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Macrobiotics originated in Japan more than a century ago as a therapy for curing a number of ailments through nutrition. Today it is still used to cure, but a lot of healthy people adopt it anyway as a way to eat and thus give the body the balance it needs.

Behind it all is a rather simple idea: many health problems are caused by problems in digesting food, and to offset them the body develops mechanisms and processes that we know as diseases. Therefore, any medicine we take, no matter what its origin, can do little against these diseases unless the underlying problem is solved, i.e. what we eat. It is important to point out that macrobiotics considers diseases to be not only those conditions that cause physical imbalance in the body, but also those that harm it emotionally and spiritually.

The macrobiotic diet is basically vegetarian and is based on the philosophy of yin and yang, or the balance of opposite and complementary forces which must live together in harmony. So there are yang foods and yin foods that must be combined so that neither is missing. But excess is to be avoided as well. Once the characteristics of each food item are known, all you have to do is incorporate them into your daily diet, keeping an eye on how much of them you eat and how often. At first this requires a bit of discipline, but after a while it becomes just another daily habit.

In general, macrobiotic eaters avoid foods that are not very natural, in other words those that have been packaged and processed, as with refined foods. If meat and fish are present, it should be in minimal quantities. Eggs should be eaten in moderation. This is best done eating them as part of dough or sauces.

The basis of the diet is grains, legumes, vegetables, dairy products, mushrooms, fruit and seaweed. Of course, all of them in their whole-grain version and without being treated with fertilizers or pesticides.

As for the characteristics of the food, yang foods are those which provide heat and enery, such as legumes, grains and vegetables with roots.

The yin ones are dairy products, fruit and vegetables that don't have roots.

Different seasons of year and periods of heat and cold also require certain kinds of food: as winter is a yin period, the diet should be rich in yang products giving energy, whereas summer, a yang period, should feature foods of the opposite nature.

Seaweed is also important, as are foods from eastern cooking, such as soy in its different variations and other rich in proteins, such as seitï¿½n. As for beverages, besides water, green tea is recommended.

It is very important to cook foods in the most natural way possible, especially steamed, to chew well and not to mix foods from different dishes or eat them at the same time. The menu should vary throughout the day, with a breakfast centeredï¿½ around tea, rice cookies and a little bit of vegetable pate, for instance, and a lunch with legumes, whole-grain rice, apple pie and soy cheese. For dinner, mushrooms with vegetables and rice are good.

When it comes to recipes, be imaginative. Satisfy both your palate and your health. Use books with macrobiotic recipes that can help you achieve this. It is the best way to keep the word macrobiotic from becoming synonymous with food that is boring and unsatisfying.

All the foods that make up the microbiotic diet are very healthy, they are prepared in healthy ways and are rich in vitamins, fiber and mineral salts. The problem can be their lack of quality proteins, which are present mainly in animal-based foods. This should be compensated for proper combinations of grains and legumes. This requires good knowledge of basic nutritional rules and proper counseling.

Macrobiotics apparently helps avoid cardiovascular problems, as it is very low in fat, and even averts some kinds of tumors because it is rich in fiber. But it is also a double-edged sword.