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.