Wholefood Plant-Based Vegan Diet: Macrobiotic Diet Food List
Have you been struggling to lose weight?
Look no further than the macrobiotic diet food list. A macrobiotic diet is a holistic approach to healthy living that focuses on eating whole, unprocessed foods and avoiding animal products and refined sugars. Its emphasis on balancing the body’s energy through yin-yang principles of macrobiotics makes it an effective way to lose weight and stay fit, with many people noticing changes in their mood and energy levels after just a few days of following this lifestyle. It sounds so good! Let’s look at the macrobiotic diet food list for more insight into what this wholesome approach involves.
What is Macrobiotics?
The macrobiotic approach to nutrition focuses on the relationship between macrobiotics and yin and yang energies. The theory says that balancing these two forces within your body can increase energy levels, better moods, and better fitness, mental health, and weight. This happens because macrobiotics involves avoiding animal products, refined sugars, and other processed foods that create an excess of yang energy in the body. By sticking to a macrobiotic diet food list full of organic vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fermented foods such as miso soup and sauerkraut, you can restore the body’s yin and yang levels.
Best Foods to Eat on a Macrobiotic Diet
The best foods to eat on a macrobiotic diet are those that are high in fiber and low in yang energy. This means organic vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds should make up the majority of your diet. Be sure to avoid processed foods, animal products, and refined sugars, as they can disrupt the body’s balance of yin and yang. Some of the best macrobiotic foods to include in your diet are:
Organic vegetables
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Bok choy
- Asparagus
Whole grains
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Barley
Beans
- Lentils
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Pinto beans
Nuts & seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
Fermented foods
- Miso soup
- Sauerkraut
You can read a macrobiotic cookbook to know more about macrobiotic diet food list recommendations. However, macrobiotics is not just about food. Macrobiotic philosophy also tries to balance a person’s yin and yang on a mental, spiritual and emotional level and through what they eat. These factors combined make macrobiotics a holistic way to become fitter, healthier, more emotionally balanced, and at peace with the world.
How to transition to a wholefood plant-based vegan diet
Making the switch to a macrobiotic diet can seem daunting, but with these simple tips, you’ll be on your way to eating healthy and feeling great in no time!
Start by gradually removing processed foods from your diet and replacing them with macrobiotic alternatives. This could mean swapping your usual breakfast cereal for a bowl of oatmeal made with organic oats or trading your regular sandwich for a quinoa salad.
Once you’ve gotten used to eating whole, plant-based foods, start to phase out animal products and refined sugars. This could mean reducing the number of times you eat meat each week or choosing vegan versions of your favorite dishes.
Take your time when making the switch to macrobiotics. Don’t try to overhaul all your eating habits overnight, or you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed and giving up before you start seeing results.
Try Macrobiotic Recipes for Beginners
Ready to give macrobiotics a go? Here are some macrobiotic recipes for beginners that are simple enough for anyone to make at home:
Toasted macrobiotic bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rye flakes or whole oats for sprouting
- 1 ½ cups of filtered water to soak the grains overnight
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of flax seeds ground with a coffee grinder
- 3 tablespoons of natto miso (fermented soy beans with rice)
- 1 tablespoon of tamari (soy sauce without wheat or sugar)
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons of brown rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of agave nectar (optional if you prefer a sweeter flavor)
Directions
Soak the whole grains overnight in water with a dash of sea salt. In the morning, drain them and put them back into a saucepan. Add enough filtered water, so they are submerged by about an inch or two, and boil for 30 minutes on medium heat until they turn soft. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
While you wait for the grains to cool, prepare your other ingredients by mixing the ground flax seeds and coffee grinder with the sea salt and natto miso. Add the sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, and agave syrup to this mixture.
Add all of these ingredients into a bowl and your cooked rye flakes or oats, and mix well to form a thick paste.
Enjoy as part of a macrobiotic breakfast, as the main dish for lunch or dinner with some soup and salad, or as a healthy snack throughout your day!
Wholefood Macrobiotic Sandwich Spread
Ingredients
- ½ cup of sunflower seeds soaked overnight and drained
- ¼ cup of miso paste or nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ cup of ground flaxseed
- 5 tablespoons of water
- 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- A handful a fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro and/or dill (optional)
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor to form a thick paste. You can adjust some of the ingredient quantities to your liking, but try not to make the spread too runny as you will need it to stick onto your sandwich bread!
Enjoy this macrobiotic sandwich spread on macrobiotic bread with some vegetables for a healthy macrobiotic lunch.
Foods to Avoid on a Macrobiotic Diet
A macrobiotic diet focuses on eating whole and plant-based foods, so there are a few foods that you’ll want to avoid while following this way of eating.
First and foremost, avoid processed foods as much as possible. This includes anything that comes in a package or a can and foods high in sugar or artificial additives.
Also, avoid animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs, refined sugars, and artificial sweeteners. These foods can be hard on the body and interfere with the healing process when following a macrobiotic diet.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that macrobiotics can be a gradual process. If you’re interested in trying it out, don’t jump into the diet cold turkey and instead start by eating more plant-based foods before making significant dietary changes. Try some of these recipes for beginners, or use them as inspiration to create your own! In addition, you must avoid processed meats and sugars while on a macrobiotic diet if you want to have success with this way of living.
