Macrobiotic Diet

Dieting plans come in different shapes and forms.  There are many dieting programs out there that promise rapid weight loss in a short period of time.  However, there are many skeptics out there who feel that these programs do not promote a healthy lifestyle.  If you are a person who is not searching for a short term fix but rather a long term healthy lifestyle program, then you may find that the Macrobiotic Diet is the perfect diet for you.

The Macrobiotic Diet dates back to decades ago and was developed by the Japanese philosopher, George Oshowa.  It is a diet that emphasizes how the quality of food affects our overall life.  Although there are a variety of macrobiotic diet out there, all of the macrobiotic diet plans all share the same philosophy that natural foods that are less processed than regular food will affect your health in a better way.

The macrobiotic diet is said to be a healthy diet that provides strong resistance to such serious medical illnesses as cancer, heart disease and AIDS.  It is a diet that emphasizes balance and is influenced by Yin Yang philosophy.  In the macrobiotic diet, food that are considered to be very yin or very yang are prohibited from the diet.  As a result foods such as: alcohol, coffee, dairy products, meat, poultry, sugar, and tropical fruit are prohibited from the macrobiotic diet.

The macrobiotic diet promotes the consumption of locally and organically grown whole grain cereals, seaweed, fermented soy products, vegetables, fruit, and pulses.  The macrobiotic diet is concerned with the acidity of the food a person eats as well as where the food is natively grown.  Although there are a number of macrobiotic diet eating plans, generally the macrobiotic diet consists of eating: 50 to 60 percent whole grains, 5 percent soups, 30 percent vegetables, and consumption of beans, nuts, seasonal fruits, and fish.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the macrobiotic diet is that it also provides a cooking plan depending on the time of the year.  Concerned with the relationship between the time of the year with what types of food will provide energy, the macrobiotic diet emphasizes light cooking methods like steaming during the spring.  In the summer time, the macrobiotic diet emphasizes light cooking style and consumption of seasonal foods like sweet corn, fruit, and large-leaved green foods.  During the fall, the macrobiotic diet emphasizes eating food that will increase your energy such as root vegetables and cereals.  In the winter time, the macrobiotic diet strongly recommends eating hot foods such as root vegetables and salty foods.

While there are many strong supporters of the macrobiotic diet, many of the health claims that these proponents make have yet to be substantiated through scientific studies.  Additionally, critics of the macrobiotic diet feel that the diet does not provide enough calcium calories, iron, vitamin b12, and vitamin d to a person’s body.  However, these same critics agree that if you take a moderate approach to a macrobiotic diet, that the diet does not possess any danger to your body.  Considering its supporters and its dense eating theory, you may find that going on the macrobiotic diet will lead to a lifetime of healthiness!