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How to Avoid the Possible Negative Side Effects of a Macrobiotic Diet

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(2 Ratings)

The restrictive food boundaries contained in a macrobiotic diet can sometimes lead to negative side effects. Any food plan with ultra-strict requirements can leave your body deficient of the vitamins and minerals that it also needs. Avoid the pitfalls of a macrobiotic diet by balancing the right amount of nutrients in your diet and taking supplements when warranted.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Calcium supplements
  • Vitamin B-12
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Chickpeas
  • Whole breads
  • Organic produce
  1. Step 1

    Take healthy steps to get the correct amount of nutrients in your system, even while following a stringent macrobiotic diet. This is imperative for children who must have essential nutrients for growth and proper function of the body's mechanisms. Achieving a well-balanced macrobiotic diet is quite possible if you consume enough calcium, protein, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.

  2. Step 2

    Get enough calcium in your diet. Macrobiotic diet plans call for limited amounts of dairy products. If you do not want a lot of animal milk in your diet, eat leafy green vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Some strict vegetarians take dietary supplements if they do not meet the daily calcium requirements through their foods. If you lack calcium in your diet, you might have side effects like a low supply of bone calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis. Other ways to increase your calcium supply is through calcium-enriched orange juice, soy drinks and tofu.

  3. Step 3

    Infuse the proper amounts of zinc in your overall macrobiotic diet plan. Most people with vegetarian lifestyles have normal levels of zinc, but some do not get the recommended dietary allowances for this substance. If your system lacks the right amount of zinc, you could have trouble healing, poor skin quality and a weak immune system. While on a macrobiotic diet, you should avoid such side effects by consuming pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and whole breads.

  4. Step 4

    Avoid some of the initial macrobiotic diets that encouraged getting your food resources primarily from grains. Some modern dietitians feel that this could lead to nutritional deficiencies. Instead, buy a wide variety of organic produce as well as grocery products. Additionally, a macrobiotic lifestyle governs cooking meals as freshly as possible, never microwaved.

  5. Step 5

    See both the positive and negative sides of the story to better understand balancing a macrobiotic lifestyle. For food and nutrition information, macrobiotic articles, studies, books and links, check out RevolutionHealth.com (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings
  • If following a strict macrobiotic diet while breast feeding, your baby could have possible negative side effects. In some cases, the infant should be administered a formula or vitamin B-12 supplements to make up for the lack of vitamins and calcium that might be deficient in your diet.

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