An introduction post from a young fellow: feeling fatigue

[foymula]

First of all, Hello, pleasure to join this group.

I am a 21 year old male. I imagine I am younger than most people here and than most macrobiotic practicioners in general. I have not been pushed into this by any family or friends. It was a concious self decission rooted in my long interest in a good life, leading to eastern philosphy and thoughts of spirituality, I have read a lot about these topics which is what I believe led me here to the start, the start of life being nurishment, and/or food. So I am happy to be here at a good stage I tend to think.

I can say that I just plain dived into macrobiotics without really looking back. In about months I have eliminated meat, eggs, sugar, processed foods and almost all the fat content from my diet, albeit to slight shock from friends and family. Prior to that I have been intersted in nutrition and have kept an eye on diets around the world. I use to enjoy chocolate, sweets, ice cream and fried snacks several times a week, as well as wine which I still enjoy and wonder wether a few glasses of red in a week would be detremental to my path. Japan happens to have the most delicious original snack/junk food in the world in my thoughts.

Living in Japan has it's advantages and minuses as the above paragraph concludes. On the plus side I can get all the recomended vegetables from land and sea by just walking around the corner. Harder however is reading information on packaging, especially whole grain products which I am fairy new too.

All in all, I think I am progressing well, and slowly. I have these questions from the first month of my new version of life.

1.) Being younger and very active might be the reasons for this, but I am feeling fatigued around the afternoon. Rather then napping, I try to pull through and change the way my body reacts. I have read that this is normal. I also guess it is because my portions have been reduced and I am no longer opting for any ice cream, donuts, chocolate for a quick remedy as I used to do in my teenage years.

What is the recomended snack to boost energy in times like these. I have been eating raw carrots, but am wondering what other good things I can try, perhaps some low fat nuts? Something rich in energy.

2.) Cooking methods are my second early pondering. I use a rice cooker, since I do not have a pressure cooker, is this recomended, I make brown rice in it, one cup of brown rice to one cup of water. I use to eat white rice everyday like this for about a year and the rice comes out very beautiful, or so I think. I also put some carrots, konbu and onions inside to cut cooking time.

Boiling is done in a small kettle, I have since boiled mushrooms, various greens, onions, carrots, etc. and tofu I am yet to experience with changing water levels although I have learned that soft leafy vegatbles need the shortest amout of boiling.

Is rice cooker preperation ok?

3.) I have been drinking a lot of water for the past year, my staple drink, other then that is mugi-cha or barley tea which is cheap and good. I have not read much about water in my macrobiotics book. I hope to find out if a lot of water is good or should liquids be reduced.

Any other advice for a young starter would be most smiled upon.

Thank you

[hendrik]

Hi,foymula.

Welcome to the cyber macro forum, I’m also new to this forum and it feels strange to welcome someone when you are new yourself. But it makes no difference. Welcome.

It nice to hear your story. I started about the same way on the same age. And it was fantastic and I share your enthusiasm. And I hoop that my reply can be of use.

Feeling fatigue; I y think it’s your sugar level that is going down calt hypoglycaemia. From eating havy animal food in the past your pancreas has becoming to yang what makes it hart to produce glucose.
You can use a power drink to boost up your energy. But that will only be suppressing the symptom. Use sweet vegetable drink. It well relaxes your pancreas and eliminate the fat. And help to stabilize blood sugar levels.

SWEET VEGETEBLE DRINK
Use equal amounts of 4 sweet vegetables, finely chopped ( onions, carrots, cabbage, and sweet winter squash); boil 3 to 4 times the amount of water, add the chopped vegetables, reduce the flame to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
No seasoning is used in this recipe.
It may be kept in the frig for up to 2 days, but should be warmed again or allowed to return to room temperature before you drink.
You can take a small cup daily or every other day, especially in the mid- to late afternoon.

Boost drink. (watch out with the salt)
SHOYU BANCHA TEA
Place one teaspoon of shoyu into a teacup and pour in hot bancha twig or stem tea that has been made a little stronger than usual. Stir well and drink hot.

“Is rice cooker preparation ok?”

I think it is better to use pressure cooker, the rice will be more, better digestible. And you will get more energy out of the rice.

PRESSURE COOKED BROWN RICE

2 cups organic brown rice ( short- or medium-grain)
3 ½ to 4 cups water ( more water for softer rice)
2 pinches sea salt

Gently wash the rice in cold water, place the rice in a pressure cooker, and smooth the surface of the grain so it is level. Add water slowly down the the side of the pressure cooker so the surface of the rice remains even and calm. Add sea salt, cover, and bring up to pressure slowly.
When the pressure is up, place a flame deflector underneath and turn the flame to medium low, just enough to maintain pressure. ( If you don’t have a deflector, keep the flame as low as possible.) Cook for 50 minutes from the time the pressure is up. When the rice is done, remove the cooker from the burner and let the pressure come down naturally, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, let the rice sit for a few minutes so that it will not stick to the bottom. Rice prepared in this way has e delicious, nutty taste and gives strong, peaceful energy.

