Can anyone tell me about changing to a microbiotic diet?!
Can anyone tell me about changing to a microbiotic diet?
I hear you take in mostly rice and veggies and drink pure water only. I imagine it to be quite difficult to adjust to such a diet but are the health benefits worth the sacrifice?
Answers:
Complex carbohydrates are absorbed slowly into the bloodstream, giving the body consistent energy and not stressing the pancreas with immediate demands for insulin.
Whether it is worth the change is the question you have to answer yourself. If you can think abstractly and realize the potential of eating in a sensible fashion and that eating is for sustaining life, then it will be worth it. Of course, if you get hit by a car in the crosswalk in three weeks it won't make a difference. I would suggest a gradual shift to a "Macrobiotic" diet by starting with one meal, and telling yourself how much better it is for you. Then gradually adding one more meal per week until you are used to it. I tend to eat many meals which follow the guideline within a marobiotic regime, but still have other foods which are processed and more fun to eat. I look at it as blend of two ideas. If you had started out in this fashion of eating when you were younger the process would be easy. A gradual shift will be necessary with a focus on variety on a regular basis.
According to recent studies from archeologists, anthropologists, and comparative anatomists, for thousands of years, human beings ate mostly vegetable foods including wild grains, roots, beans, nuts, tubers, fruits and wild game. The vegetables grew in mineral-rich soil in harmony with the growing seasons and the wild game was very lean (with eight to ten times less fat than modern domesticated animals). The ratio of vegetable quality foods to animal foods was three-to-one and disease was rarely caused by diet.
We see these vegetable-based diets in the traditional diets of many cultures. For example:
Asia - rice, aduki and soybean products, vegetables and fish;
Latin America - corn, beans, vegetables and chicken;
Middle East - cous cous, Hummus (chickpeas) vegetables and lamb; Northern Europe: wheat, barley, kasha, split peas, pickled vegetables and salted fish; North America: wild rice, corn, baked beans, vegetables and fish.
The percentage of deaths linked to these traditional vegetable-based diets is still relatively low. However, in the United States, especially since the Industrial Revolution, the ratio of vegetables to animal foods has reversed, now being one to three. Instead of following a whole foods, vegetable-based diet, our food choices are dominated by: fast food restaurants that focus on animal meats; huge commercial growing farms that use pesticides and depleted soils; over-processed grains that have few nutrients and no fiber; and excess dairy products and sugar. The ratio of vegetables to animal foods is one to three, and hundreds of diseases are casually linked to this modern diet.
The traditional vegetable-based diets are recognized and encouraged by national and international health organizations as the most health supporting, because they are high in nutrients and fiber and low in fat. When choosing a whole foods diet, it's very important to consider the quality of the food. It's important to choose organic foods to get the most nutrients, to support the organic farmers, and to not support the use of pesticides because of the negative effects on the body, wildlife and the environment.
Organic Whole grains and whole grain products:
Whole grains are 'live' foods with active enzymes that enable the grain to sprout if it is soaked in water. Compared to processed grains, which are often refined and bleached by chemicals, whole grains are rich in complex carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.
Grains: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, sweet rice, teff, wheat, wild rice;
Grain products: fu, mochi, seitan, whole-grain bread and pasta;
Organic Beans and Bean Products:
In general, the body requires more carbohydrates than proteins because carbohydrates are used for daily activity and protein is used for maintenance. This ratio, however, is dependent upon one's level of activity, age, climate, health condition, body 'goals' and other factors so it must be determined individually.
Beans: adukis, black-eyed peas, black turtles, black soybeans, garbonzos, great northerns, kidneys, lentils, limas, navies, pintos, split peas;
Bean products: miso, natto, soy products, tempeh, tofu;
Organic Nuts and Seeds: Excellent sources of protein and fat, nuts and seeds are plentiful. When un-shelled they are easy to store for a long time. Once shelled, however, they are susceptible to rancidity if left at room temperature unless preserved with salt or shoyu.
Nuts: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts; Seeds: pumpkins, sesames, sunflowers, flax;
Organic Sea Vegetables and Land Vegetables: Rich in minerals, trace elements, vitamins and fiber, sea and land vegetables build bones and muscles, nourish the skin, cleanse and revitalize the body.
Sea Vegetables: agar agar, arame, dulse, fresh-water algae, hiziki, kombu, mekabu, nori, sea palm, wakame;
Land Vegetables: roots: burdock, carrot, daikon, jinenjo, lotus, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga; ground rounds: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, squash; leafy greens: bok choy, collards, kale, lettuces, leeks, spinach, sprouts, mustard greens, chard, lettuces, radicchio, arugula, frisee, mizuna;
Organic Fruits: An important source of vitamins and water and enzymes, the use of fruit as a food source depends upon what is growing in the local area in season.
Temperate climate: apples, apricots, berries, cherries, melons, peaches, pears, plums; Tropical climate: bananas, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, papayas, pineapples;
Knowing that the food components necessary for health are available in a whole foods diet, how do we adapt the diet to meet personal health conditions, activities for the day and climate variables? I've found it wonderfully helpful to understand and use the distinctions of the Expansive (Yin) and Contractive (Yang) forces found everywhere in Nature.
The best vegetable to eat is kale, but I personally hate it. I keep trying to make it taste better, the reality is that some items you just won't enjoy. Good Luck with your decision.
It will stop you being sanpaku but can be incredibly boring.
is that you havnt to eventually cut everything out and eat rice? thats goin to be hard if you do it good luck!!!
The macrobiotic diet is not nutritionally complete and you can get severe deficiencies on such a diet. A better option would be to have a well balanced, vegan diet that includes not only rice and vegetables, but nuts, legumes, and other grain products.