The Standard Macrobiotic Diet

George Ohsawa is the founder of the macrobiotic diet. After curing himself of a serious illness,Ohsawa sought to integrate Eastern and Western philosophy and medicine to develop the dietary and lifestyle principles of macrobiotics. Macrobiotics represents a way of life, which includes the avoidance of certain foods and lifestyle habits to ultimately achieve balance between the two opposing, yet complementary forces of ying and yang. One of Ohsawa's students, Michio Kushi, has played a key role in spreading the philosophy of macrobiotics in modern day cultures.

Significance

Michio Kushi describes the notion of macrobiotics as a "universal way of life with which humanity has developed biologically, psychologically, and spiritually and with which we will maintain our health, freedom, and happiness." The goal of a macrobiotic way of life is to preserve the human race and ensure further evolution.

Dietary Guidelines

The dietary guidelines for a macrobiotic diet illustrated by the Great Life Pyramid is primarily vegetarian, emphasizing natural, minimally processed foods and is dependent on climate, cultural or ethnic heritage, gender, age and activity level. The macrobiotic diet recommends that 40 to 60 percent of daily foods come from whole grains including brown rice, buckwheat and barley, 20 to 30 percent from raw vegetables such as green leafy vegetables and root vegetables, and 5 to 10 percent from beans, bean products, and sea vegetables including lentils, chickpeas, tofu, nori and kombu. Nuts, seafood and fruits should only be consumed occasionally or weekly.

Lifestyle Aspects

According to "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods," the key components of the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle include: eating two or three meals a day, chewing food slowly to aid digestion and absorption of nutrients, avoiding eating three hours before bedtime, using only natural cosmetics and household products, wearing only cotton clothing and avoiding metallic jewelry, stretching and avoiding televisions and computers.

Effects

Components of the macrobiotic diet offer protection against cancer compared to the standard American or Western diet which consists of high levels of saturated fat. A 2001 study published in the "Journal of Nutrition" states that "Aside from diet, other aspects of the application of macrobiotic principles may also be beneficial for cancer prevention, including an emphasis on physical activity, avoidance of exposures to pesticides and other chemicals as well as to electromagnetic radiation, and stress reduction."

Concerns/ Dangers

While the macrobiotic diet is a health promoting diet that may be beneficial for individuals who are at risk for cancer or have cancer, there is additional research needed to investigate the risks associated with a macrobiotic diet. Potential risks for the macrobiotic diet in cancer patients in particular include weight loss and vitamin deficiencies.