Hello! I'm new and have many questions!

[Waco]

Hello all!

Over the last year i have implenented a fair bit of macrobiotic diet and living, eating a diet consisting of lots of whole grains, veg, seaweed etc, thou i have not been overly strict about it all.

In the next two weeks i will be becoming a lot more strict about it all and cut out all refined carbs and sugers, and make a few other alterations here and there. This is mainly because the diet makes sense to me, and i have seen it to help to the extent that i have tried it, it also agrees with my ethics, along with some of the other studies into diet and health i have done. I will also be following it to help clear up the bit of psoriasis i have (or more precisely, the imbalance that must be causing my psoriasis)

As such i have many questions! I would be very greatful for any help in answering any of these!

One concern i have with the macrobiotic diet is the idea of sourcing food locally. I veiw this to be very important so as to help the local community and economy as well as minimising pollution (and becoming more important in the future as transporting food becomes less viable). It seems to me that the macrobiotic diet encourages you to eat more local food, but then it lists japanese food to eat! So the question is, what would be the English equivelent to the Japanese foods?

Is Saurkraut (containing cabbage pickled in sea salt and with juniper berries) a good alternative to Japanese pickles? what local grains are good substitutes for short grain brown rice? what about locally grown beans? I love rice and adzuki beans, but i can't see either growing in this country (UK)!

How much sea salt should be included in meals? when i first started following a macrobiotic diet last year i didn't use any, i then find out that a meat free diet consisting of mainly grains needs a lot more salt in it, then i find on this site information about psoriasis saying only to use small amounts of salt, what is good? how much can i rely on my own judgement at this stage?

Can potatoes be made neutral enough to eat at the stage i'm at? will they interfere with my psoriasis? if i pretty much boil them away so as to use them for thickening soup will they be yang enough (or do they become more yin again if boiled for too long?)

I'm sure more questions will pop up, but any help on these would be a great benifit, for which i would be greatful!

hey i will do my best to answer your questions as i can:
about eating locally- i just read an article about a couple who pledged to eat locally for a year. they ate foods grown within 100 mi. of their home and there were times when they were limited to a couple of food items and lost lots of weight. as variety is of utmost importance in macrobiotics, im not sure how realistic it is to think you can eat totally macro and also totally or even a majority local. a good thing to strive for definitely, and it also depends on where you live. im sure youve read macrobiotic books but im sure they discuss this. there is some sort of chart that lists the best sources of each category of food for example, fruits and veggies should be local as much as possible, but sea salt should come from the hemisphere you live in. im not sure about the other categories, but as you go down the list of food groups(fruits and veggies, sea veggies, grains etc) the geographic area spreads out a bit. there is probably even something on this site about that, though i havent looked yet.

when it comes to pickles, any good quality saurkraut should do. i use edenfoods or bubbies, you can also make your own, as well as your own pickled veggies. pickling is basically sprinkling salt on veggies(carrots, cabbage, daikon etc) and pressing them to release their juices, this can take anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. again, variety is better
when you talk about japanese pickles do you mean kim chee? im not saying you cant use that, but ive never read about it being used in macro, its usually spicy and i thought spicy is generally considered too xetreme for macro.

sea salt- for grains i add a pinch after they begin to boil and to taste when it comes to soups or gomashio, when i become stricter i will probably make things slightly less salty than i would normally like in order to get used to that. i think it depends on your constitution when it comes to the amt of salt you need(a large full grown active man needs sig. more than a childetc.)

potatoes- i thought they were generally not eaten in macro-you could probable use other root veggies for thickeneng or else purreed rice? good luck and let me know if there are other questions you have.

hey i will do my best to answer your questions as i can:
about eating locally- i just read an article about a couple who pledged to eat locally for a year. they ate foods grown within 100 mi. of their home and there were times when they were limited to a couple of food items and lost lots of weight. as variety is of utmost importance in macrobiotics, i'm not sure how realistic it is to think you can eat totally macro and also totally or even a majority local. a good thing to strive for definitely, and it also depends on where you live. i'm sure you've read macrobiotic books but i'm sure they discuss this. there is some sort of chart that lists the best sources of each category of food for example, fruits and veggies should be local as much as possible, but sea salt should come from the hemisphere you live in. i'm not sure about the other categories, but as you go down the list of food groups(fruits and veggies, sea veggies, grains etc) the geographic area spreads out a bit. there is probably even something on this site about that, though i haven't looked yet.

