The macrobiotic diet draws inspiration from the East and promotes a balanced consumption of natural foods. Grains, vegetables and legumes are the foundations of this diet.
Macrobiotic is a word derived from Greek that literally means "great life". It expresses itself as a true "art of living", with nutrition at its core. In general, it places the secret of an individual's psychophysical wellbeing in an understanding of nature's balances.
On the basis of Taoist thought, which sees the world of food as governed by two opposing and complementary forces (yin and yang), health is considered an expression of the harmony of the right combination of these two energies. In terms of nutrition, this is achieved through the correct use of yin foods and yang foods. According to the Western view, this division corresponds to the acid/alkaline relationship: yin = acidity (potassium, sugar, fruit) and yang = alkalinity (sodium, salt, grains, etc.).
Precisely because it looks to nature as its model, the macrobiotic diet favours natural foods and simple preparations: grains, vegetables and legumes first and foremost, but also eggs and fish, provided they are consumed in a balanced measure relative to the body's actual needs.
The balanced use in natural cooking of some of the typical ingredients of macrobiotic cuisine is truly valuable, as it makes it possible to replace meat excellently (tofu or seitan with legumes, for example) and to add flavour or provide trace elements (with shoyu, tamari, or seaweed). We should also remember that harmony between opposites has characterised many of our own country's gastronomic traditions too, in a simple and flavourful way and, for the attentive observer, never by chance.
As regards other animal proteins, occasional consumption of white meat is tolerated, but the consumption of milk and dairy products is discouraged, as they are considered to cause various conditions in the body. Refined sugar and vegetables containing solanine (tomatoes, aubergines, peppers) are banned.
From a critical standpoint, it should be noted that this could entail the risk of incurring a deficiency of vitamins and minerals and of a build-up of toxins in the body due to the reduced intake of water. The consumption of fermented products — characteristic of this cuisine and also present in Japanese cooking (miso, umeboshi, tamari and so on) — rich in enzymes that aid digestion and optimise the acid/alkaline balance in the blood, represents an interesting feature of this diet but also carries the risk of excessive salt intake. The Japanese population records a high number of stomach cancers, which researchers attribute precisely to the excessive consumption of salty foods.