Semulajadi Lebih Baik

Go natural - By MAJORIE CHIEW

Eating the macrobiotic way will nourish as well as heal the body.

The Star Wednesday October 15, 2008

 

WITH a history of more than 2,000 years, macrobiotics is said to be “the art and science of health and longevity”. It has also been described as “a natural and holistic approach to health which encompasses the relationships and effects of diet, lifestyle, and environment.”

“Macrobiotics demonstrates how ‘pure food’ (whole and natural food) is able to heal the body. A macrobiotic diet complements medicine and we emphasise on ‘prevention is better than cure’,” says June Ka Lim, 55, holistic nutritionist and macrobiotic counsellor.

“For some people who fail to eat properly, it may be too late to heal with diet after they have serious illnesses. The healing process would take longer, too.

June Ka Lim: ‘Macrobiotics is a preventive diet and lifestyle that everyone should embrace to live a quality life.’ – YAP CHEE HONG.

“Macrobiotics can help the cancer patient on how to eat to strengthen his body after chemotherapy and lessen the side effects,” says Lim, who introduced macrobiotics in Malaysia in 1993. “The patient is advised on a healing diet to discharge radiation residues or he would not have the appetite to eat. We revive the appetite first, then we heal with pure food.”

Dr Sagen Ishizuka, a Japanese army medical officer, founded macrobiotics in Japan in the 18th century. George Oshawa and Michio Kushi brought the deeply rooted Eastern vegan wisdom to the West in the 1950s.

Lim, who studied macrobiotics at Kushi Institute in both Europe and the United States, says a group of victims exposed to radiation during the Hiroshima atomic bombing in World War II benefited from a macrobiotic diet that included taking miso soup every day. Macrobiotic miso was also brought into the Soviet Union to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

Eating miso (a vegan food containing vitamin B12) is said to be helpful in lowering cases of stomach cancer, balancing stomach acid, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, preventing stroke and detoxification. Miso is believed to combat radiation poisoning as it contains dipicolonic acid which binds with heavy metals and is purged from the body.

 

Yin-yang principles

The macrobiotic diet is centered on the ancient oriental principles of yin and yang (balance and harmony). Macrobiotics involves eating whole grains, natural (organic) foods and local, seasonal ingredients. Lim says such a diet can help one maintain optimal health, mental clarity, emotional calmness and overall regeneration of the body. A balanced macrobiotic diet set meal consists of (clockwise from bottom left) brown rice, dragon fruit cake, cabbage with brown rice mochi and vinegar dressing, sweet vegetable pumpkin salad, sugar-free dragonfruit enzyme drink.