Macrobiotic Diet

His supporters say the main factor to fight disease is food that nourishes the body and mind as they consider useless antidote use, whether allopathic, homeopathic or naturopathic, if not stop using "poisons" (saturated fats, high amount of sugar and salt, snuff, alcohol and drugs).

Therefore, states that practiced macrobiotics from discipline that aims to provide the means to get rid of bad habits, vices and food constraints imposed by a highly consumerist society.

Also, according to the fundamentals of this regime must be in harmony with nature, so the food choices must be made ??according to each season, climate and health. The macrobiotic diet is a way extreme vegetarianism combined with ideas from Zen Buddhist philosophy has found acceptance among believers in natural feeding and food "organic", and also many dissatisfied with the established social order and the modern food industry. His supporters traverse ten levels of dietary restriction until that feed grain only.

The macrobiotic diet is based mainly on the intake of whole grains such as rice, barley, maize and wheat, which can be eaten boiled, stewed, in soups, pies or cakes. It is also important to add to the fruit and vegetable diet, and for the animal protein that the body requires is advisable to combine the aforementioned foods with lean meat (fat) beef and skinless chicken and fish. addition, the scheme Eat less dairy products, which should be replaced by green leafy vegetables, as they contain lots of vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron and folic acid, which prevents nutrient deficiency. Notably, some say that this diet is prohibitive and can lead his followers to be malnourished, but actually allowed to eat all foods, the key is to choose the best quality balancing quantities.

Balance between yin and yang foods

Classify foods into two categories: ying (Food liabilities) and yang (active food). There must be a balance between yin and yang foods to achieve health and fitness and mental health. For them, some yin foods are: carp, clams, watermelon, potatoes, prunes, sugar, honey and garlic. Horse meat, chicken eggs and duck, pork and caviar are yang. Cereals, and vegetables offer the best balance between yin and yang. Among the nutrients, most B vitamins and vitamin C are ying while soluble (A, D, E and K) and B6 are yang. These classifications are meaningless from any scientific standpoint.

The system consists of a series macrobiotic ten diets that are numbered from -3 to +7. The first five (-3 to +2) include decreasing amounts of animal foods, are practically vegetarian diets. The others are exclusively vegetarian and contain increasing amounts of wheat grains to the diet until 7 which is composed exclusively of crushed cereal grains.

Dehydration problems

This system advises a limitation in the drinking water, which can lead to serious dehydration problems as highlighted in a publication originated precisely to step out into the diets recommended a drinking water restriction (Grande- Covián, 1993). Other ideas unfounded this doctrine is that the body is able to perform the transmutation of chemical elements, whereby, for example, can be produced from sodium potassium and oxygen, which is entirely feasible.

Its use as a slimming diet

According to his followers no disease can not be cured using "natural" food and restricting the drinking water, and any disease is easier to cure the cancer through the use of a macrobiotic diet, especially the grade 7, ie, composed solely of the grain. It is also recommended for use as slimming diet.

A typical macrobiotic diet would consist of:

• 50-60% of grams of cereal. 
• 20-25 & vegetables. 
• 5-10% legumes. 
• 5% soups.

Seaweed varying proportions

It avoids all types of meat, milk or dairy products, and is usually rare among his followers the vitamin supplements (Kushi & Jack, 1987) often appear so serious nutritional deficiencies. 

thus consuming a macrobiotic diet can lead a protein deficiency, quantitative and qualitative (protein intake of low quality) and a significant deficiency in vitamin B12, C and fat soluble vitamins (A and D). Also, is low in calcium and iron whose absorption is hindered by the presence of phytates. Among nutritional deficiencies detected by consumers of this diet include anemia, scurvy, hypocalcemia and hypoproteinemia. As already mentioned, the drinking water limit recommended by the macrobiotic system is another serious danger. No wonder, therefore, that some of his followers recommending forget everything we know about nutrition. "

Although the macrobiotic diet is a diet old, has been considered as a serious risk to the health of the population (Grand Jury of the State of New Jersey, 1966), knowing deaths among his followers. Currently re-emerged and even women's magazines disclosure presented as a true panacea.

The macrobiotic diet divides foods into two types:

Ying foods

are foods that should be eaten sparingly, because their energy is debilitating: sugar, honey, alcoholic beverages, tropical fruits like banana, mango, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, plums, vegetables like potatoes, eggplant, tomato , garlic and beets, milk, white bread, sausages, meat, eggs, clams, vitamin C, spices, processed foods, preserved foods, dyes or chemical ingredients.

Yang foods

are the food needed, because their energy is invigorating: cereals (wheat, rye, corn, barley, millet, oats), vegetables, seaweed, fish occasionally, vitamins A, B6, D, E and K, and vegetables grown without pesticides in home gardens, which has found wide acceptance among food industry rivals. It is very important to prepare steamed food should be cooked with iodized sea salt.

Example menu

Breakfast 

A Bancha tea or tea mu 

A cream of millet or rice with cinnamon and raisins sesame rice crackers with sesame puree or vegetable pate

Lunch 

A miso soup or vegetable with seaweed and soy sauce 

A combination plate of boiled rice with kombu seaweed and vegetable protein (legumes, seitan or wheat gluten, tofu or tofu, tempeh or fermented soybeans) 

A little cooked apple or cereal (grits or wheat) with fruit jelly made ??with agar-agar seaweed 

tea bancha A

Snack 

A tea 

Rice cakes with jam or vegetable paté

Dinner 

A vegetable soup with shiitake (Japanese mushroom) and daikon (turnip species) 

Vegetables steamed rice or some fish

Disadvantages Beware

Take as little protein can lead you to a risk of anemia and malnutrition. With this power have been cases of scurvy and calcium deficiency. Furthermore, as drinking water is restricted, it may suffer from dehydration or renal insufficiency.

As you may have noticed, many of the foods are hard to come by being of Japanese origin (millet, soybean, algae, tempeh, tofu, etc.). And maybe bother you that by not eating much, you can limit your social and family life and surrounding yourself with pure finish macrobiotic friends.

It is convenient to carry out this diet without any medical supervision, because as prevents vitamin supplements, low in calcium and iron, the main allies of women, can cause you nutritional deficiencies.

If you decide to try this diet, it is important to get regular medical examinations to keep track of your levels of iron and vitamin B12.