If you don’t have pressure cooker. 2 cups of water for 1 cup rice in most heavy pot.

Water???
Try to use the best quality spring water.
And only drink when you are thirsty. When you need more than 1 cup a day you are using to much salt. And when you drink it is better to make tea in place of plane water. (Les yin) Fore a nice refreshment, grater daykon put in to sieve ate little shoyu and pore over 1 cup of water.

Good luck,

Peaceful greetings, hendrik.

[Nancy]

Hi foymula,

It is very nice to have a young person, interested in macrobiotics, here, from Japan. You have just found a wonderful and very effective key to life, at a very young age. By following the path of healing, macrobiotics, you will be able to live a long, stable, and productive life of both physical and emotional balance.

Hendrik has already given you excellent advice. I would add these observations, regarding your early practice questions:

*Japanese junk food sounds almost as bad as American junk food. You've already done a great job of exchanging chocolate, sweets, ice cream, donuts, and fried foods for much healthier foods.

*When newly macrobiotic, something that was very noticeable to me, was a very pleasant tiredness after lunch. Since I was able to at the time -- I simply drifted off in a nice post-lunch nap. A knowledgeable macrobiotic counselor suggested the cause was the new healing food in my life *sea vegetables* *seaweed*. I regularly had miso soup with wakame at lunchtime. He said the yang quality of the sea vegetables and the generally -more yang- quality of a macrobiotic diet, will cause this pleasant fatigue at first. I had been used to a very yin diet of milk, yogurt, other dairy products, white potatoes, tomatoes, sweets, coffee, sugared drinks, wine at times, vitamin pills, Vitamin C, etc. Within a month, I had adjusted to entirely healthy macrobiotic food, and any tiredness was a thing of the past. If needing energy, I can recommend Hendrik's Shoyu/Bancha drink or other ume/sho/bancha/ remedy drinks. They do boost energy, but should not be taken regularly/daily. They are remedy drinks only.

*To balance the excessive yang and saltiness of new foods like ume plums, pressed salads, miso, shoyu, etc. *the balance for this is: dark green broad leafy greens*.

*Dark green broad leafy greens oxygenate the blood, thereby giving one tremendous ability to overcome fatigue. The chlorophyll in the dark green of the leaf, transmutes to iron, thereby oxygenating the blood, creating healthy rich blood corpuscles, and increased breathing capacity. This is also the antidote for anemia.

*The greatest balance for the yang of the macrobiotic diet, is regular/daily consumption of broad leafy greens: Bok Choy, Collard greens, Mustard greens, Turnip greens, Kale, Dandelion greens, Chinese cabbage. Also include: Carrot tops, Chives, Leeks, Parsley, Watercress, etc.

*Daily consumption of whole grains: brown rice, barley, corn, wheat, buckwheat, oats, rye, etc. will keep blood sugar stable all day. Eat the recommended percentages of macrobiotic foods at each meal, especially lunch and dinner. These are: 50-60% whole grains, 5-10% various soups, 20-30% various vegetables, 5-10% beans and sea vegetables. This is considered a Main Meal, Balanced Meal, a Whole Meal including all the food categories that make up a balanced, macrobiotic meal.

*For cooking: Flame is recommended, rather than electric stoves, (rice cookers are also electric). Pressure cooked grains are recommended, yet boiling grains is an option for summer and warmer months. Pressure cooking allows for the grain to retain more concentrated nutrients and the cooking method is more yang, which will give more active, and long sustained, energy. Boiling grains gives lighter energy and less body heat for the warmer months. I can tell you that pressure cooking provides very strong, active, energy to the body, while also providing a balanced and calm feeling. It is very empowering.

*Steaming vegetables and greens is a very efficient cooking method. This more yin method of cooking (water) also balances the yang aspects of the macrobiotic diet. Use the nutritious vegetable water in the bottom of the pot to add to soups. There are many other cooking methods to familiarize oneself with.

*Normal grain to water ratios are: 1 cup grain to 2 cups water, when boiling.
1 cup grain to 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 (same as Hendrik's ratios) cups water, when pressure cooking, depending upon your preference for firmer or softer grain.

*Water: drink as needed. The macrobiotic diet provides for 1 cup of miso soup at every meal and frequent vegetables that provide moisture. I agree that tea is a healthy and excellent alternative to plain water. Bancha Twig Tea being the staple macrobiotic beverage. For regular use: Bancha twig tea (kukicha), Bancha stem tea, Roasted barley tea, Roasted brown rice tea, Spring water, Well water.

*Beverages -- of Less Frequent Use: Beer (more naturally fermented quality), Wine (more naturally fermented quality), Sake (fermented rice wine), Other weak alcohol beverages traditionally and commonly consumed.

*Infrequent or Less Frequent Use means: suitable for those in ordinary good health, for use several times a month or less often, for personal enjoyment, on social occasions.

The above to answer your questions about wine -- daily use not recommended.

Welcome to the Healing Path,
Nancy

[foymula]

Thanks Nancy

I think I am getting this balance things together. Nothing goes like hamburgers and icecream

One Love.