Change Your Diet, Change Your Life

If you’ve paid any attention to the media in the last few decades, you’ve probably come across the term “macrobiotics.” After all, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joe Pesci, and Madonna are ardent followers of the diet. As we’ve seen in the news, it’s become a popular natural remedy for fighting cancers. But what is macrobiotics really, and what’s all the hype about?

Simon Brown, author of the highly popular book Modern-Day Macrobiotics, doesn’t just brush over these answers in his new book Macrobiotics for Life, but explains the ins and outs of the macrobiotic lifestyle, taking an insightful look at everything from sleep cycles to offering daily recipes that have the power to truly change your mental state.

Why are people so excited about it? There is a laundry list of reasons why people are adhering to macrobiotic principles:

1.) To lose weight and look good

2.) For recovery from serious illnesses

3.) It tastes delicious

4.) For love of its philosophy and the connection to nature

5.) Ecological reasons

6.) It enhances focus and increases energy

7.) For insurance against later diseases

In its simplest form, the diet consists of foods low in fat and high in fiber, including a variety of vegetables, whole grains, and unfermented foods. While , to some, macrobiotics is simply a health-conscious relationship with food, Brown goes much further, preaching macrobiotics as a way of transforming every area of our lives, such as how weather affects our moods, and nutrition in children. Brown incorporates self-reflection, adjusting attitudes, and core beliefs as an essential part of the process of transformation. Brown studied under Michio Kushi, who has been credited with bringing the Macrobiotic Diet to the U.S. in the 1960’s. Brown takes a friendly and positive approach to the lifestyle, focusing on empowering students and clients rather than enslaving them to a strict and gruesome regimen. His celebrity clients include Boy George, Alicia Silverstone, and Michael Maloney.

Here are some interesting quick-facts from the book:

* Primitive foods such as sea vegetables, fermented foods, and shellfish may encourage us to think more about our primal desires for sex and survival.

* Modern processed soy foods such as soy milk, yogurt, cheese, spreads, and sausages may increase the risk of degenerative brain disease.

* Strong stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar can open our heart centers chaotically.

* We can time how long food takes to travel through our digestive systems by swallowing whole kernels of corn.

* Gravity plays a part in digestion, and sitting up straight during and after a meal can improve digestion.

* Our skin is the biggest and heaviest organ we have.

* Chanting, singing, or talking can vibrate bones in our bodies that massage the surrounding tissue.

* Symptoms of being too ‘yin’ include feeling cold, being lethargic, feeling depressed, having clammy skin, and having a victim mentality. Symptoms of being too ‘yang’ include feeling hot or irritible, having dry mouth or itchy skin, being angry, stressed, and obsessing about details.

Brown urges readers to give the macrobiotic lifestyle a try. “We can easily go back to the way things were if a change doesn’t work out well for us.” Here at North Atlantic Books we attempt to keep followers in the know on leading innovations in health, heart, and mind and hope you find Macrobiotics for Life as inspiring as we have.

What is your experience or opinion on the macrobiotics diet? Are there aspects that you like and other parts that you disagree with?