Have You Tried The Macrobiotic Diet For Weight Loss

I hope you remember my GM diet experience. In case you have missed, you can read it here. GM diet can successfully work for some, but it was not so my types !

I searched a few diets, oops Lifestyle which I can adopt easily to live healthy and shed weight too. High protein low carbs lifestyle is always an option. While hunting a healthy lifestyle, I came across Macrobiotic diet. Let’s find out what Macrobiotic diet is all about !

Macrobiotic Diet For Weight Loss

Macro means ‘big’ or ‘huge’ , Bio means ‘Life’. This means that Macrobiotic diet is not merely a diet but a lifestyle. Macrobiotic Lifestyle is all about eating nutrient-rich foods that have balanced YIN/YANG properties. Do you think I am speaking Chinese ? ? Yes, you are correcto ? !

YIN and YANG foods are the basis of Macrobiotic lifestyle. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin-yang describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces are interconnected and reach a balance. Hence, it is advisable to eat foods that have balanced YIN/YANG properties and avoid extreme YIN/YANG foods. If you think it is difficult, I say – Not at all !

YIN foods include melons, cucumbers, watermelons, bananas, pears and broccoli. These foods are considered to cool the body

YANG foods include chilies, red and green peppers, coffee, garlic and onions. These foods have the capability to produce heat in the body.

If you eat whole, local and seasonal foods, we will get a balanced YIN and YANG. I will make it even simpler for you –

• Consume whole, local and seasonal foods
• Avoid processed foods
• Moderate pleasure foods ( read your favorite ice cream ? )

Breakdown of a typical Macrobiotic Diet

• Whole grains : 50%-60%. These can be brown rice, barley, millet, oats, corn, rye, whole wheat, and buckwheat. Brown rice is the best bet.

• Fresh Vegetables (and seaweed): 25%-30%. The best ones are cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, turnips, turnip greens, onion and pumpkin. I found Seaweed to be yukky when I tried in Singapore. I am not sure if its easily available in India.

• Beans: 5%-10%. Beans can be dzuki beans, chickpeas, lentils, and tofu.

• Fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, miso/bean soup: 5%-20%

• Soup (made from ingredients above)

The diet includes a few other principles like eating only when hungry, chewing food completely, and keeping the kitchen tidy.

Foods to avoid in Macrobiotic Diet

• Sugar – white, brown, or any refined sugar
• Artifficial sweeteners
• Fruit juice
• Dairy products like Milk, cheese, cream, butter, ghee, yogurt, and ice cream
• Refined oils
• Tea or Coffee . Basically avoid Caffeine ! Too much to ask ? ? You can moderate tea/coffee. You can have Dandellion tea.
• Alcohol
• Heavy use of spices
• White rice and white flour
• Foods containing chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and insecticides. In short, avoid processed foods.