What does macrobiotic mean? The macrobiotic diet is more of a lifestyle than a diet, and it focuses on the more positive concept of moderation as opposed to limitation.1 What does this diet entail? It is based on consuming whole, natural, plant-based foods that benefit the health of people and the environment. Organic, non-processed, naturally occurring foods are the focus. The main categories that comprise the diet are vegetables; beans and their traditional products including tofu and tempeh; and cereal grains (brown rice, quinoa, millet, spelt, barley). Depending on the needs of the person following the diet, seafood may be included, but in general it is a vegetarian diet. Many Japanese-style cooking methods are used including clay pot cooking and dry cooking.2
History of the Macrobiotic Diet
In 1796, German physician Dr. Hufeland first used the word “macrobiotics” in his book Macrobiotics: The Art of Prolonging Life. Broken down in Greek, macrobiotics means “great life.”3 George Ohsawa, the founder of the macrobiotic diet, suffered from tuberculosis as a teenager in the early 1900s in Japan. While all doctors had given up hope on him, Ohsawa used food as medicine (following in the footsteps of a Japanese military doctor named Sagen Ishizuka) combined with the concepts of yin and yang to cure himself. This became the foundation for the macrobiotic diet.4
In the 1960s, Japanese scholar Michio Kushi popularized the macrobiotic diet in the United States. Kushi and his wife, Aveline Kushi, founded the brand Erewhon, which sold staples of the macrobiotic diet such as brown rice, miso, tofu, and tamari soy sauce. The brand was named after Samuel Butler’s 1872 utopian novel of the same name. In the 1970s, Kushi and his students founded the East-West Journal and the East-West Foundation, which focused on macrobiotic research. Kezia Snyder, a student of Kushi’s, said of his students, “They came from all over the country, all over the world, to stay and study how to cook, learn the principles of yin and yang, and the idea of idealistic balance. It’s so powerful to learn that food has so much to do with how we function in the world every single day.” Alex Jack, the general manager of the Kushi Institute, said of Kushi, “He was in the vanguard of the natural foods movement. He was the pivot from an animal-based to a plant-based diet, and while that sounds very mainstream and normal now, it was heresy back when he started teaching it.”5
How Does the Diet Work?
So, if you decide to follow the macrobiotic diet, what are you signing up for? It is not a one-size-fits-all model, but in general, your diet is supposed to be 50-60% whole grains, 30% vegetables (including marine vegetables), smaller amounts of beans, nuts, and fruits. Additionally, you are supposed to drink one to two cups of miso soup per day. You are supposed to avoid fatty meats, poultry, sugar, coffee, alcohol, potatoes, zucchini, and most dairy products.6 Other encouraged foods include fermented foods (which are a good source of probiotics), sesame oil, and corn oil.7 Barley malt, rice syrup, and maple syrup are used sparingly as sweeteners.8
There are also philosophy components to the macrobiotic diet. Ohsawa believed that by eating foods that are whole, local, and in season, the body’s yin and yang would be in balance. Additionally, the macrobiotic nutrition principles are:
- Enjoy eating and be thankful for your meals.
- Eat seasonal and local foods.
- Be mindful of quantity and quality.
- Avoid dietary extremes.
- Chew your food thoroughly.
- Reduce the volume of what you eat.9
The macrobiotic diet also has lifestyle principles:
- Be generous.
- Be responsible and admit faults.
- Discover life via personal experience.
- Develop your intuition.
- Be friendly.
- Respect all living beings.
- Be mindful of ecology.
- Practice economy of life.
- Have sense of humor.
- Practice self-reflection.
- Perfect the art of living.10
Pros and Cons of the Macrobiotic Diet
Health benefits—both physical and mental—of the macrobiotic diet include less or absence of lethargy, improved sleep quality, improved memory and focus, fewer common ailments such as colds, muscle pain, headaches, etc.11 However, it is recommended that you consult a doctor before deciding to take on this diet because the diet is deficient in vitamin D, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids.12
