What is macrobiotics?
It comes from the Greek. It means great life or long life and its inventor was George Ohsawa (1893-1966). We are going to find out what kind of foods are part of the macrobiotic diet and we are going to focus, above all, on some tips for preparing macrobiotic breakfasts.
Think positive: It will help us to better adapt to the new macrobiotic breakfasts. And, instead of thinking I can’t eat this or that, we can choose to contemplate the new food alternatives that appear in our lives.
Gratitude: Thank the circumstances of life for having brought these foods to our plates. Think about how many people and how many phenomena have had to happen for food to reach our hands. This is called interdependence . We all depend on each other.
A balanced diet
Macrobiotics advocates a balanced diet and, like other diets, gives special importance to breakfast. We are going to know what foods this diet is based on, which becomes a philosophy of life. Based:
- Whole grains.
- Natural products from organic farming (as far as possible).
- Seasonal vegetables and fruits.
- To be able to be close.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Began.
- Plant-based protein.
In keeping with:
- Seasons.
- The weather.
- Other environmental factors.
What is it based on?
- Apply the principles of yin and yang: balance, harmony and change
- It encourages us to take responsibility for our health, well-being and happiness; harmonizing with the cosmos and nature. (It is very important to be aware of this, since it is a common tendency to want to seek happiness in others, in objects or far from our surroundings. After all, it is in our hands to decide and forge our own happiness through our thoughts, actions and relationships with the world and others).
- Create good eating habits.
- Choose healthy options.
- Lifestyle that nourishes the spirit, and not just the body.
- Provides the body and cells with essential micronutrients for optimal performance, and prevents the unnecessary accumulation of toxins.
Why have breakfast?
The correct macrobiotic breakfasts promote the energy to wake us up, activate the metabolism and prepare us to separate from our families and face the real world (work, school, physical activity…).
Think of the birds when they leave the nest to go find food for the chicks.
If breakfast is of this quality, the energy we will obtain will be in harmony with the nature of things, and we will be able to carry out our tasks with ease.
Take your time for breakfast and do something afterwards, before starting work . Isn’t it hateful to get up shotgunned, without breakfast and go directly to work? Changing this habit can be very beneficial to be more productive and creative. It will also give you the opportunity to go more relaxed throughout the day.
If you work from home, do something after breakfast before you jump right into work. This will allow you to be more creative and keep your motivation higher throughout the day.
Typical macrobiotic foods
- Miso (to season soups and make vinaigrettes, mixing it with ume vinegar or with another type of vinegar).
- Tamari or soy sauce (to season and make vinaigrettes).
- Umeboshi (to season rice balls, traditionally, or other cereals; or to take at the beginning of meals to facilitate digestion).
- Umeboshi vinegar (to dress vegetables or salads or to drink after meals).
- Gomasio (to season salads, soups or stir-fries).
- Kuzu (to thicken soups and broths, for baking, to treat colds).
- Algae (for soups, stir-fries, stews, salads, smoothies…).
- Lotus root (can be obtained in powder form. Highly recommended to cure colds and to treat weakness and tiredness).
- Rice molasses (to sweeten our preparations).
- Green tea (bancha or kukicha).
- Legumes (azuki).
- Tempeh or seitan (as sources of vegetable protein).
Macrobiotic breakfasts for the different seasons of the year
Depending on the season of the year, we can choose between breakfasts:
- Salty.
- Sweet.
- liquids.
- dried.
Macrobiotic breakfasts for winter Breakfasts with more fluids (to help the kidneys work better).
Examples:
- Miso soups. Cut the vegetables into large pieces and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Porridges of different whole grains (millet, oats, rye, brown rice, spelled…).
- Millet porridge, with plums and wakame. A cup of green tea kukicha or bancha. Steamed celery with carrot and umeboshi vinegar and gomasio.
- Pumpkin soup with azuki and wakame. A cup of Kukicha green tea.
- Miso soup with Saraceno wheat noodles (soba) with, tofu and wakame. A cup of green tea kukicha or bancha.
Macrobiotic breakfasts for summer Dryer breakfasts. If we include vegetables, they can be raw, or sautéed with water or lightly steamed. The cuts in this case have to be thinner and finer, julienne type.
Examples:
- Whole-wheat toast (if possible, yeast-free and made with sourdough).
- Sautéed cereals and vegetables (whole grain rice, quinoa, spelled…).
- Rice crackers.
- Galettes (buckwheat pancakes).
- Smoothies or fruit and vegetable juices with algae to accompany any of the above options.
- Wholemeal bread toasts made without yeast and sourdough or rice crackers, with beetroot hummus and pumpkin seeds. A cup of green kukicha or bancha tea. A bowl of vegetable broth (carrot, celeriac, wakame, and ginger) with miso.
- Oatmeal and nori cookies. A cup of green kukicha or bancha tea. Steamed carrot and turnip seasoned with umeboshi vinegar and miso.
- Brown rice cooked with almond milk and cinnamon. Avocado, melon and spinach smoothie with spirulina.
- Brown rice sushi with avocado, spring onion and carrot. A cup of green tea kukicha or bancha. A bowl of miso soup (turnip, carrot and cabbage).
- Galettes (buckwheat pancakes) with tahini and maple syrup or brown rice molasses. A cup of green tea kukicha or bancha. Pear and apple compote with ginger and cinnamon.
And the rest of the year?
Autumn is the season to strengthen the immune system. We can use the same winter recipes.
Include in the diet often:
- Ginger.
- She.
- Onion.
- Shitake.
Spring is the season of the year that we dedicate to purifying the liver. We can use summer recipes.
Include in the diet often:
- Lemon juice.
- She.
- artichokes.
- Purifying infusions (with rosemary, black radish, artichoke…).
