Macrobiotic Diet

In Greek, macro means big or great and biotic means concerning life, so the word refers to the "big view of life." This meaning suggests that we should relax our small, rigid views of the world so that the underlying unity of nature can be sensed. The word macrobiotic was originally used in literature by the German scholar Christophe Wilhelm Von Hufeland in Das Makrobiotik (1796).

Around the end of the last century a Japanese army doctor, named Sagen Ishizuka, established a theory of nutrition and medicine based on the traditional Oriental diet, to which he applied the Western medical sciences of chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and physiology.

He had been born weak and suffered from kidney and skin disease. In order to restore his health he studied both Western and Eastern medicine extensively. He compiled the information and conclusions of his lifelong study in two books-Chemical Theory of Longevity, published in 1896, and Diet For Health, published in 1898. He cured many patients by having them eat a traditional diet based on brown rice, and a variety of land and sea vegetables. Since his method was unique at that time, and effective, many patients visited his clinic; so many in fact that he had to limit his practice to 100 persons per day. There were also many inquiries by mail which, because of his fame, would reach him addressed only "Vegetable Doctor, Tokyo," ` `Daikon (Japanese radish) Doctor, Tokyo"; or "Anti-Doctor Doctor, Tokyo." His healing technique was based on the recognition of five very important principles:

• Foods are the foundation of health and happiness.

• Sodium and potassium are the primary antagonistic and complementary clements in food. They most strongly determine its character-or "yin/ yang" quality.

• Grain is properly the staple food of man.

• Food should be unrefined, whole, and natural.

• Food should be grown locally and eaten in season.

Suffering from an "incurable" disease at the age of 18, George Ohsawa learned about this approach to diet from two of Mr. Ishizuka's disciples, Manabu Nishibata and Shojiro Goto. After completely restoring his own health, Ohsawa joined ShokuYo-Kai. He was later elected the association's President. Before Ohsawa started his prolific writing career there were only a few books in Japan on the subject of diet and health.

After Ohsawa died his disciples continued to teach macrobiotics in Japan, Europe, North America, and South America. It is currently being practised virtually all over the world, including the Eastern European countries.

During his lifetime Ohsawa wrote more than 300 books and pamphlets, in Japanese, French, English, and German. He also published a monthly magazine for more than 40 years, and today more than 30 of his books have been translated into English, German, French, Swedish, Flemish, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

VITALITY - All the energy needed to accomplish that which is desired. GOOD APPETITE - Not only for food, but for life itself, which can be satisfied without extravagance.

DEEP AND PEACEFUL SLEEP - To be fully rested with no more than six hours of sleep in a day.

GOOD MEMORY - Which is a reflection of the harmonious functioning of the nervous system and its capacity to recall past experiences and events as instruction for the future.

GOOD HUMOR - A capacity to appreciate the paradoxical qualities of life and not to cling to unpleasant experiences.

MOOD OF JUSTICE - A deep appreciation of the order of Nature and an understanding of cause and effect; the capacity to see long-range results of our daily actions.

Since the early part of the last century, the Western diet has slowly degenerated – we used to eat mainly whole grains, fresh vegetables/fruit and smaller portions of red meat, dairy and additives such as preservatives and artificial colorings. As technology advanced, our diet changed and became more synthetic and processed. The modern diet is now focused around a larger portion of meat, vegetables are usually a side dish and any grains we eat have been refined (such as white bread and white rice). Therefore we are now consuming as much as 50% fat in our diets and large amounts of sugar, salt and chemicals. The body suffers under the enormous strain of having to process and store large quantities of these products. So they eventually gather around our organs in the form of fat deposits (ie: around the heart) and lumps (such as breast lumps, cysts, etc).

Eventually, the accumulation causes cells to break down under the stress and chronic symptoms begin to occur such as diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, low libido, asthma, menstrual problems, sleep problems, high blood pressure and more. In an attempt to prevent degeneration throughout the system, the body makes and effort to concentrate the toxins in one or more areas so other organs can function properly. This concentration manifests as a tumor or disease.

In America, we are now seeing thousands of people that are using the principles of macrobiotics in their daily lives to help fight and prevent illness and disease. Thousands of health and natural food stores throughout the nation now sell the basic foodstuffs commonly used in macrobiotics - such as organically-grown grain and produce, sea vegetables, and special condiments. A growing number of macrobiotic publications are also appearing.

A positive sign is that some medical doctors are now recommending the macrobiotic diet to their patients. Since the publication of Dr. Anthony Sattilaro's recent book, Recalled By Life, many people have opted for this natural method of healing, which simply involves providing the proper material and allowing the body to heal itself. Many of these people have had good results. However, macrobiotics is not primarily a diet for curing sickness, nor is it a new fad - it is a lifestyle.

More Information on Macrobiotics Coming Soon!