Forum: Beginner's Questions

I am completely new, does anybody have a suggestion on a book I can read to explain what I should be eating?

I have been eating macrobiotic foods since December 1, 2009. I've cut out caffeine, sugar, dairy and meat, only eating fish occasionally. The first 4 weeks of the diet I was not working and had the time to cook well rounded meals. I felt amazing, lost 8 pounds and was beginning to glow. I am an...

Hello, everyone. This is my first post here on Cybermacro. :) I've been practicing macrobiotics for about nine months now with a few shorter periods of less stringency due to travel. Things were going pretty well after the initial discharge: I had more energy, I lost some weight, my skin was...

I don't want to kill the good stuff in my miso soup, but taking it's temperature every time I whip up a cup is tedious. Any suggestions? I know not to bring the water to a boil with the miso paste, but are there any little tricks to tell if the temperature is right?

:Misc2: I just read "The hip chick's guide to Macrobiotics" and I am taking the author's advice by starting slow and introducing whole grains twice a day into my diet. I already eat about 80-90% whole foods as it is now. She advised eating whole grains twice a day and thoroughly chewing them to...

Hi, After 2 months of diet my hypothyroidism got worse. I get a strange sensation in my throat that I haven't had before , like a hot big balloon, and the thyroid tests show that things are getting bad (tsh from 4.7 to 10, whixh is a lot! ). I have to increase my medication now, thanks to lack of...

Someone recently posted about calculating the proportion of foods through the calories. I can't find the post so I thought I would reply here. According to my understanding the percentages recommended in a standard macro eating plan which needs to be adjusted to suit individual needs is based on...

First let me say that miso soup is deeeeeeeeeelicious! I love it. It tastes like a really good mouthful of ocean water. I was wondering, is traditional miso soup yang or yin compared to brown rice? It has a high water content so that leads me to think that it's yin comparatively but I'm not...

Hi everyone, I've tried a macrobiotic diet before. A few years ago an old doctor invented this tough diet: 1 cup wheat 1 cup rice 7 cups water 1 teaspoon salt Boil them until it becomes soft enough and eat as much as you want, all day long. No water, there is enough water in the porridge. We...

I'd like to know what happens with people when they get that big belly? Mostly older, not that physical active men. But sometimes - no rules really, young, not that inactive, not beer-drinking guys, not that bad nutrition, skinny looking from the back, and than - - - a belly in front like there's...

Hi. I have learnd that soy milk, rice milk and out milk weakens your digestion and intestinal system. This is ok, form me, I have no porblem by not drinking milk. I do use it though for desserts or sometimes in dishes. But I would like an explanation why it is weakening. Mostly because I want to...

I am soaking in as much info as I can to get into macrobiotics with both feet. It is a lot. But today I had oatmeal with stevia for breakfast. Had rice for lunch and after dh went to the grocery for me I had a make shift Miso soup of Broth made of Better that bouillon paste with cabbage and green...

I'm really skinny. I probably have less than 3% body fat. I don't mind being this way and I'm not looking for anyone's sympathy. I'm just recognizing my unique condition. I've noticed that I get really tired about midday when I have less than 8-9 hours of sleep. I usually have to take a nap. ...

I am trying to get the basics, I really need help, I am 125 lbs over weight. In a wheel chair because of sciatic nerve. I have autistic children, disabled husband and elderly mother. I am just 49. I don't have tons of money to start and I really need ideas on the baby steps and some low cost ways...

So of course the staple of my diet is still grains but I was wondering if anyone knew of any good strong yangizers when one is feeling tired or drained and needs more energy. I've been experimenting recently with umeboshi plums, taking a few pieces or a whole plum when I feel tired and I've been...

I've read that strawberries are suitable, what about jam? Answers are appreciated.

I've been avoiding alliums for about a year and a half, and did not reintroduce them to my diet when becoming macrobiotic. I am curious if others feel this way, or feel that this is invalid for some reason. I will share some of the reasons and information I have found for this below: ...

Hello im From Mexico City , im studing gastronomy, and right now im working on my thesis and is about microbiotcs here In Los Angeles, CA,because in Mexico was VERY HARD to find anything about MB ( books , restaurants, etc ) im gonna take a microbiotic course in sacramento in March , but when i...

Okay, I'm really bummed. I invested in (by ordering online) a large ohsawa pot, and a 7-liter Lagostina Brava Plus pressure cooker, thinking the latter would be large enough to contain the former. Well, the ohsawa pot fits mostly in, but the little nubs for holding the rope keep it from fitting...

hello friends, Do you have any information about plastic water bottle which is cause of health problems. I read a rumor that the nalogen water bottle can be cause of cancer due to chemicals in them. I searched this topic in google and I found something on this topic. I am using plastic...

Okay... I have to know... what are the pros and cons of roasting a grain before cooking it? I made "rice cream" today that was surprisingly delicious (tasted like that kasha cereals) and after having success with that I wanted to see what would happen if I roasted some whole grain grits I had and...

So I experimented and made a sauce using roughly 1 part tahini, 1 part onion stock (onions simmered in water) and salt to taste. I was amazed at how delicious it was. It makes my rice taste a little like a creamy potato salad without the potato... yah it's that good. It's a little bitter (my...

Okay, I have some questions regarding sproutables. I've heard that anything that sprouts is much more nutritious than in its non-sprouted form. Do you always (or at least try to) sprout your brown rice? Do you have to cook the sprouted brown rice? Thanks in advance.

in my online reading,i've come across some great websites w/ information on foods to avoid yet they all have something different or slightly similar to say. on the macroamerica page, there's an extreme and comprehensive list of foods to avoid and in that list are some foods that another...