Macrobiotic Tricks to Start the Year Right

By: Leah Shannon

It’s the New Year. A new leaf. A new beginning! What better way to start it than with a cleansing, healthy way of eating!

We can take some cues from Macrobiotics. Macro-what? Is that the brown rice and seaweed diet?!? Is that the one Gwyneth is on? Or Madonna? Well, kind of.

Do I need a personal chef? Is it hard? Definitely not. Going macrobiotic is not so esoteric. And if you follow these basic principles, you will not only avoid the nickel nudge, you’ll be on your way to a lifestyle change that will impact your whole health profoundly!

So what is a macrobiotics? To start, let’s look at the etymology. “Macro” is from the Greek word for “big” and “bio” means “life.” It literally means the big life. It is based on traditional dietary patterns that protected countless past generations from degenerative diseases that are so commonplace today. Its basis is also very much rooted in what many traditional dietary philosophies are rooted in: harmony with nature.

So here are some very basic principles that you can practice. I guarantee, you will start the year feeling light, clean and energetic!

1. Eat whole grains – and I don’t mean “Whole Grain Cheerios.” I am talking brown rice, quinoa, kasha, millet. The grain as you see it.
2. Eat vegetables (and local if possible) – and again, I don’t mean V8. Nor potatoes. For our purposes, let’s consider potatoes under “treats”. I mean vegetables in as many colors of the rainbow as you can have everyday.
3. Explore the full spectrum of tastes on your plate – sweet, salty, sour, bitter
4. Eat sea vegetables – seaweed. Nori, the ubiquitous sushi wrapper is a great start. Trader Joe’s sells little nori snack packs. Whole Foods sells seaweed salad in the sushi bar. Seaweed has lots of minerals – in much higher concentration than any land vegetable or any animal product!
5. Use natural ways of cooking – limit microwave use
6. Use a variety of cooking styles – there is more to life than frying
7. Use mineral-rich sea salt – again, the nutrition is intact, unlike white iodized table salt that is stripped of nutrients.
8. Use oil sparingly – use olive oil and sesame oil
9. Use pure spring water as much as possible for cooking and drinking. Again, the mineral content is preserved, unlike distilled water.
10. Eat mindfully – don’t do other things while eating – don’t drive, don’t read. Sit down, enjoy your food. Chew your food. Savor the meal. This is conducive to a calm and orderly mind.
11. Eat only when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re 70% to 80% full – I know we’ve been told to eat 5-6 times a day and serving sizes today can feed more than one. But remember that overeating taxes the body – redirecting more than required energy for digestion.
12. Don’t eat 3-4 hours before bed – otherwise sleep with an empty stomach
13. Finally, eat each meal with a spirit of thanks. For what nourishes us…and gives us pleasure.

Have a great new year!

Leah Lizarondo Shannon is an Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Food Educator.
She runs FullWell and works with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine as an instructor. www.befullwell.com