How to Prepare Winter Macrobiotic Diet Meals

Macrobiotic diets are guided by changing seasons, by climate. Yin and Yang, cold and warm weather and, therefore, foods are used to establish adaptability with seasons. Winter introduces a change to cold (Yin/expansive) and, so, to heated and heavier foods (Yang/contractive). Food is energy (Ch'i). Human beings are Ch'i. Life is Ch'i. Ancient principles of balance, Yin and Yang, guide food selection and preparation.

Things You'll Need

• List of local produce growers
• Whole grains
• Legumes, such as lentils
• Sea salt and sea veggies
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Winter squashes
• Potatoes and other root vegetables
• Cabbage, carrots, apples
• Miso
• Tofu
• Sweet rice, millet
• Macrobiotic recipes

Instructions

Warming the Whole Being in Winter

1. 

   Fill your home with delicious aromas. The heat waves are over now. Most trees are bare of leaves. North winds seem to cut through clothing to the bone. It's time to light the home fires, bring out the stew pot and the pressure cooker. Settle in for the Winter.

2. 

   Warm your whole being during Winter's Yin/expansive climate. Now is the time for root vegetables, Winter squashes and flavorful breads. Harmony in Winter comes from balancing the cold and expansive properties that can leave you feeling "spaced out" or stressed.

3. 

   Gather foods for the hearth. Your shopping list could include root vegetables, pumpkins, beans, cereals. Stock up on heavier grains such as sweet rice, mochi and millet, as well as food with a stronger, more concentrated qualities. Round vegetables, pickles, and grains such as millet, buckwheat and brown rice serve as excellent staples and fresh macrobiotic foods for Winter.

4. Enjoy a bubbly stew, cooked for hours with fresh herbs, fresh baked bread for dipping. The family gathers around the table, curtains drawn against the early nightfall and a sudden icy blast. Discover what macrobiotic devotees mean by harmony

5. .

Tips & Warnings

• Begin a Yoga practice, or Tai Ch’i

• Consider meditation, macrobiotic eating is a lifestyle

• You might begin a garden to harvest your seasonal fresh foods.

• Sign up for a Macrobiotic cooking class at a local organic grocer or community college.

• Adjust gradually to macrobiotic eating.

• Consult a health care practitioner before changing diets.

Resources

• Macrobiotic Cooking
• The World's Healthiest Foods
• Macrobiotic Overview
• About Ginger and Garlic