Macrobiotics is an ancient way of eating with an Asian influence that looks to balance life energy and food energy to obtain optimal health. A macrobiotic diet is centered around whole grains, with other healthy foods served proportionally and according to health status. While a macrobiotic diet isn't severely strict, it divides the foods that you should eat into percentages of daily intake and maintains a list of foods that should be avoided or only eaten on a sparing basis. Meat is not a staple of the macrobiotic diet and many people who follow it are vegan. Fish and some consumption of animal products are recommended but the plan can be easily adaptable to leave out meat and dairy.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are the staple food of most macrobiotic diets. They should ideally make up 30 to 60 percent of the diet and be at the forefront of each meal. Whole grains include unprocessed millet, brown rice or spelt. These are different from processed grains, like white flour, white rice or rolled oats because the still have their bran and are as close to nature as possible. If you have disorders that require you to avoid certain grains, like celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it is possible to find grains that suit your condition or to remove them and still practice a macrobiotic diet.
Vegetables
Vegetables should make up 30 to 40 percent of your macrobiotic diet. These vegetables should usually be cooked, unless you have a digestive system strong enough to handle raw food. When choosing vegetables, choose those closest to nature as possible. For example, choose fresh greens instead of canned or frozen. Use sparingly or avoid nightshade vegetables, like potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant because these problems in some people, especially those with arthritis.
Beans and Legumes
Beans and legumes should make up 5 to 10 percent of a macrobiotic diet. These are important because a macrobiotic diet does not contain much meat (and none at all for vegetarians on the plan). These foods provide essential nutrients like iron and protein. This category also includes protein rich foods like tofu or tempeh. These foods don't need to be included with every meal, one or two meals should be sufficient.
Daily Additional Foods
A traditional macrobiotic diet emphasizes eating small amounts of certain additional foods on a regular basis for overall health and well-being. These foods include sea vegetables, miso soup, macrobiotic tea and macrobiotic pickles. Foods can be spiced with sesame salt or miso, but use of spicy or salty additives is not recommended.
Foods to Avoid
People on a macrobiotic diet avoid a lot of foods which they believe will throw off the balance of energy in the body. For example, stimulants like coffee, sugar, black tea, food dyes or spicy foods are avoided. Meats and dairy products are believed to weaken the body, and so are avoided or only eaten in rare moderation. Macrobiotic dieters also avoid fats and most kinds of sweeteners. Since the diet focuses on healthy whole foods, processed foods, artificial flavors, preservatives and other foods with manufacturing chemicals are off limits.
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