Macrobiotic diet

Biologically based alternative and complementary therapy
Herbalism Macrobiotic diet Natural health Orthomolecular medicine
NCCAM classifications
Alternative Medical Systems Mind-Body Intervention Biologically Based Therapy Manipulative Methods Energy Therapy
See also
Complementary and alternative medicine Alternative medicine Complementary medicine Glossary of alternative medicine

A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), is a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food, supplemented with other foods such as local vegetables, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and most animal products. Macrobiotics also addresses manner of eating, by recommending against overeating, and for chewing thoroughly.^{[citation needed]} Although macrobiotics writers present it as a means of combating cancer both the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK recommend that cancer patients should not take the diet.

History

Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland

Hufeland, a German physician, in his book The Art of Prolonging Human Life (1797), first used the word "macrobiotics" in the context of food and health. Hufeland was an influential doctor who was active in medical research and became a medical professor at Jena and, later, the first dean of medicine at the University of Berlin. Despite the title of his book, he also considered macrobiotics a science aimed at prolonging and perfecting life. According to Hufeland, macrobiotics is a medical philosophy on a higher level than the curative, preventative, or health levels of medicine. "The medical art must consider every disease as an evil which cannot be too soon expelled; the macrobiotic, on the other hand, shows that many diseases may be the means of prolonging life."

In his book, Hufeland refers to a life force which he claimed is present in everything and most easily detected in "organic beings" (live organisms), where it manifests in its response to external stimuli. This force can be weakened, as well as strengthened, through external influences. He believed that our life force would be depleted through physical exertion and increased with rest. Hufeland proposed that moral and physical health are intertwined and flow from the same source, both marked by an abundance of life force. In his view, illness was to be prevented primarily by pursuing a proper diet and lifestyle. In terms of using the word "macrobiotics" in relation to health, food, and energy or life force, Hufeland could be considered the founder of macrobiotics.

Sagen Ishizuka

In the late nineteenth century Japanese military doctor Sagen Ishizuka, the founding father of shokuiku, had great success in helping people recover from their serious health problems. He carried out many clinical trials and published two large volumes of his works. His theory was that a natural diet, in which foods are eaten in season and attention is paid to the correct balance of potassium and sodium and acid and alkaline, leads to good health.^[1]

Philosophy

Followers of the traditional macrobiotic approach believe that food and food quality powerfully affect health, well-being, and happiness, and that a traditional locally based macrobiotic diet has more beneficial effects than others. The modern macrobiotic approach suggests choosing food that is less processed.

One goal of modern macrobiotics is to become sensitive to the actual effects of foods on health and well-being, rather than to follow dietary rules and regulations. Dietary guidelines, however, help in developing sensitivity and an intuitive sense for what sustains health and well-being.^[2]

Japanese macrobiotics emphasizes locally grown whole grain cereals, pulses (legumes), vegetables, seaweed, fermented soy products and fruit, combined into meals according to the principle of balance (known as yin and yang^{[citation needed]}). Whole grains and whole-grain products such as brown rice and buckwheat pasta (soba), a variety of cooked and raw vegetables, beans and bean products, mild natural seasonings, fish, nuts and seeds, mild (non-stimulating) beverages such as bancha twig tea and fruit are recommended.^[2]

Some Japanese macrobiotic theorists, including George Ohsawa, stress the fact that yin and yang are relative qualities that can only be determined in a comparison. All food is considered to have both properties, with one dominating. Foods with yang qualities are considered compact, dense, heavy, hot, whereas those with yin qualities are considered expansive, light, cold, and diffuse.^[3] However, these terms are relative; "yangness" or "yinness" is only discussed in relation to other foods.^[4]

Brown rice and other whole grains such as barley, millet, oats, quinoa, spelt, rye, and teff are considered by macrobiotics to be the foods in which yin and yang are closest to being in balance. Therefore, lists of macrobiotic foods that determine a food as yin or yang generally compare them to whole grains.^[5]

Nightshade vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant; also spinach, beets and avocados are not recommended or used sparingly in macrobiotic cooking, as they are considered extremely yin.^[6] Some macrobiotic practitioners also discourage the use of nightshades because of the alkaloid solanine, thought to affect calcium balance.^[7] Some proponents of a macrobiotic diet believe that nightshade vegetables can cause inflammation in the body and osteoporosis.^[8]

Composition

Some general guidelines for the Japanese style macrobiotic diet are the following (it is also said that a macrobiotic diet varies greatly, depending on geographical and life circumstances):^[9]

• Well chewed whole cereal grains, especially brown rice: 40–60%
• Vegetables: 25–30%
• Beans and legumes: 5–10%
• Miso soup: 5%
• Sea vegetables: 5%
• Traditionally or naturally processed foods: 5–10%

Fish and seafood, seeds and nuts, seed and nut butters, seasonings, sweeteners, fruits, and beverages may be enjoyed occasionally, 2–3 times per week. Other naturally raised animal products may be included if needed during dietary transition or according to individual needs.

Cooking according to the time of the year

In spring:

• Food with a lighter quality
• Wild plants, greens, lightly fermented food, grain species, fresh greens
• Light cooking style: steaming, cooking for a short time, etc.

In summer:

• Food with a lighter quality
• Large-leaved greens, sweet corn, fruit, summer pumpkins
• Light cooking style: steaming, quick cooking, etc.
• More raw foods
• Lighter grains, such as barley, and bulghur

In autumn:

• Food with a more concentrated quality
• Root vegetables, (winter) pumpkins, beans, cereals, etc.
• Heavier grains such as sweet rice, mochi and millet

In winter:

• Food with a stronger, more concentrated quality
• Round vegetables, pickles, root vegetables, etc.
• More miso, soy sauce, oil, and salt
• Heavier grains such as millet, buckwheat, fried rice, etc.

