Introduction
John Kenneth Galbraith once said, "More die in the United States of too much than of too little." And one can find great truth in this saying not only with people in the United States but the world over!
Simplicity, it seems, has become undesirable in almost every way of life, and there is enough evidence to validate this. Several diets have been released by experts in the field so that people find a way to get their eating habits (and their health) back into control. Of course, with the lack of success, most of these diets have come to be regarded as 'fads'.
But if one looks back on philosophy that stems from 'simpler times', one can find that their belief system matched the way they led their lives, and in this day and age, people live by the philosophy of 'excess' that leads to their focus on wanting more and more in every area of their lives.
The Macrobiotic Diet and its Overall Approach
There is an interesting approach to diet, otherwise known as the 'Macrobiotic diet' that follows the principle of the Yin & Yang (otherwise, known as the two factors that maintain 'balance') and the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Coincidentally, the ingredients of the present-day form of the macrobiotic diet match the ingredients used in Japanese cuisine.
As a diet, the main ingredient in the diet are grains which are normally used with vegetables and beans while strictly avoiding processed or highly refined foods.
Not only does this diet recommend that one chews their food (each morsel at least 50 times each) properly before swallowing but as most diets, they also ensure that overeating is avoided while following the diet as well.
A normal macrobiotic diet plan would contain grains, proteins, sea vegetables, vegetables and pickles.
Benefits
Benefit #1: Apart from the obvious benefit of being nutrient-rich, it uses an age-old principle, where after eating the meal only when hungry, the person thanks God or the Universe for the food provided. There's a spiritual side to this diet as well, and it is known that those who do this tend to lead happier lives than people who don't.
Benefit #2: Since it focuses on maintaining the balance of the body while using only native foods, not only is it easy to prepare but in striving to maintain the balance of the body, emotional and physical well-being as well as creating an equilibrium of the body with its environment.
Benefit #3: Even though the emphasis is on eating simple foods, the preparation of the diet involves taking into account the season, weather and climate, life activities, gender, age and state of health. So it is a diet that will be unique to everyone's needs.
Benefit #4: This diet is known to restore one's health, one that has been validated in providing this diet to cancer patients with decent success, as these foods replenish cells in the body while cancer demonstrates the opposite effect.
Sources
Since it is predominantly a vegetarian diet with vegetables and whole grains comprising almost 75 to 90% of the diet, soups made from fermented soybeans, beans, seafood, seeds and nuts, local fruit and desserts made from sweet fruits are also other eaten as a part of the diet.
In Closing
Since, this form of dieting involves not only taking care of your body from a physical point of view but also mental, emotional and spiritual as well, it stands a greater chance of succeeding when it comes to restoration of one's health.
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I have never really thought of a diet being spiritual before.
that’s interesting.
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