“Macrobiotics is living in accordance with nature and its changes”

Michio Kushi was a small and expressive mansmiling look. Born in Japanson of teachers, but lived for more than six decades in the United States.

Without his work perhaps today in the West we would still not know what macrobiotics isthe diet of which he was a great promoter.

Macrobiotics proposes promote physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the human being through a natural diet based on the balance of yin and yang.

The term comes from the Greek and could translate as “great life”. It was coined in the fifties by George OhsawaJapanese thinker from whom Kushi would learn.

Ohsawa had overcome tuberculosis after putting into practice a diet based on whole grains, exercise and a simple life in contact with nature.

Michio Kushi he met Avline his first wife, in the Ohsawa courses. They moved to the United States and his ideas were not long in attract the hippy movement in their search for alternatives to the established system.

His Boston home became the Mecca for followers of natural food and artists of the moment. The demand for Japanese products led them to open stores, various academies, foundations and the Kushi Institute, with subsidiaries in several European cities. And between the two they wrote more than a hundred books about macrobiotics. From Cuerpomente we had the opportunity to talk to him. We reproduce here his wise words

discovering macrobiotics

– Could you explain in a few words what macrobiotics is?
– Macrobiotics is living in accordance with nature and its changes. Human beings and nature are inseparable. Therefore, when nature changes, so must the human being. And nature is constantly changing. Hence, diet is fundamental, because food modifies the composition of our blood, but it also affects how we are and how we think.

We have to ask ourselves what we should eat. And we can choose, we have a conscience to choose, but to do it well we need to understand the laws that govern nature.

– And what should we eat?
– The tools of macrobiotics to know what should be eaten and what is not yin and yang. Neither yin nor yang are harmful in themselves but a balance must be sought in the diet. Now, macrobiotics is not a rigid or closed system. The choice of food depends on the weather. Living here in the Mediterranean is not the same as living in New England, where I live, or in Japan. The food is different because the climate and tradition are different.

It has to be carefully adapted to each site, knowing that what is essential, what we could call a standard macrobiotic diet, is to eat balanced foods appropriate to our needs. That is to say: whole grains, which must be the basis of the diet; vegetables from organic farming; legumes, seeds… Food must be processed in traditional ways -such as fermented-, and both fats and proteins should preferably come from vegetable sources. Those of animal origin should be reduced to a minimum.

– You studied political science and law in Tokyo. How did you come to macrobiotics?
– I lived through World War II when I was very young. I was recruited in the last two months and the Hiroshima disaster shocked me so much that I decided that I had to dedicate my life to peace. At the end of the war I began to study international law and attended a conference organized by the World Union of Federalists of the United States. There was George Ohsawa, who had created an association in Tokyo by then, and I attended some of his classes.

I was very surprised. I didn’t understand why, unlike the others, he didn’t talk about politics or world governments, but about food. For him, food was essential not only to prevent illness but also to calm the mind. He still did not speak of “macrobiotics”, but he already said that changing the diet could build a more peaceful society.

– Did he convince you?
– I went to New York still with the idea that a global federal government had to be created, so I continued working along those lines. But little by little doubts arose. I began to wonder if that would solve problems like prejudice, discrimination, hate or anger. I met with federalists like Albert Einstein, Norman Cousins… They all agreed that in order for peace to last, human nature had to be improved, but they didn’t know how to do it. So I decided to drop out of school and dedicated myself to people watching. I spent two and a half months observing, investigating…

– What did you discover?
– I understood what Ohsawa meant: it’s the environment and what we eat that make us who we are. And I began to wonder: if food makes us who we are, what food should we eat? This is how I began the journey towards macrobiotics.

Macrobiotics to gain sensitivity

– I assume you started by trying the macrobiotic diet yourself. Did you experience any significant changes?
– I felt better physically, without a doubt, but also my memory improved. Not only did I remember more things about childhood or adolescence, but I also became more sensitive and inclined towards the natural world. He perceived better the sounds, the water, the air. Also the invisible world, the vibrations, the subtle. And as my diet improved, as I ate more grains, less protein, I noticed that I became more sensitive to the way others felt and thought.

