A macrobiotic diet, is a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food, supplemented
with other foods such as local vegetables, and avoiding the use of highly processed or
refined foods and most animal products. Although macrobiotics writers often present
a macrobiotic diet as helpful for people with cancer, there is no evidence to support such
recommendations; neither the American Cancer Society nor Cancer Research UK recommend taking
the diet.
History Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland
Hufeland, a German physician, in his book The Art of Prolonging Human Life, first used
the word "macrobiotics" in the context of food and health. Hufeland was an influential
doctor who was active in medical research and became a medical professor at Jena and,
later, the first dean of medicine at the University of Berlin. As per the title of his book, he
considered macrobiotics a science aimed at prolonging and perfecting life. According
to Hufeland, macrobiotics is a medical philosophy on a higher level than the curative, preventative,
or health levels of medicine. "The medical art must consider every disease as an evil
which cannot be too soon expelled; the macrobiotic, on the other hand, shows that many diseases
may be the means of prolonging life."
In his book, Hufeland refers to a life force which he claimed is present in everything
and most easily detected in "organic beings", where it manifests in its response to external
stimuli. This force can be weakened, as well as strengthened, through external influences.
He believed that our life force would be depleted through physical exertion and increased with
rest. Hufeland proposed that moral and physical health are intertwined and flow from the same
source, both marked by an abundance of life force. In his view, illness was to be prevented
primarily by pursuing a proper diet and lifestyle. In terms of using the word "macrobiotics"
in relation to health, food, and energy or life force, Hufeland could be considered the
founder of macrobiotics. Sagen Ishizuka
In the late nineteenth century Japanese military doctor Sagen Ishizuka, the founding father
of shokuiku, had great success in helping people recover from their serious health problems.
He carried out many clinical trials and published two large volumes of his works. His theory
was that a natural diet, in which foods are eaten in season and attention is paid to the
correct balance of potassium and sodium and acid and alkaline, leads to good health.
Philosophy Followers of the traditional macrobiotic approach
believe that food and food quality powerfully affect health, well-being, and happiness,
and that a traditional, locally based macrobiotic diet has more beneficial effects than others.
The modern macrobiotic approach suggests choosing food that is less processed.
One goal of modern macrobiotics is to become sensitive to the actual effects of foods on
health and well-being, rather than to follow dietary rules and regulations. Dietary guidelines,
however, help in developing sensitivity and an intuitive sense for what sustains health
and well-being. Japanese macrobiotics emphasizes locally grown
whole grain cereals, pulses, vegetables, seaweed, fermented soy products and fruit, combined
into meals according to the principle of balance. Whole grains and whole-grain products such
as brown rice and buckwheat pasta, a variety of cooked and raw vegetables, beans and bean
products, mild natural seasonings, fish, nuts and seeds, mild beverages such as bancha twig
tea and fruit are recommended. Some Japanese macrobiotic theorists, including
George Ohsawa, stress the fact that yin and yang are relative qualities that can only
be determined in a comparison. All food is considered to have both properties, with one
dominating. Foods with yang qualities are considered compact, dense, heavy, hot, whereas
those with yin qualities are considered expansive, light, cold, and diffuse. However, these terms
are relative; "yangness" or "yinness" is only discussed in relation to other foods.
Brown rice and other whole grains such as barley, millet, oats, quinoa, spelt, rye,
and teff are considered by macrobiotics to be the foods in which yin and yang are closest
to being in balance. Therefore, lists of macrobiotic foods that determine a food as yin or yang
generally compare them to whole grains. Nightshade vegetables, including tomatoes,
peppers, potatoes, eggplant; also spinach, beets and avocados are not recommended or
used sparingly in macrobiotic cooking, as they are considered extremely yin. Some macrobiotic
practitioners also discourage the use of nightshades because of the alkaloid solanine, thought
to affect calcium balance. Some proponents of a macrobiotic diet believe that nightshade
vegetables can cause inflammation in the body and osteoporosis.
