Macrobiotics for Life by Simon Brown

Author:Simon Brown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781583944707
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Published: 2011-08-29T21:00:00+00:00

SHARING INSIGHTS INTO THE HUMAN CONDITION

In addition to digestion, the food we eat is influential on the basic biological and chemical functions of our bodies. This can ultimately affect every function of our bodies.

We inhabit amazing bodies that can function through incredible ranges of environments, including severe hardship and great deprivation. That humans can survive so long eating poor diets while regularly self-abusing with alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes just shows how resilient we can be. However, if we want to keep ourselves in optimum physical condition, we can use food to help ensure everything is working well. Once we accept that food is an important part of feeling well, the big question becomes: what is a healthy diet?

Unfortunately, there are so many diets, so much conflicting advice, and so much confusing research that what might have been a simple question has, for many, become a fear of not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids or of getting too many free radicals.

The macrobiotic approach has been to look at societies around the world that have enjoyed long periods of good health and longevity, and see what they have in common. We can also think about what we eat food for. Our food is essentially there to provide energy and nutrients that give us the ability to grow, repair our cells, and keep our internal environments functioning properly.

Healthy Societies

People from Okinawa, made up of the Japanese islands of Ryukyu are thought to have the world’s longest life expectancy. This has been attributed partly to the local diet. Compared to the mainland Japanese diet, the traditional diet of the islanders is twenty percent lower in calories and contains three times more green and yellow vegetables, particularly sweet potatoes. The traditional Okinawan diet is also low in fat and has only a quarter of the sugar and three quarters of the grains of the average Japanese diet, and it includes half a serving of fish a day and more fermented foods made from soy and other beans than the mainland’s diet. Okinawans eat almost no meat, eggs, or dairy products. In theory, this would make theirs an alkaline-forming diet. Reportedly, the typical Okinawan reaching age 110 has had a BMI of 20.4 and a diet consistently averaging no more than one calorie per gram of food. Generally, foods range from 0.8 to 9.0 calories per gram—so this is very low.

The energy and endurance of the Hunzas living in the mountains of Pakistan could have as much to with what they don’t eat as what they do. They consume about half the protein, one-third the fat, but about the same amount of carbohydrates as the average American. The carbohydrates that the people of Hunza eat are mostly unrefined, coming from vegetables, whole grains, and fruit instead of sugar and refined flour. The Hunzas eat little processed food, as most of their foods are fresh and in their original, unsalted state. Processing includes drying some fresh fruits in the sun and fermenting milk to make butter and cheese.

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