New but "not new" | brown rice fast question

[enthusia]

Hi there! I have been practicing some aspects of macrobiotic living for several years now and have decided to go "full force" this year. I have mild arthritis (related likely to other autoimmune issues I have--asthma, mild skin irritations, allergies) that I believe would be worse if not for my diet and lifestyle. I hope to have a child this year or next and would like my body to be as healthy as possible during the pregnancy.

We "farm" a one-acre plot. My hope is to eventually grow all of what I eat, minus the rice and sea foods (rural Missouri).

Winter has been difficult for me this year--unusually cold, snowy and windy--and I find myself leaning towards sweet foods. I plan on starting--today!--with a brown rice fast. I am accustomed to eating pickles, drinking kombucha and using miso. Can I use any of these in addition to the brown rice fast?

Looking forward,
Enthusia (Jenny)

[Klara]

Hi Jenny,

Over the years there has been several discussions on the brown rice diet here on this forum and on other mb discussion groups.

And as always, different conclusions - some have fared well with it, some find it too powerful, and prefer just keeping a more balanced mb way of eating.

The bible for all you want to know is in the following book, which you can order at the shop here - but there's also a great deal of info written up - take a look:

"#7 Diet, An Accompaniment to Ohsawa’s Zen Macrobiotics"

I think it's super exciting that you have a farm. My most favorite food to eat is for me when I go out and harvest my own kale, just enough for what I'm going to eat almost immediately after harvesting it. I also have dreams of one day growing much more of what I eat - it takes me a while to keep after my dreams, but I don't give up.

Another reason I love mb - I can keep working at it all my life!!!!! always where to improve and change.

as for sweets, try going in the direction of more sweet vegetables, of softer foods (sweets are yin, so are softer foods - but don't make all soft, keep variety), less salty, baked, processed (like soy milk, etc) foods which may cause you to desire the sweets, and even vegetable kind of desserts, like with sweet pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes - if you must have sweets, my first preference would be with amasake, as it's grain based and fermented.

if you still consider going on the rice diet, at least try to find someone professional in the mb world who can guide you - remember, it is considered an extreme diet, and must be done with caution and only a short while (a week to 10 days I understand).

Klara

[enthusia]

Thanks, Klara, for such a prompt response and the advice! Good to "meet" you--I find posting my goals helps keep me on track.

I am trying to move away from the sweet tooth developed over the holidays--I am hoping the rice fast (I am not planning on pushing it for 10 days) will help "reset" my system. My diet is either extremely basic (rice, soup, veg with a small amount of shoyu and whatever sea veg I'm craving) or I succumb to social pressure when out to lunch or in meetings and have that cup of coffee with sugar and cream and a croissant! When I worked from home, I never had this problem, so I need to adjust my behavior to this new environment (quite a bit!).

I have a copy of Macrobiotic: Community Cooking, and Macrobiotic Cooking for Everyone. It's not tough to cook for myself, but my spouse has different requirements, so I like to keep my process pretty basic. It is amazing how quickly my mom's Christmas Chocolate Cake and a weekend full of Holiday Spirits can push me back into bad habits! I think part of it is the weather.

Here's to the remainder of the season being filled with lovely, roasted squash, lots of soup and creativity in the kitchen!

[WonderlandAlli]

I got to talk to a friend's friend who happens to do Macro as well, and his advice to me was wait until the summer to do a brown rice fast, though he didn't explain why a whole lot. Just that in winter its more dangerous to have your body doing something extreme.

[enthusia]

Thanks so much for the advice--it is good to know the seasonality of these things.