Composition
Some general guidelines for the Japanese style macrobiotic diet are the following:
Well chewed whole cereal grains, especially brown rice: 40–60%
Vegetables: 25–30% Beans and legumes: 5–10%
Miso soup: 5% Sea vegetables: 5%
Traditionally or naturally processed foods: 5–10%
Fish and seafood, seeds and nuts, seed and nut butters, seasonings, sweeteners, fruits,
and beverages may be enjoyed occasionally, 2–3 times per week. Other naturally raised
animal products may be included if needed during dietary transition or according to
individual needs. Japanese popularity and influence
The macrobiotic way of eating was developed and popularized by the Japanese. During the
Edo period in Japan peasants were not allowed to eat meat and had a diet based on staples
of rice and soybeans. According to some macrobiotic advocates, a majority of the world population
in the past ate a diet based primarily on grains, vegetables, and other plants. Because
the macrobiotic diet was developed in Japan, Japanese foods that are beneficial for health
are incorporated by most modern macrobiotic eaters.
Macrobiotics vs. vegetarianism A macrobiotic diet includes many of the same
foods as vegetarian diets, but in macrobiotics some types of fish and other animal foods
are included according to individual needs. The two dietary styles share enough similarities
that a vegetarian and even vegan version of macrobiotics is not uncommon.
Cancer Macrobiotic diets are among those that are
frequently mentioned as useful for people with cancer. Research however shows that the
diet is of no benefit, and can have harmful effects. The American Cancer Society recommends
a varied diet and strongly urges people with cancer not to use a dietary program as an
exclusive or primary means of treatment, and Cancer Research UK states "we don't support
the use of macrobiotic diets for people with cancer", cautioning that it can cause serious
harm. Nutrition
Detailed information on the nutrients provided by a large range of foodstuffs is available
in the USDA National Nutrient Database. The following nutrients should be monitored
especially in children, because of their importance in facilitating growth and function: calcium,
protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish provides vitamin B12 in a macrobiotic diet, as bioavailable B12 analogues have not
been established in any natural plant food, including sea vegetables, soya, fermented
products, and algae. Although plant-derived foods do not naturally contain B12, some are
fortified during processing with added B12 and other nutrients. Vitamin A, in the form
of beta-carotene, is available from plants such as carrots and spinach. Adequate protein
is available from grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and bean products. Sources of Omega-3 fatty
acids are discussed in the relevant article, and include soy products, walnuts, flax seeds,
pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and fatty fish. Riboflavin along with most other B vitamins
are abundant in whole grains. Iron in the form of non-heme iron in beans, sea vegetables
and leafy greens is sufficient for good health; detailed information is in the USDA database.
Criticisms Complications
One of the earlier versions of the macrobiotic diet that involved eating only brown rice
and water has been linked to severe nutritional deficiencies and even death. Strict macrobiotic
diets that include no animal products may result in nutritional deficiencies unless
they are carefully planned. The danger may be worse for people with cancer, who may have
to contend with unwanted weight loss and often have increased nutritional and caloric requirements.
Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical
care for cancer may have serious health consequences. Children
Children may also be particularly prone to nutritional deficiencies resulting from a
macrobiotic diet. Pregnancy
Macrobiotic diets have not been tested in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding,
and the most extreme versions may not include enough of certain nutrients for normal fetal
growth. Malnutrition
In 1971, the AMA Council on Foods and Nutrition said that followers of the macrobiotic diet,
particularly the strictest, stood in "great danger" of malnutrition. On the other hand,
in 1987, the AMA stated in their Family Medical Guide: "In general, the macrobiotic diet is
a healthful way of eating." Tobacco
Michio Kushi and George Ohsawa smoked cigarettes. Kushi states that lung cancer can arise from
dairy food in the diet: "In combination with tobacco, dairy food can trap tars and other
ingredients of tobacco smoke in the lungs, leading often to lung cancer." This is contrary
to medical and scientific understanding of the connection between lung cancer and smoking.
See also Chinese food therapy
List of ineffective cancer treatments Ch'i
Sanpaku Shiatsu
Traditional Chinese medicine References
Further reading Kushi, Michio; Jack, Alex. The book of macrobiotics:
the universal way of health, happiness, and peace. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0-87040-667-6.
Retrieved 22 March 2011.