Macrobiotic diet
Alternative medicine | |
---|---|
Claims | Health effects from a diet avoiding refined foods and most animal products. Specific effects on cancer. |
Related fields | Diet |
Original proponents | Sagen Ishizuka |
Subsequent proponents | George Ohsawa Michio Kushi William Dufty Edward Esko |
A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is a
There is no high-quality clinical evidence that a macrobiotic diet is helpful for people with cancer or other diseases, and it may be harmful.[4][2][5] Neither the American Cancer Society nor Cancer Research UK recommends adopting the diet.[6][5]
Conceptual basis
The macrobiotic diet is associated with
Macrobiotics emphasizes locally grown
Some macrobiotic proponents stress that yin and yang are relative qualities that can only be determined in a comparison. All food is considered to have both properties, with one dominating. Foods with yang qualities are considered compact, dense, heavy, and hot, whereas those with yin qualities are considered expansive, light, cold, and diffuse.[11] However, these terms are relative; "yangness" or "yinness" is only discussed in relation to other foods.[12]
Brown rice and other whole grains such as
Practices
Food
Some general guidelines for the Japanese-style macrobiotic diet are the following (it is also said that a macrobiotic diet varies greatly, depending on geographical and life circumstances):[17]
- Well-chewed whole cereal grains, especially brown rice: 40–60%
- Vegetables: 25–30%
- Beans and legumes: 5–10%
- Miso soup: 5%
- Sea vegetables: 5%
- Traditionally or naturally processed foods: 5–10%
Fish and seafood, seeds and nuts, seed and nut butters, seasonings, sweeteners, fruits, and beverages may be enjoyed occasionally, two to three times per week. Other naturally-raised animal products may be included if needed during dietary transition or according to individual needs.
Kitchenware
Cooking utensils should be made from certain materials such as wood or glass, while some materials including plastic, copper, and non-stick coatings are to be avoided.[1] Electric ovens should not be used.[1]
Japanese popularity and influence
The macrobiotic way of eating was developed and popularized by the Japanese. During the Edo period in Japan peasants had a diet based on staples of rice and soybeans. According to some macrobiotic advocates, a majority of the world population in the past ate a diet based primarily on grains, vegetables, and other plants. Because the macrobiotic diet was developed in Japan, Japanese foods that are thought to be beneficial for health are incorporated by most modern macrobiotic eaters.[18][19]
Cancer
The American Cancer Society recommends "low-fat, high-fiber diets that consist mainly of plant products"; however, they urge people with cancer not to rely on a dietary program as an exclusive or primary means of treatment.[6] Cancer Research UK states, "some people think living a macrobiotic lifestyle may help them to fight their cancer and lead to a cure. But there is no scientific evidence to prove this."[5]
Nutritionist Fredrick J. Stare has commented that "there is no scientific evidence that macrobiotic diets can be helpful for cancer or any other disease."[20]
Nutrition
The macrobiotic diet is a type of fad diet.[1][21]
Fish provides
Safety
Regulation
Macrobiotic practitioners are not regulated, and need not have any qualification or training in the United Kingdom.[5]
Complications
One of the earlier versions of the macrobiotic diet that involved eating only brown rice and water has been linked to severe nutritional deficiencies and even death. Strict macrobiotic diets that include no animal products may result in nutritional deficiencies unless they are carefully planned. The danger may be worse for people with cancer, who may have to contend with unwanted weight loss and often have increased nutritional and caloric requirements. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.[6]
Children
Children may also be particularly prone to nutritional deficiencies resulting from a macrobiotic diet.[6]
Pregnancy
Macrobiotic diets have not been tested in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and the most extreme versions may not include enough of certain nutrients for normal fetal growth.[6]
See also
References
- ^ )
- ^ PMID 21139126.
- ^ )
- S2CID 76124925.
- ^ a b c d "Macrobiotic diet and cancer". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780944235713.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-305-94582-1.
The macrobiotic diet is a system of 10 diet plans, developed from Zen Buddhism
- ISBN 9780773522107.
Before we explore medical reactions to therapeutic innovations in this era, we must stop to consider the meaning of 'alternative medicine' in this context. Often scholars use the term to denote systems of healing that are philosophically as well as therapeutically distinct from regular medicine: homeopathy, reflexology, rolfing, macrobiotics, and spiritual healing, to name a few, embody interpretations of health, illness, and healing that are not only different from, but also at odds with conventional medical opinion.
- ^ William Dufty with Sakurazawa Nyoiti (1965) You Are All Sanpaku, University Books
- ^ "Boiled Egg Diet". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ Porter, pp. 22–25
- ^ Porter, pp. 44–49
- ^ Porter, pp. 71–78
- ^ Kushi and Jack, p. 119.
- ^ Stanchich L "All About Nightshades". New Life Journal: Carolina Edition, Apr/May 2003, vol. 4, no. 5, p. 17, 3 pp.
- ^ Porter
- ISBN 1-58333-180-8.
- ^ Make Mine Macrobiotic | Lifestyle | Trends in Japan. Web Japan. Retrieved on 2012-04-27.
- ^ Panel 11: Globalisation, Hybridity and Continuity in Traditional Japanese Health Practices. iastam.org
- ISBN 0-89793-237-4
- PMID 3887307.
- ^ National Institutes of Health. "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B12". Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20: Vitamin B-12 (μg) Content of Selected Foods per Common Measure, sorted by nutrient content.
- ^ Reed Mangels. "Vitamin B12 in the Vegan Diet". Vegetarian Resource Group. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ^ National Institutes of Health. "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Table 2: Selected plant sources of vitamin A from beta-carotene)". Archived from the original on 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20: Iron, Fe (mg) Content of Selected Foods per Common Measure, sorted by nutrient content.