The Yin and Yang of it

Yesterday for dinner, we had miso soup with tofu, wakame, and carrots. We also had a lovely salad of bibb lettuce, rice vinegar, raspberries, and sunflower seeds. As I was pondering today's post, however, I was wondering how good a job at this macro stuff we are really doing. When we started out, we read up on the "yin and yang" and the "acid vs. alkaline" principles of macrobiotics - however, as with any diet, we've kind of sunk into a pattern of making things that we have enjoyed - miso soup, rice, a lot of beans, and steamed vegetables. Of course, we throw in some variety here and there with some tempura-fried vegetables, a few more sea vegetables, or a recipe from one of our newly-acquired macro-cookbooks. Going back to the drawing board to get a sense of where we are at seems appropriate.

I discovered that -- although our eating habits are much better than they were pre-macro, we have definitely fallen into a slump that probably would disappoint any macro-counselor that we brought into our kitchen. Now that our bodies aren't adjusting to the new diet as much, we could probably stand to watch the principles of macrobiotics a little more closely - beginning with more balanced meals. Macrobiotics really centers around keeping the body's blood slightly alkaline so that it can do its best job of healing and keeping us healthy. Our society and the food we typically eat as Americans (especially) contributes to blood that is higher in acidity, which is taxing on the organs of our body that neutralize acid -- the kidneys and lungs. The acid eventually weakens our organs and internal systems, and infections, inflammation, and disease can easily make little nests inside of us. Protein, fat/oil, simple sugar and refined carbohydrate are acid-forming. So -- even though we are macrobiotic, if we aren't preparing meals that focus on alkalinity, we may not be getting the full benefits of a macrobiotic lifestyle. Because the whole grains we are eating are high in protein, they could be acidic if not prepared correctly, or not complimented with macro-veggies like sea vegetables, condiments, and other vegetables. So -- it's all about balance, and I'm certain that we could do a better job of making sure that our daily meals are balanced.

Of course - it's all about the journey, and we're making progress... But it's also important to be constantly assessing where we are in that progress & how we can get better. We'll keep you posted. As always -- if you have ideas or suggestions on how to "spice it up" a bit, please comment!