Macrobiotic diet

A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), is a diet in which an attempt is made to balance the yin and yang elements of food; this means that grains are a staple, supplemented with other foods such as vegetables and soy; certain kinds of cookware should be avoided.^[1]

Macrobiotics writers often present a macrobiotic diet as helpful for people with cancer, although there is no good evidence to support such recommendations;^[2] neither the American Cancer Society nor Cancer Research UK recommend taking the diet.^[3][4]

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. As per the title of his book, he 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."

First edition of The Art of Prolonging Human Life", 1797

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.

Ohsawa and Japanese 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.^[5]

George Ohsawa

One of Sagan Ishizuka's students was George Ohsawa who subsequently recovered from illness after following a macrobiotic diet. Ohsawa left Japan and brought his message of nutrition to France. He practiced and preached the doctrines of his teacher, assembling a considerable body of French literature on the macrobiotic way of life. In 1965 William Dufty translated Ohsawa, in a book You Are All Sanpaku. As a method of rejuvenation, the diet was described as follows:

The application of Oriental philosophy to the biological and physiological science of nutrition may also be translated by the use of a word derived from the Greek: Macrobiotics. In Greek macro means great, bio means vitality, and biotics means the techniques of rejuvenation. So the word macrobiotics — derived from the Greeks, a people who also knew that a sound mind cannot exist in a tense and disturbed body — is used here to convey the idea of this ancient art of selecting, and preparing food so as to produce longevity and rejuvenation.^[6]

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.^[7]

Japanese macrobiotics emphasizes locally grown whole grain cereals, pulses (legumes), vegetables, seaweed, fermented soy products and fruit, combined into meals according to the ancient Chinese principle of balance known as yin and yang. 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.^[7]

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.^[8] However, these terms are relative; "yangness" or "yinness" is only discussed in relation to other foods.^[9]

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.^[10]

Nightshade vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant; also spinach, beets and avocados are not recommended or are used sparingly in macrobiotic cooking, as they are considered extremely yin.^[11] Some macrobiotic practitioners also discourage the use of nightshades because of the alkaloid solanine, thought to affect calcium balance.^[12] Some proponents of a macrobiotic diet believe that nightshade vegetables can cause inflammation in the body and osteoporosis.^[13]

Practices

Food

Some basic macrobiotic ingredients

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):^[14]

• 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, two to three times per week. Other naturally-raised animal products may be included if needed during dietary transition or according to individual needs.

Kitchenware

Cooking utensils should be made from certain materials such as wood or glass, while some materials including plastic, copper, and non-stick coatings are to be avoided.^[1] Electric ovens should not be used.^[1]

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 soybeans. 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.^[15][16]

Macrobiotics and vegetarianism

A macrobiotic diet includes many of the same foods as vegetarian diets, but in macrobiotics some types of fish and other animal products are often included according to individual needs, although it is recommended that people on the diet avoid milk and other dairy products. The dietary styles share enough similarities that vegetarian and vegan versions of macrobiotics are common.

Cancer

Claims that macrobiotic diets are useful for people with cancer are not supported by good medical evidence.^[2]

The American Cancer Society recommends "low-fat, high-fiber diets that consist mainly of plant products"; however, they urge people with cancer not to rely on a dietary program as an exclusive or primary means of treatment.^[3] Cancer Research UK states, "There is no scientific evidence to prove that a macrobiotic diet can treat or cure cancer or any other disease".^[4]

Nutrition

Detailed information on the nutrients provided by a large range of foodstuffs is available in the USDA National Nutrient Database.^[17]

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.^[18]

People following the macrobiotic diet are at increased risk of developing scurvy.^[19]

Fish provides vitamin B₁₂ in a macrobiotic diet,^[20] as bioavailable B₁₂ analogues have not been established in any natural plant food, including sea vegetables, soya, fermented products, and algae.^[21] Although plant-derived foods do not naturally contain B₁₂, some are fortified during processing with added B₁₂ and other nutrients.^[22] Vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, is available from plants such as carrots and spinach.^[23] 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.^[24]

In 1987, the AMA stated in their Family Medical Guide: "In general, the macrobiotic diet is a healthful way of eating."^[25]

A 1999 review said the macrobiotic diet was similar to the then USDA recommendations for healthy eating.^[26]

Safety

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.^[27]

Children

Children may also be particularly prone to nutritional deficiencies resulting from a macrobiotic diet.^[27]

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.^[27]

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.^[28] This report came half a decade after the well-publicized death of Beth Ann Simon, a young woman who had followed Ohsawa's form of the diet in spite of its disastrous effect on her body.^[29][30][31] 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."^[32]

See also

References

Further reading

• 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.