A Macrobiotic Journey

Two weeks into eating thoroughly wholesome macrobiotic foods and I am feeling cleaner and brighter in my energy - noticeably so.

One of the things that has been difficult to work out has been how to 'let go' of the sugar fix. I look around and everyone is eating stuff with sugar in all the time, or drinking it. It is so pervasive and often so hidden within a huge range of foods out there.

A couple of years ago I started to experiment with using sugar substitutes - fructose (fruit sugar) and xylitol are both more natural and 'level' sugars to take into the system, i.e. they don't create the highs and lows that come from eating normal sugar. However, these are still refined, white, nutrient-lacking little crystals in their own right! Honey, molasses and maple syrup are considered closer to being 'good guys' because they do retain some nutrients. However, they also give strong sugar kicks. Furthermore, if you don't eat any animal foods such an extremely yin food is not been counterbalanced by an equally extreme yang food and so this can lead, energetically, to the system becoming incredibly depleted over time.

As I understand it, the aim of macrobiotics is, afterall, to have balanced wholesome, non-extreme foods, (except with awareness as occasional treats if wanted) in order to create balanced wholeness and vitality.

So, this has led me to those foods which are seen as genuinely acceptable sweet foods: sweet brown rice, especially as 'mochi'; amazake (made from millet or rice, delicious, like a custardy dish, found in jars in good health food shops); barley or rice malt syrup (which can be used as a porridge sweetener, or in place of honey or syrup in any number of recipes); a sprinkling of dried fruit (raisins, chopped figs, unsulphured apricots or dates); and the natural sweetness of baked root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash (all of which are lovely in a pie with a simple pastry and some rice malt syrup to sweeten).
In the first few days of switching to this diet properly (now just over two weeks ago) I really craved sugar, even though I didn't eat a lot anyway. Eating and everything else, juices made with carrot and liberal amounts of kale, etc - really effectively counterbalanced this. What I was craving was that sense of springiness and vitality that sugar can temporarily give. What I feel from eating in this way is that it isn't temporary, doesn't come with a crash after, and doesn't leave me feeling emotionally wobbly. I feel fine and clear. And it is really nice.

I did have a bad day about a week in. At that point a whole load of emotion came up which was really uncomfortable but I did wonder if it was just part of the de-toxing and I think it probably was.

I am having something naturally sweet everyday, once a day and I feel fine. No cravings. It feels quite balancing.

So - good news. Nice to know life can still taste good . . .
Progress report then? Eyes and skin clear; hair glossy. Feeling well, exercising a fair bit and recovering fine after it. No tired legs at night or feeling like I have toxins in my system. Stomach still unsettled but less so and whilst energy is cleaner and definitely increasing, I still get tired by the evening.
So I keep going. Best wishes,
Rachel.

Hello Friends, Back with more answers and questions! What draws me to macrobiotics? Well it is SO many things:

It is wholistic - literally! A fundamental principle of macrobiotics is to eat whole food: whole grains (these make up over half the amount of food eaten and include a variety of barley, quinoa, millet, brown rice, buckwheat,whole wheat, groats or whole oats, etc.) And brown rice (short grain for our temperate climate here in the uk) is the one I personally use as my 'bread and butter' - this is my real staple. I also eat a variety of the others ( a different one each day) so I receive the benefits of their different nutritional and energetic qualitites. It is also about eating any food in its whole form - veg especially and amazing superfoods like sea vegetables - rather than having supplements or foods which are made from parts of a food.

It is healthy. Whole grains, fresh veg cooked in a variety of ways, beans and pulses, miso, tamari, seeds, tofu, tempeh, seaweed, a little fruit - this is the basic diet and it is just simple, vital, tried and tested throughout human evolution and throughout probably every country at some time or other, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the adulterated, chemical-ridden, genetically suspect stuff that sells as food these days. It is natural food in its natural form. Preferably organic. But hey - even none-organic it's going do good stuff. And people have this canny tendency to heal themselves from all sorts of very deep stuff when they go on a macrobiotic diet. The system gets rid of the sludge of previous food (from sugar, dairy, alcohol, meat products, chemicals, additives,etc) pretty quickly and starts to transform the body from the inside out, rebuilding cells and tissues, hair, nails and organs, vitality and peace of mind, in a very gentle and deep-rooted way. So you kind of glow! Apparently the longer you eat macrobiotically, the better it gets!

It is affordable. This is basic food stuff we are talking here - grains, lentils and veg - and it don't cost a lot (though, believe me, eating does not need to be bland and there are a wealth of books available giving wonderful recipes - search for macrobiotic on amazon). It is MUCH cheaper to be healthy!

