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No food supplements please...Some macrobiotic teachers promote the intake of food supplements as part of the “macrobiotic way” of eating. Can nutritional supplements form part of the macrobiotic diet? Should they? Macrobiotic teacher Adelbert Nelissen of the Kushi Institute of Northern Europe discusses these questions in an article that he contributd to a 1995 issue of The Good Life.
I am for a natural lifestyle and diet. I am also for free choice. What I promote is this to study how, through a healthy way of eating and living, we can become healthy and happy. In some cases, it may be necessary that people do certain things that are not so natural, including having medical treatment. But instead of just going ahead with that and ignoring the back side, (ie, the adverse effects) it is far more interesting to study and understand amore natural way. With regards to taking food supplements, the long term consequences are not clear, even for scientists. Some years ago, I was asked as a macrobiotic “expert” to sit on a government committee which did research on the natural foods. This committee consisted of top scientist and university professors. We all agreed that it was never proven that food supplements were needed; that nature supplied everything we need, all depending on our daily food pattern. The idea that food supplements are needed arose because many people suffer from deficiencies. So an instant solution is sought. Our society is becoming a hodge-podge of instant solutions in all fields: instant happiness, instant sex, instant wealth, instant food, instant nutrition... When a doctor or health practitioner tells you that you have a shortage, the first thought is to replenish the deficiency. Instantly. And that become a whole business. It’s not so simple. The human body is extremely complicated. Every action creates a reaction. When you do one thing, it results in something else.
For instance, of all people who suffer from anaemia, 90 percent have sufficient iron in their diet; only this iron is not absorbed. For a macrobiotic person, it is interesting to understand why one person is able to absorb iron, while another person is unable. If you think in terms of yin and yang, you will realize that iron, like other minerals, is of a more yang character. The intake of extreme yin foods, like sugar, fruit juices or milk, will cause the body to lose minerals. So a deficiency or iron can easily arise. The same goes from magnesium, zinc and other minerals. The chlorophyll of green vegetables contains magnesium. So one would think that someone who eats macrobiotically, and includes green leafy vegetables in the diet, would get plenty of magnesium. Yet some macrobiotic people suffer from a lack of magnesium, according to their doctor. Again, the question is: Why?
Here is an example of how to approach such a question: When I started the first sourdough bakery in Holland, our company stated that whole wheat sourdough bread was superior to normal whole wheat yeasted bread. This was taken badly by the organization of bakers, who sent both types of bread for scientific analysis of minerals, protein and carbohydrates. The result was an identical analysis. But in my opinion, there were certainly important differences, especially in the absorption of nutrients by our body. In my thinking of yin and yang, I noticed that people who eat yeasted bread like very much to eat it with cheese, whereas people who eat sourdough bread gradually cease to have this habit. My thinking was this: Yeast is extremely yin. (It grows rapidly.) So yeast binds minerals (yang) from the wheat and these minerals cannot be absorbed by the body. So although on eats whole wheat bread, one lacks minerals. One looks for an alternative, like cheese, to replenish minerals. Shortly after, a study was done on the process of fermentation. It was found that the yeast develops an acid and this acid binds itself with the minerals from wheat. So now it can be scientifically proven that the minerals are not well absorbed by the body. Result: eating yeasted bread can lead to a deficiency of minerals. This is just an example of how one can approach such a problem. Good digestion – and good absorption – is very important. In this sense, it is important that we eat pickles daily. We should learn again from old European and Asian traditions how to prepare a rich assortment of pickles. A food like sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) is valuable. Pickles consist of lacto-bacteria, which are important for our intestinal flora. It is also important to eat daily, fibre-rich green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, watercress, parsley, Chinese cabbage, kale... and the tops of root vegetables like carrot and daikon. These vegetables should be shortly cooked, crispy and eaten immediately. Only then is the vitamin C preserved. Leftovers don’t have this value. Other foods which gradually strengthen digestion are tempeh, natto, shoyu, whole wheat sourdough bread and, especially, miso. Those with a history of antibiotic use, a weak immune system, or candida infection, should take these foods more regularly.
It is interesting to note that the macrobiotic teachers who promote food supplements are usually those who travel a lot – hotel in, hotel out, airplane in, airplane out. In this way, they no longer experience macrobiotic home cooking and a regular metabolism. Those who travel like nomads look much more for instant food because not enough fresh food is eaten. Or only half the food is digested. This is also my experience when I travel too long and miss my homecooking. To satisfy their needs, frequent travelers adopt more extreme dietary patterns. They take more animal products, and often beer, coffee and other stimulants... as well as Japanese restaurant food. By eating animal products, one destroys the body’s mechanism for creating good digestion. Digestion becomes inactive. And this can lead to deficiencies. Good macrobiotic home cooking, prepared by one person high in ki energy, is the best way to recover exhaustive traveling.
Another point to consider is: How much nutrition do we need? Estimates of “recommended daily allowances” are based on modern eating patterns. People who have a slow metabolism – because of over intake of white sugar, dairy, eggs, meat and refined foods – need a lot more minerals, trace elements, etc. In fact, they need an overdose. But people with an efficient and flexible metabolism which is able to react alertly, normally don’t need large reserves. Our needs absolutely cannot be standardized in a list of minimum requirements. Deficiencies can temporarily be cured by food supplements. But the long term effects of intake of these isolated food supplements is, as I already mentioned, fully unclear.
What is the macrobiotic approach? In my opinion, a macrobiotic counselor should not try to act as a doctor or pharmacist by prescribing pills. Macrobiotic advice is to try, as much as possible, to achieve a natural way of life and a natural eating pattern. Through this, a person feels well instantly and also in the long term. Macrobiotic advice is based on self-discovery and self-confidence which makes a person clear and happy. Then he or she can change, like to change, and will to change his or her life and destiny. In order to realize the changes, we need a different food pattern, with specific cooking techniques. We also need fresh air, exercises, massage, compresses, singing, etc. Then we have to study and practice what we learn, to make the changes happen – because we want to change. If we don’t want to change ourselves, nothing can help us. Really nothing. No diet, no pills, no doctors... no food supplements. A symptomatic cure may help to postpone our decision to embrace life or to give up. That is people’s decision. All of us have to respect that. Because that is a spiritual question. But we should not stop in helping and inspiring others to change their minds and habits. Macrobiotic teaching is how to master your own life, how to become independent. A macrobiotic counsellor’s role is to try to change the “patient”, to change the mentality of being dependent. He or she is primarily a teacher, one who teaches how to cook, how to lead a macrobiotic way of life. We should study the teachings of George Ohsawa again:
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