17 Super Health Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet

Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet

Macrobiotic diet is not just food and eating. It’s a complete way of life, in which you take care of your self and the nature. Benefits of a macrobiotic diet are huge and many of them positively affect human’s life making us healthier, stronger and less prone to all kinds of illnesses.

People who live their lives according to macrobiotic principles consume a lot of:

• Organically grown food
• Seasonable, fresh fruits and vegetables
• Soy products
• Legumes
• Wholegrain cereals
• Nuts and seeds
• Plant drinks
• Algae

Macrobiotic diet doesn’t include::

• Meat of any kind
• Diary products
• Eggs
• Plain sugars and their products
• Alcohol

Here are the 17 health benefits of a macrobiotic diet:

1. Macrobiotic diet includes eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of frozen ones. Frozen vegetables and fruits don’t have vital energy, which is very important in macrobiotics. Fresh food contains wide range of nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and enzymes, which generally improve health and immune system.
2. Macrobiotic diet is full of low fat food and food high in fibers, which helps lower the risk for cancers such as colorectal, ovarian, and prostate cancer as well as diabetes.
3. In macrobiotic diet, organic foods plays important role. Organically grown food decreases pesticide exposure which is associated with cancer and infertility.
4. Macrobiotic diet increases energy. Whole grains and vegetables are full of complex carbohydrates, which are absorbed slowly into the bloodstream and there is no immediate demand for insulin. That way the body gets constant energy, which allows people to be more effective and less tired.
5. Macrobiotics prevents obesity. Simple carbohydrates such as white sugar, honey and corn syrup are not part of macrobiotic diet. Those simple sugars give a burst of energy, but after a short period of time people experience so called energy crash. The consumption of sugar, which demands the release of insulin, has been linked to obesity, because the insulin is also known as fat storage hormone.
6. Wholegrain cereals and flour are rich with vitamin B. A diet rich in whole grains decreases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer. Wholegrain diet helps maintain healthy bowel and healthy bacteria growth.
7. Macrobiotic diet foods don’t contain saturated fats and hydrogenated oils. Saturated fats, which are present mostly in animal products, tend to deposit within the cells, organs and arteries. If eaten in excess, saturated fats can cause numerous health problems.
   Unsaturated fats present in macrobiotic diet foods are on the other hand very healthy, if eaten rationally. They can be found in nuts, seeds and vegetables. They are fluid in the body and they fulfill their important chemical and transport functions.
8. Red meat is something that should be replaced with quality plant protein. Red and processed meat such as bacon, sausages and burgers increases the risk of bowel cancer.
9. Consuming algae regularly improves overall health. Algae contain almost all nutrients, minerals, vitamins, proteins, amino acids, chlorophyll and fiber. Algae are rich with iron, calcium and magnesium, which helps maintain strong bones and healthy blood system. It also helps to reduce anxiety and treat sleep disorders.
10. Legumes are important source of protein and great substitute for meat. They are rich with iron, potassium, calcium, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
11. Nuts help lower the risk of hearth disease. Nuts are rich with fiber, omega 3, vitamin E and selenium, but also contain many antioxidants and phytonutrients and thus help improve immune system. Omega 3, also known as the good fats lower LDL cholesterol.
12. Seed are full of omega 3 fatty acids, iron, calcium and magnesium. They act as antioxidants, help losing weight, and contribute to overall health.
13. Many macrobiotic foods have anti aging effect. Wholegrain cereals are rich with fiber and vitamin B that are known to have rich anti-aging components. Healthy nuts and seeds are great anti aging foods. Plant drinks made of fresh baby barley and wheat are rich with chlorophyll and antioxidants, which keep us young and healthy.
14. Organically grown soy, which is not genetically modified, is eaten very often in macrobiotics. Soy has many health benefits. Thanks to its phytoestrogens, soy helps to maintain estrogen levels in women who entered in menopause. Soy also protects against Alzheimer’s disease, hearth disease and osteoporosis. Fermented soy products are more easily digested, have more nutritional value and should be consumed most of the time.
15. Fermented food contains enzymes which are very important for overall health. Including fermented foods in the diet helps reducing high cholesterol levels in the blood, strengthens and supports the digestive and immune systems. In the other words, these foods help prevent diseases like cancer.
16. Methods of preparation are very important in macrobiotics.They affect the energy in food and are suited to the season. There are five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and pungent. Cooking time is suited to seasons as well, which allows better exploitation of nutrients from food.
17. In macrobiotics, only natural cooking utensils are used. Glass, wood, enamel and stainless steel are mostly used. Unlike plastic, which is unhealthy and contains BPA, which is suspected to increase the risk for cancer, natural cooking utensils don’t have side affects.

Macrobiotics doesn’t fit to anyone. Usually there is some healthy problem, condition or a disease that make someone with from standard to macrobiotic diet. There are many debates about macrobiotic, especially if meat can be replaced with any other food, from proteins and vitamin B12 point of view. But, with vitamin B12 supplements, benefits of a macrobiotic diet are numerous. Macrobiotics has a huge impact on humans health, especially now, when people are hurrying all the time and dealing with high level of stress more than ever.