The Macrobiotic Diet

The macrobiotic diet is based largely in part of the yin-yang principle of balance, a key component of ancient Chinese medicine. Yin and yang are opposite forces believed to describe all components of life and the universe. In macrobiotic diet, the worldview of balance is applied, including the selection, preparation, and consumption of foods.

The macrobiotic diet was developed by Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa, who sought to integrate traditional Asian medicine and belief with Christian teachings and Western medicine. The macrobiotic diet is more than a prescription for specific foods and their preparation. It is also based on a spiritual and social philosophy of living, as well as a unique concept to human physiology and disease. Because this concept was developed without the benefit of professional training or knowledge of anatomy and physiology, it is fanciful and far from accurate. For instance, it states that blood cells, which are actually produced in the bone marrow, are “birthed by a mother red blood cell in the stomach.”

Macrobiotic techniques, including iridology, or looking at a person's eyes to diagnose cancer and other types of diseases, appear to be less commonly accepted than they were a few decades ago. This is a good thing because in the past many sick people failed to have their illnesses properly diagnosed, and failed to receive immediate proper treatment, if at all, often with fatal results. Also, some individuals were "diagnosed" with a cancer they did not really have, "cured" with macrobiotics, and presented publicly as evidence of the ability of macrobiotics to cure cancer. This kind of activity perpetuated an unfortunate cycle.

The false beliefs about how the human body functions and the useless diagnostic techniques of the diet was carried to extremes. Initially the macrobiotic diet consisted almost exclusively of brown rice and a very limited amount of liquid. It was nutritionally deficient, causing a few deaths from starvation. The requirement was modified. It now derives 50 to 60% of its calories from whole grains, 25 to 30% from vegetables, and the remainder from beans, seaweed, and soups. The diet mainly consists of soybean-based foods. A small amount of fish is permitted, and processed foods are avoided.

In-season foods are preferred, and food is to be prepared in very specific ways. Vegetables, for example, should be cooked for long periods of time (a procedure that diminishes their nutritional value). Rice must be pressure-cooked. Only gas stoves are to be used, and utensils should be constructed of wood or other natural materials, glass, ceramic, enamel, or stainless steel. Copper pots, aluminum utensils, and electric stoves are not allowed.

Advocates of the macrobiotic diet believe that it cures cancer, prevents illness, and promotes good health and overall harmony with the external world. The explanations given for these effects concern energy, vibrations, and yin-yang balance. Within the yin-yang ideology, whole-grain foods are considered ideal, not because they are low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie, high-fiber foods, but because they are neutral: they are neither too yin (female) nor too yang (male).

The philosophical context in macrobiotic diet involves the idea of balancing foods that are yin and those that are yang, of calculating the yin and yang of the season and of one's geographic location when selecting and preparing foods, and, for cancer patients, to balance yin cancers with yang foods and vice versa. However, no research supports these ideas.

The macrobiotic diet, however, can have value if not taken to extremes. The diet lowers fat and cholesterol in the body, reduces weight, and produces results associated with low-fat diets. These beneficial results include lower blood pressure and reduced chances of getting heart disease and certain cancers that appear related to fat intake, such as breast cancer.

Caution is crucial, however, because the diet can be seriously deficient in particular nutrients. Studies found serious deficiencies in infants and children who had been on macrobiotic diets. Problems in children included nutritional rickets with breathing abnormalities as well as bone deformities, vitamin B12 deficiency, growth retardation, deficiencies of protein, vitamins, calcium, and riboflavin, leading to retarded growth and slower psychomotor development.

The study of lactating macrobiotic mothers mirrored these results, finding that the mothers' milk was deficient in essential vitamins. Researchers recommend that children on the macrobiotic diet receive dairy products and eggs to provide the missing nutritional components and produce a safer, balanced diet. Pregnant and breast-feeding women similarly should supplement their macrobiotic diets.

The macrobiotic diet, like other vegetarian diets, requires supplementation to balance its deficiencies. A properly supplemented macrobiotic diet is beneficial to good health. A low-fat diet, high in grains and vegetables, supplemented with eggs, cheese, and fish to ensure adequate nutrition, plus plenty of liquid, can help prevent heart disease and some cancers and keep you in good shape.