when it comes to pickles, any good quality sauerkraut should do. i use edenfoods or bubbies, you can also make your own, as well as your own pickled veggies. pickling is basically sprinkling salt on veggies(carrots, cabbage, daikon etc) and pressing them to release their juices, this can take anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. again, variety is better
when you talk about japanese pickles do you mean kim chee? i'm not saying you cant use that, but i've never read about it being used in macro, its usually spicy and i thought spicy is generally considered too extreme for macro.

sea salt- for grains i add a pinch after they begin to boil and to taste when it comes to soups or gomashio, when i become stricter i will probably make things slightly less salty than i would normally like in order to get used to that. i think it depends on your constitution when it comes to the amt of salt you need(a large full grown active man needs significantly. more than a childetc.)

potatoes- i thought they were generally not eaten in macro-you could probable use other root veggies for thickening or else pureed rice? good luck and let me know if there are other questions you have.

[Cool Dude]

Hi,

Maybe in the beginning you should take things a little less literally, that is, eat things that would be appropriate to eat for you locally, not just things that grow in your locale so if you live in a temperate climate place, eat foods that could grow or be raised in a temperate local.

Japanese macrobiotic foods and condiments are fine for beginners as they are nourishing and most of the books include them.

Later on, if you find a way to make a good macrobiotic balance wihout eating Japanese macrobiotic foods, go ahead and more power to you!

Though there is no absolutely right way to practice macrobiotics many people have been successful including those foods in their diet, so if you can handle it, see how they work.

Be well.

Cool Dude

[Waco]

Hello! My MB diet is properly underway again now :-)

Thankyou both for your advice, it is much appreiciated

As promised more questions have arrisen!

Concerning oil - how much oil can / should i use a day? i am below average weight for my hight (am rather skinny) thou have always eaten a lot, i do feel a little bit cold in the winter at times too! I am now eating no dairy or animal products (have been vegan for a bit). I have read else where that eating 2 tablespoons of oil a day is ok - that seems like a lot of oil! is that right? i have also read that mixing miso and tahini together is a good spread (but not exceding the 2 tbs a day guide) Elsewhere i have read (i think on the psoriasis thread, i have psoriasis) that to avoid to much oil and to avoid tahini. I think the posts were by Roy Collins. Any advice?

Concerning yin and yang - The effect of sitting in front of a computer seems to be yin to me - i end up feeling less grounded, more spaced out, and more indecisive, is this what others find? Sprouted seeds are said to be more yin, should i avoid these? are they really more yin? i understand the expansive and the taking up of more water, but are not the plants they grow into yang, or is this a case of something in the extreme turning to the opposite? Sprouts are more nutirious and more easily digestable so seem a good idea?

One last question (for now!!) I meditate quite frequently (Zen meditation, zazen) what effect does this have on the body, is it more yin, more yang, neutral or does it help to neutralise? It seems to have a bit of everything and yet be nothing, it both opens you up, but gives you insight, it makes you feel more grounded but also more aware, it makes me feel more balenced yet at the same time it is nothing inparticular (so can only be neutral?!) you just sit and what ever comes, comes - and goes, there is just sitting.

Many thanks

Mark


PS Happy New Year - i wish everyone all the best!

[Waco]

One further question concerning oil, is sunflower oil a good oil to use? I imagine sunflower oil may be more suited to England than sesame oil. Most mornings i will cook short grain brown rice, then saute some veg like cabbage and onion in a bit of oil, i'll add some tamari, add the rice, and then generally add about a table spoon of sunflower seeds or hemp seeds to that. I will then sprinkle nori flakes on that. Is this an ok dish to have reguarly? I tastes good to me, and seems kinda balanced. When cooking does sesame oil break down quite easily, is it denatured by the heat? is sauting with it going to be a problem? Is sunflower oil less fragile?

Thankyou

Mark

[warrior]

Hi,

just wanted to tell you zazen is more yang, but the yin kind of meditation would be that you concentrate on your ten-tei, third eye; and in zazen you are aware of the hara(tan-den), right?