Macrobiotics, or the way of health and longevity, is a universal practice followed by diverse groups of people in every section of the globe. Just as longevity practices of eating and lifestyle took many forms throughout the world, advice on diet and lifestyle to attain health must be adjusted for each individual.
The Macrobiotic Way is the approach that traditional cultures took to create health and harmony in daily life. The modern macrobiotic way is a teaching of how to create harmony and health by applying the principles of balance to a modern lifestyle. As in all phases of life, education is the most important element.
Macrobiotic education focuses on understanding the principles of balance and harmony applied to daily foods, lifestyle practices, understanding health and sickness, particular ailments, relationships, family, community and society.
People around the world used three methods to understand the application of macrobiotics; the power of food, lifestyle, and healing therapies.
For people healing from an illness specific foods are recommended for a person’s individual condition. This is to help bring their body back into balance by strengthening their immune system and overall health. An experienced and well educated macrobiotic counselor is trained to make these recommendations using oriental and western diagnosis methods, and from other information received from clients during a consultation. This combination will determine individual dietary, lifestyle, and healing therapy recommendations made by the counselor.
Food and personal care product choices which apply to everyone are free of chemicals, artificial ingredients, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Stimulant type beverages, sugar, white flour and highly refined processed foods are avoided.
Whole grains and noodles, vegetables, beans, natural condiments and pickles, fruit, nuts, seeds, teas, grain coffee and other whole natural foods are introduced. Whether fish or animal foods are consumed is a matter of personal need and choice, but should be naturally raised, organic or wild. People on vegan diets should use supplementation to avoid deficiencies. Meals are prepared using the principles of balance to determine the choice of foods, quantity, quality, and cooking methods.
Eating in harmony with your environment is an important feature of macrobiotic understanding.
This means foods are chosen according to the season and individual health conditions. In simple terms, more warming foods are needed in the winter and some cooling foods in the summer. Spring and fall are transition periods with foods being chosen to help prepare your body for the coming summer or winter when the whether is more extreme.
Sound environmental practices are important in macrobiotics. Effort is made to create a sustainable diet and lifestyle from farm to table. Organic, sustainable, and humane farming methods with the elimination of highly processed food choices contribute to the reduction of environmental pollution and degradation, and animal cruelty issues.
Author: John Kozinski, MEA
John Kozinski is a senior macrobiotic counselor, teacher and health researcher for 35 years.
For more information go to www.macrobiotic.com
You can reach John Kozinski at macrobiotic@macrobiotic.com
