Pros and Cons of the Macrobiotic Diet System

The macrobiotic diet system is based on the ancient Chinese text ‘The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine’, which was further developed and popularized by George Oshawa, Micho Kushi, and other talented writers. This dietary system is a logical extension of the Oriental philosophy stating that all objects and energies in our world are divided into two main streams: yang, or male, and yin, or female.

Modern followers of the macrobiotic diet believe that many diseases and conditions within the human body, including obesity, are caused by imbalances in the flow of internal energy. Correspondently, specific foods that posses the energies of either yang or yin, can balance and heal a whole range of unpleasant disorders, among which are excess weight, heart disease, and even cancer. Let us have a closer look at the claimed benefits of the macrobiotic dietary system.

According to the authors of the system, yin foods include sugar, fruits, juices, honey, milk, legumes, and vegetables. Yang foods are mostly animal products, such as pork, lamb, beef, game, poultry, eggs, and fish, as well as grains. Rice, which is considered to be the most perfect food by the Asians, is said to be located in the middle, thus embracing the balance of yang and yin qualities alike.

Oshawa says that the right dietary regime can heal many diseases and restore the normal weight of a person. He warns about dangers of the most undesirable foods for dieters - white sugar and white flour, yet insists that they can eat unlimited amounts of unprocessed grains for health and weight loss. The dietary regime offered by Oshawa is rather spartan and extreme - mostly a strict brown rice diet supplemented by cleansing procedures, including regular enemas.

Micho Kushi, the developed or so-called ’standard macrobiotic diet”, expanded the Oshawa?s dietary regime by including there more vegetables, unprocessed sea salt, fish broth, and lacto-fermented condiments. A portion of white fish is permitted occasionally, but the recommended dietary regime is still mostly vegetarian. Interestingly enough, both Oshawa and Kushi guidelines generally contradict to the recommendations contained in ‘The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine’ that highlighted the importance of consuming all “five meats” as essential, healthy components of the diet.

Apart from weight loss promises, Oshawa and Kushi also insist that a strict brown rice diet supplemented with vegetables not only supplies all necessary nutrients to the body, but also confers spiritual enlightenment.

To sum up, the macrobiotic regime offered by its modern developers is largely a vegetarian, low-fat, and high-fibre diet with an emphasis on whole grains and cooked vegetables. Since the purpose of it is to bring yang and yin energies into balance, the bulk of the diet should be composed of unrefined rice and other grains, all of which are believed to posses balancing qualities. Food that are “too yang” (meat and dairy) and “too yin” (coffee and sweets) are not allowed. The general guidelines are to eat about 50 percent of grain foods, 15 percent vegetables, 15 percent beans, and only 10 percent of other foods, including soups.

Will the macrobiotic diet system help you lose weight? If you can stick to it for some time, which is hard, it probably will, since the diet is almost completely free from any fats and many of life-giving nutrients. However, we would not recommend the reader to follow this dietary regime due to a number of faults. Firstly, foods based on harsh grains and fibre-loaded vegetables are very hard to digest, especially for those who have a compromised gastrointestinal tract. Even for healthy people, the intestinal fermentation of plentiful plant foods will provoke flatulence, bloating, and pains. Secondly, macrobiotic adherents often complain of candida infections and low energy, since their food lacks both important vitamins, especially A, D and B12, and essential fatty acids. The overconsumption of carbohydrates by dieters can trigger hypoglycaemia, hyperinsulinism, and other blood sugar imbalances that can set stage for the development of diabetes. Another culprit of this diet is a danger of low cholesterol, which can result in depression, law concentration, panic attacks, and other side effects. And, on top of that, mineral deficiencies, especially in zinc, will strike those who can adhere to the macrobiotic regime long enough.

Although the macrobiotic diet may help you lose weight, in the long run it will lead to widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies, intestinal discomfort, and possible development of a whole range of diseases.

Wayne Hammel

CLA helps the body burn fat and therefore contributes to weight loss

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