal products. Macrobiotic advocates insist that nightshade vegetables (broadly, these include vegetables that belong to the potato family, such as tomatoes, potatoes, aubergine, capsicum and okra) should be consumed minimally. However, such dietary restrictions may be impractical and hard to follow, especially when considered in the Indian context.
The macrobiotic diet has also been touted as a cancer-curing diet. However, while a diet rich in whole grains, legumes and vegetables and low in saturated fat and red meat has been shown to help prevent several forms of cancer, there is not enough clinically proven evidence to suggest that the diet can be considered a cure for cancer.
Before deciding to adopt it, it is important to evaluate your own health condition and dietary needs and to also follow the guidance of a trained professional who may be able to help you make the most balanced choices when it comes to your diet.
BACK TO BASICS
THE MACROBIOTIC DIET CONSISTS OF:
Whole grains: 40-50% Seasonal vegetables: 25% Protein-rich foods (like legumes & fish): 10% Soups and good-quality fermented foods: 5% Sea vegetables (such as kombu, hijiki and arame or spirulina in Indian context): 5% Fruits, nuts and seeds: 5%
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Shonali Sabherwal ET1210114
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