Other factors

The composition of dishes and the choices of foods is adjusted according to

• the season
• the climate
• activity
• sex
• age
• health condition
• transition in one's diet

and any applicable personal considerations.

Japanese popularity and influence

The macrobiotic way of eating was developed and popularized by the Japanese. During the Edo period in Japan peasants were not allowed to eat meat and had a diet based on staples of rice and soy beans. According to some macrobiotic advocates, a majority of the world population in the past ate a diet based primarily on grains, vegetables, and other plants. Because the macrobiotic diet was developed in Japan, Japanese foods that are beneficial for health are incorporated by most modern macrobiotic eaters.^[10][11]

Chinese macrobiotics

According to Chee Soo in The Tao of Long Life,^[12] natural dietary therapy, or ch'ang ming, has been developed in China since prehistoric times, along with a range of health arts that have become what we now know as traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM. Other than this, however, there is no real evidence that ch'ang ming predates the advent of macrobiotics in Japan.

Macrobiotics vs. vegetarianism

A macrobiotic diet includes many of the same foods as vegetarian diets, but in macrobiotics some types of fish and other animal foods are included according to individual needs. The two dietary styles share enough similarities that a vegetarian and even vegan version of macrobiotics is not uncommon.

Macrobiotics and cancer

Macrobiotics has been advocated by some as a preventative and cure for cancer.^[13] Michio Kushi's book The Cancer Prevention Diet outlines the fundamental philosophy for the diet and cancer prevention. There is evidence that a diet high in whole grains and vegetables and possibly low in saturated fat, red meat, and preserved meat products can help to prevent many types of cancer.^[14]

There have been no randomized clinical studies published in the available medical literature to show the macrobiotic diet can be used to prevent or cure cancer. One of the earlier versions of the macrobiotic diet that involved eating only brown rice and water has been linked to severe nutritional deficiencies and even death. However, low-fat, high-fiber diets that consist mainly of plant products are believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. The American National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has funded a pilot study to determine whether a macrobiotic diet may prevent cancer.^[15]

Medical professionals do not consider that there is evidence that a macrobiotic diet is a cure for cancer. The American Cancer Society strongly urges people with cancer not to use a dietary program as an exclusive or primary means of treatment,^[16] and Cancer Research UK states "we don't support the use of macrobiotic diets for people with cancer".^[17] Roel Van Duijn reported in the Dutch national newspaper Trouw on September 5, 1998, and later in the quarterly Skepter of the Dutch organisation Skepsis, that following advice of a macrobiotic counselor over conventional medical treatments resulted in the death of his wife.^[18]

Nutrition

Detailed information on the nutrients provided by a large range of foodstuffs is available in the USDA National Nutrient Database.^[19]

The following nutrients should be monitored especially in children, because of their importance in facilitating growth and function: calcium, protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B₁₂, riboflavin, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids.^[20]

Humans synthesize vitamin D with adequate exposure to sunlight; supplementation may be necessary during winter months for people who live far from the equator. Calcium is available from hard leafy greens, nuts and seeds. Zinc is available from nuts and seeds. Fish provides vitamin B₁₂ in a macrobiotic diet,^[21] as bioavailable B₁₂ analogues have not been established in any natural plant food, including sea vegetables, soya, fermented products, and algae.^[22] Although plant-derived foods do not naturally contain B₁₂, some are fortified during processing with added B₁₂ and other nutrients.^[23] Vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, is available from plants such as carrots and spinach.^[24] Adequate protein is available from grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and bean products. Sources of Omega-3 fatty acids are discussed in the relevant article, and include soy products, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and fatty fish. Riboflavin along with most other B vitamins are abundant in whole grains. Iron in the form of non-heme iron in beans, sea vegetables and leafy greens is sufficient for good health; detailed information is in the USDA database.^[25]

Criticisms

Complications

One of the earlier versions of the macrobiotic diet that involved eating only brown rice and water has been linked to severe nutritional deficiencies and even death. Strict macrobiotic diets that include no animal products may result in nutritional deficiencies unless they are carefully planned. The danger may be worse for people with cancer, who may have to contend with unwanted weight loss and often have increased nutritional and caloric requirements. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.^[15]

Children

Children may also be particularly prone to nutritional deficiencies resulting from a macrobiotic diet.^[15]

Pregnancy

Macrobiotic diets have not been tested in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and the most extreme versions may not include enough of certain nutrients for normal fetal growth.^[15]

Malnutrition

In 1971, the AMA Council on Foods and Nutrition said that followers of the macrobiotic diet, particularly the strictest, stood in "great danger" of malnutrition.^[26] On the other hand, in 1987, the AMA stated in their Family Medical Guide: "In general, the macrobiotic diet is a healthful way of eating."^[27]

Tobacco

Michio Kushi and George Ohsawa smoked cigarettes. Kushi states that lung cancer can arise from dairy food in the diet: "In combination with tobacco, dairy food can trap tars and other ingredients of tobacco smoke in the lungs, leading often to lung cancer."^[28] This is contrary to medical and scientific understanding of the connection between lung cancer and smoking.^[29]

See also

• Chinese food therapy
• List of ineffective cancer treatments
• Ch'i
• Sanpaku
• Shiatsu
• Traditional Chinese medicine

References

Bibliography

• Kushi, Michio; Jack, Alex (July 1987). The book of macrobiotics: the universal way of health, happiness, and peace. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0-87040-667-6. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 
• Porter, Jessica (13 September 2004). The hip chick's guide to macrobiotics: a philosophy for achieving a radiant mind and fabulous body. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-58333-205-4. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 

Cookbooks and resources

Books

Web

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