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Is Macrobiotic Diet Plan Right For You

March 10, 2012 By

The macrobiotic diet – have you heard of it? It’s an excellent weight loss plan based on high grains, low carbs, and an Eastern philosophy.

The word “macrobiotic” is Greek for “long life”. This diet plan consists of eating mostly whole grains. It’s quite different from many other weight loss plans out there – especially low carb diets. The macrobiotic diet supports an Eastern philosophy of balancing the yin and yang by eating certain foods. It’s considered to be more of a lifestyle change than a short-term diet plan.

Practitioners of the diet prefer to eat organically grown foods in the traditional manner, such as steaming, boiling, and baking. It aids in weight loss because it’s high in fiber and low in fat. Fiber is great for digestive health. If you want to lose stomach fat, then this diet is a good choice because of its low fat and high fiber content.

Macrobiotic Diet Food Recommendations

Here are some tips and food recommendations for the macrobiotic diet.

  • 50% of your daily diet should consist of brown rice, wheat, barley, corn, barley, rye, etc. Approximately 20% – 30% should consist of vegetables.  The rest of your daily food consumption should include soup, beans, fish, seeds, nuts, and fruits.
  • Some vegetables aren’t recommended. Limit the amount of potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and beets. Eating them sparingly is OKAY. Other foods to avoid include dairies, refined flour, hot spices, and any foods with preservatives.
  • Caffeine is forbidden in the macrobiotic diet. Stimulated drinks don’t provide the “balance” for the diet’s plan philosophy. You can drink a lot of water, juice, and decaffeinated teas.
  • Pastas and noodles are okay in small portions. This might sound like a vegetarian diet plan, but moderate amounts of fish and lean meats are permissible. Use unrefined oils when cooking natural foods.
  • It’s okay to eat a bowl of soup every day. Soups and broths containing soy bean paste, beans, and vegetables are acceptable.
  • Sea vegetables and beans should take up 10% of daily food intake. Sea vegetables include foods such as kelp, hijiki, nori, and Irish moss. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals.
  • Macrobiotic diet practitioners never eat anything 3 hours before bedtime. It’s recommended to chew food thoroughly. Count to 50 for every mouthful of food. This helps to create a meditative atmosphere.

Vitamin Supplementation

Don’t try this diet without consulting a dietitian – otherwise you might end up with nutritional deficiencies. Taking a multi-vitamin supplement everyday might be in order, unless you eat a good amount of sea vegetables. Since the macrobiotic diet plan includes very little fish, you could end up with a deficiency of omega 3 fatty acids.

Exercising

The macrobiotic diet doesn’t address exercise. As a given, though, no diet is complete without some form of moderate exercise. Try to be as active as possible every single day. Just cleaning the house and scrubbing the floors can provide fitness benefits. You might also want to consider engaging in systematic exercise programs like martial arts and yoga.

Conclusion

The macrobiotic diet plan requires a lot of commitment since it’s about making permanent changes to your lifestyle and daily eating habits. If your primary goal is to lose weight then this might not be the diet plan for you. The idea behind this diet is to strive for a long, healthy life. It’s appealing to those who want to take a holistic approach to their well-being.

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    8 Most Popular Diets Today

    October 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

    People are obsessed with diets. They are constantly seeking the right diet to help them lose weight. There are currently eight popular diets that have worked effectively for many people and providing more options for dieting.

    1. Atkins Diet focuses on controlling the levels of insulin in the body through the food consumed. It is based on the consumption of proteins in the diet to reduce the levels of insulin in the bloodstream. The increasing of the proteins leads to weight loss in many people.

    2. Zone Diet creates a nutritional balance with 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% protein. The focus is to control the insulin levels that will result in weight loss. The diet consists of unrefined carbohydrates and fats including nuts, olive oil, and avocado.

    3. Vegetarian diet concentrates on eating non-animal based foods except for eggs, honey, and dairy products. Vegetarians have a lower body weight; suffer from less diseases, and longer life spans, according to current studies. Since the meat products have been removed from the diet, vegetarians consume less fat according to the studies.

    4. Your Vegan diet is more a philosophy and way of life since the diet does not include any animal-based products including eggs, honey, dairy, and meat products. The concept of the diet is based more on environmental and ethical reasons versus health related issues.

    5. Weight Watchers Diet focuses on weight loss, exercise, and a support network or group. Dieters have the ability of meeting in person with the groups or using online services for support. The diet reduces the types of foods consumed while increasing the levels of exercise.

    6. South Beach diet focuses on the levels of insulin and refined carbohydrates in the diet. The foods consumed are low in fat as a method of controlling the insulin, which leads to weight loss and better health.

    7. Raw Food Diet involves eating foods and drinks that are not processed but are only in their original form and organic. There are four types of raw foodists, raw vegetarians, raw vegans, raw omnivores, and raw carnivores. The belief of consuming the food in the raw form is the food does not have additives or extras that will cause health related issues including weight gain.

    8. Mediterranean Diet is a diet from Southern Europe that focuses on the eating habits of citizens of Crete, Greece, and southern Italy. The concentration is on a lot of plant foods, fresh fruits as dessert, beans, nuts, cereals, seeds, olive oil for the main source of dietary fats, cheese and yogurts for the main dairy foods, moderate levels of fish, consuming less than four eggs a week, limited amounts of the red meat, and limited amounts of wine. The Mediterranean Diet consists of fat with the saturated fat less than 8% of the caloric intake.

    There are benefits of each type of diet. Depending on the personal life style, there is a diet available for everyone.

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