It's green. Macrobiotics advocates eating locally grown produce as much as is possible because you are then eating in harmony with your surrounding landscape. For me this has involved getting veg through a local organic box scheme where most of the food produced comes from within the county, or at the very least within the country; avoiding food which is flown-in; learning about wild foods and herbs which can be found in the hedgerows and which I can encourage in my garden, etc. One of the principles of macrobiotic eating is that if you live in a temperate climate you eat food from and fit for a temperate climate. In this way you are eating food that naturally supports your vitality in accord with where you live. So eating tropical foods in the cold north of England doesn't really make sense (except perhaps on some balmy summer days - if we actually have any!)and it is felt that these can actually weaken and undermine your system. So, with macrobiotics you can cut down on air miles, support your local economy and farmers, and end up getting to know more about your county and community. And you don't eat additives and other such 'orrible stuff. How good is that?!

Ok - so that's a little intro to why I am so in to this. Now for a progress report:
This has been a good few days of following the macrobiotic principles (for more on these see Michio Kushi's books)- eating plenty of whole grains with a good variety of veg cooked in a variety of ways, with pulses and lentils, sea weed, watercress, miso,nuts and seeds, tamari, some tahini, a little tofu, and for today a little fish because I am going mountain-biking at the weekend and need my strength! I have had some fruit and dried fruit cooked, but it has been apples, etc - things which naturally grow in this country. And I have had some natural sweetness with barley malt and pear and apple concentrate. I have also used spirulina powder and herbs (both go well in a fresh veg juice drink) where I needed extra zingy green-ness!

So how do I feel? Mentally I feel clear and sharp and all sorts of new ideas have come to me during the course of these few days. However, my body is taking more time to catch up with this. I have felt more tired than usual and am experiencing signs of de-toxing (which is pretty normal on following a true macrobiotic eating plan). I have felt that my energy has been fairly constant but, without those dips and highs of sugar, it has felt unusually low to me and I have had to really stay with this process and not go seeking the sugar high. What strikes me though is the way I feel 'clean' in my body. And I have had considerably less stomach ache. Sniffles and snuffles and mild aches, pains and headaches have indicated the de-toxing process. I have only been one run this week and done nothing else other than walk my dog each day, simply because I have felt my body needs to rest a lot in these first few days.
But I feel good and positive. Knowing I am eating foods which can truly nourish, build and repair my body just feels so good anyway. There is a real inner satisfaction in that.

So - lean, green vitality - here I come!
Heal and be well!
Rachel.

The good idea of writing this blog came in the early hours of this morning. 8 months ago a friend introduced me to macrobiotics. Though I look fairly well and have no specific health problems, I suffer from a general sense of 'malaise' which seems to be a frequent (but not 'normal') part of modern-day life for many people. Whilst I have dabbled in macrobiotics over the previous months, I have not really got stuck in. But the more I have read the more I would like to. The disclaimer bit is: I am not a macrobiotic practitioner and I'm not trained in it so what I put in these blogs is not dietary/medical/health advice - it is MY experience and my journey and maybe it will inspire you on yours.

My aim is to take my health back into my own hands and I want to see if I can do this by following the principles laid out in the many wonderful books available (more on those in future blogs). And I would love some company along the way. Your comments, advice, and fellow-journeys are all welcome. For the next 6 months I aim to follow a macrobiotic diet, explore its principles, learn lovely recipes, apply it in tricky situations (like eating out, holidays, etc) and monitor my health. And I will distill what I learn in these blogs. After the six months I want to see where I have got to.

The next bit gives my symptoms at this time. This is the slightly icky bit and you may not want to read this! No - it's not that bad and I need to record this so I have a bench mark with which to measure my process:

At present I experience bouts of profound tiredness at regular intervals, sometimes lasting a couple of weeks to a month (they used to last for much longer but homeopathy and flower essences have helped with that); during these bouts (and sometimes at other times as well) I feel as if my body is 'toxic', my legs in particular feel like lead; I often wake in the night feeling pain through my whole body. I nearly always have stomach ache, regardless of my energy levels and this has been the case for nearly 20 years - constant stomach ache! I cannot tolerate wheat, dairy or sugar and I get drunk on a sniff of wine! I like exercising but find I get tired easily and take a good few days to recover if I have been out mountain-biking or running. I'm at the right weight for my height and have a healthy appetite. I love sweet things! My nails are weak, my hair falls out easily and my eyes are bloodshot. I urinate frequently, day and night, and so don't often get a good night's sleep. Sometimes I feel short of breath and panicky.

Hey - but otherwise, life is good! Looks pretty scary when I put it down like that!
Reading a fantastic book these last few days called 'Healing Ourselves' by Naboru Muramoto, I was struck by the simplicity of this statement: Pain indicates toxins are still present in the system.
I currently eat a healthy diet of whole grains and veg anyway (more on that next time) yet I experience the pain I described above. So what causes this? The next few days will involve a search to find out. I'll report back soon, along with a basic look at the foods recommended as part of a macrobiotic diet.
In the meantime,
Wishing you good health!
Rachel.