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Macrobiotic diet
Definition
The macrobiotic diet is part of a philosophy and
lifestyle that incorporates concepts of balance and
harmony from Asian philosophy and beliefs about
diet from Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is intended
to be a weight-loss diet, although people who switch to
this diet often lose weight.
Origins
The macrobiotic diet is a set of life-longdietary
guidelinesthat has its origin in Asian philosophy. It
traces its roots to the Shoku-Yo or ‘‘food’’ cure move-
ment founded in 1909 by Japanese healer Sagen Ishi-
zuka (1893–1966). George Ohsawa (1893–1966)
brought the movement to the United States in the
1950s and coined the name macrobiotics out of the
Greek words ‘‘macro,’’ meaning large or great, and
‘‘bios,’’ meaning life.
Macrobiotics made little impression on the Amer-
ican public until the publication of Ohsawa’s book
Zen Macrobioticsin the 1960s. The diet and the phi-
losophy it encompassed then attracted members of the
1960s counterculture movement including Beatle John
Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. The macrobiotic diet
has changed somewhat over the past forty years. Orig-
inally it recommended moving through stages of food
elimination to achieve a diet that consisted only of
brown rice andwater. These nutritionally unsafe diet-
ary guidelines have mostly been replaced with a more
moderate and balanced approach to eating.
Description
The macrobiotic diet is a dynamic set of guidelines
that change with geographical location, season, the
availability of local foods, and even the time of day.
At the heart of the diet is the Asian concept that every-
thing has an energy or force that is either yin or yang.
Yin represents female or cool, dark, inwardly focused
energy. Yang represents male or warm, light, out-
wardly focused energy. For good mental and physical
health and a harmonious life, yin and yang forces must
be balanced. This balance must be reflected in the food
the individual eats. Because environmental yin and
yang forces change with the seasons, with climate,
and time of day, the diet must change with them. For
example, spring and summer foods should be lighter
and cook more quickly than winter foods. In addition,
diet is adjusted to reflect the individual’s age, gender,
activity level, and health.
Certain foods are preferred and others rejected or
strongly discouraged on the macrobiotic diet. Unre-
fined whole grains such as brown rice, barley, millet,
whole oats, and wheat berries are preferred foods.
Processed whole grain foods such as flour are not
desirable and should be used sparingly or not at all.
Green leafy vegetables are preferred, as are foods in the
cabbage family and root vegetables. Some of the vege-
tables to be avoided include asparagus, eggplant, bell
peppers, spinach, okra, potatoes, and tomatoes. In
addition tropical fruits (e.g. bananas, pineapple,
mango) and tropical nuts are banned for people living
in temperate climates because they are not local. The
diet permits small portions of white fish (e.g. flounder,
cod, halibut, sole) two or three times a week. Dried
beans may be used sparingly, andsoyproducts are
generally acceptable. Red meats, poultry, most dairy
products, eggs,artificial sweeteners, white rice, pop-
corn, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, and most baked goods
are strongly discouraged. The resulting macrobiotic
diet is a high carbohydrate/lowproteindiet that is
high in dietaryfiber. Estimates are that a macrobiotic
diet is 50–55% whole grains, 20–30% fresh vegetables,
10% sea vegetables and about 10% beans, lentils, soy,
and fish. Meals should be constructed to balance the
yin and yang qualities of the foods. Acceptable foods
should be eaten following these guidelines.