– You helped to popularize macrobiotics in the United States in the sixties. Had it already been popular in Japan?
– In Japan it was only known by a minority but in the United States nobody knew or practiced it. We started by promoting a natural and organic diet, teaching other ways of cooking. We introduced whole foods, tofu, miso… We helped popularize shiatsu, acupuncture…

– Are there some issues in which macrobiotics may have anticipated modern science?
– Yes. First: whole grains are the basis of human nutrition. Second: proteins must come more from vegetables than from animals: legumes, tofu, tempe… Third: you must consume less refined foods and more natural and unprocessed foods. Fourth: we must return to organic food, not chemically treated. Fifth: trade makes it possible to eat any food anywhere in the world; Other ways of eating are exported, but also diseases. It is important to respect one’s own gastronomic tradition and return to a more local diet. The climate is different: the needs are different.

– Do you propose not to eat food from other countries?
– In temperate zones, the diet must be different from that of extreme climates. While in very cold climates more food of animal origin can be incorporated and in very hot climates it is convenient that the base be vegetable, in temperate zones more of the standard diet can be applied. That is why if you eat food from other countries, it should be from the same climatic strip. By eating seasonal foods that have grown where we live, we are adapting to the environment and balancing…

This does not mean that preparations from other countries cannot be adopted. The United States is the main producer of soybeans in the world and until a few years ago it did not produce tofu or other derivatives! He grew a legume that is an excellent source of plant protein, yet he based his protein intake on meat. And humans need very little animal protein!

The influence of yin and yang

– Macrobiotics applies the concepts of yin and yang to the nature of food and disease. To what extent is it inspired by traditional Chinese medicine?
– Although inspired by Chinese medicine, macrobiotics makes a slightly different interpretation of yin and yang. Actually, these concepts arose about three thousand years ago in China, but before that there were other similar ones throughout the Far East. For Chinese medicine, yin is stillness, inactivity, the negative pole, while yang is movement, activity, the positive pole. For macrobiotics, yin is, above all, expansion, and yang, contraction. These are principles that apply to everything from politics to chemistry, and not just to medicine and health.

– How do they apply to health?
– Knowing that yin is expansion and yang is contraction, we can promote or compensate these processes. The expansion becomes more yin if yin foods such as spices, carrots, sugar…

– It is said that the macrobiotic diet mitigates the ups and downs of mood and attention. Does it have to do with your commitment to complex carbohydrates?
– Indeed, whole grains, legumes and vegetables are absorbed by the body gradually, while sugar and refined ones are burned quickly. This combustion affects the mood, which remains more or less stable depending on the type of carbohydrates we eat.

The slower the absorption of sugars, as in whole grains, the calmer the mind remains.

Stay away from harmful foods

– Is sugar and honey not recommended for this reason?
– Yes, especially white sugar. The problem with honey is that it also easily turns into fat in the body. Taking it once or twice a month would be enough… Products with greater sweetening power are more recommended, such as cereal malts: rice, barley, maple syrup… Even so, there are other ways to satisfy your sweet tooth: chestnuts, pumpkin and many other vegetables are sweet. All this is important, because the consumption of simple sugars is related to hypoglycemia.

– Why doesn’t macrobiotics recommend eating nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants or potatoes?
– Because they contain certain acids that weaken the blood. There are some arthritis, those that are accompanied by weakness and tiredness, which may be due to an excessive consumption of nightshades. In arthritis that is characterized more by stiffness, the problem usually comes from an excessive consumption of chicken, eggs and shellfish.

– And why do you advise against raw fruits and vegetables?
– He does not advise against them. There is a minority of macrobiotics that makes an interpretation perhaps too rigid, but raw fruits and vegetables are perfectly acceptable. In any case, there will be people who want to eat more and others who want less… depending on the climate of the place where they live and their own health.

– Could the Mediterranean diet be considered compatible with the macrobiotic diet?
– Yes. In fact, the Mediterranean diet could be included within the macrobiotic diet, although some aspects could be improved. It should include more organic food. Olive oil, despite being good, is used in excess. Should also…