Making sense of macrobiotics
Posted by Alan | Under diets Friday Feb 10, 2012
The word macrobiotic makes most people think of a strange diet that will involve eating unusual foods in unusual ways but many people don’t realise that going back to basics with this type of diet is easier than most people think.
A macrobiotic centre in Scotland is Penninghame House and one of the course teachers is Bill Tara who recently said, “Many people have some serious misconceptions about macrobiotic diets but in reality they are mostly false.”
Most people are unaware of what a macrobiotic diet actually entails and they generally associate them in their minds with mung beans and Gwyneth Paltrow. In reality, a macrobiotic diet is something that has been utilised for thousands of years in the Far East and involves people viewing the body as something that will remain perfectly healthy if it is treated in a good way.
At Penninghame House there are many courses being offered in how to develop a macrobiotic diet yourself. There are cooking classes as well as lectures which allow visitors to master various techniques associated with the lifestyle. As well as an educational opportunities there are many detoxifying treatments available and relaxation sessions for attendees.
Whole grains are a focus of the macrobiotic diet and generally things such as dairy, sugar, meat and processed foods are to be avoided. Coffee and alcohol are also not part of the diet and eating organic food is encouraged. The core of the diet usually revolves around beans and pulses as well as vegetables.
Foods are viewed by the macrobiotic diet as being either acid or alkaline and it is important that there is a balance struck between these two types of food. Fermented foods are very popular with those on this type of diet as they are seen as balanced.
For most people, the idea of eating this food will not be so appealing but the health benefits could be significant. The World Health Organisation has said that many of the types of food encouraged by a macrobiotic diet are valuable for preventing many diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Those who advocate the macrobiotic diet claim that it is possible to alleviate many conditions and diseases by embracing this form of eating.
Retired film producer, Ian Fraser, recently experimented with a macrobiotic diet. He commented, “I have type II diabetes and I wanted to try a new diet to help me tackle this. I was able to reduce the amount of tablets I was taking after just a week on the diet.”
Recent research that has been released by Cancer Research UK showed that lifestyle factors were important for over 40 percent of cancer recurrences in the UK. Alcohol and smoking are the most common culprits of cancer but diet is also a major player. A lot of people who choose to eat a macrobiotic diet also embrace vegan foods but this is not mandatory.
The foods that are eaten on a macrobiotic diet generally fall well into line with government advice about healthy eating, such as avoiding red meat. Red meat is known to increase a person’s chance of getting bowel cancer and practitioners of macrobiotic diet state that there are plenty of other ways to get protein. Beans and nuts are popular options and eating plenty of these will make up for the lack of meat.
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