In order to achieve Yin – Yang balance you must avoid eating only extremely Yin foods, extremely Yang foods, as well as processed foods with artificial colors, flavors, additives, and preservatives.

Yin foods are – sugars, chocolate, fruits and raw vegetables that grow above soil, juices and alcohol.

Yang foods are all animal foods – eggs, dairy, meat products and fish, as well as cooked root vegetables, coffee, and hot spices.

The macrobiotic diet is low in fat and rich in fiber, and recommends plenty of healthy foods, such as:

Wholegrain foods (50-60% of daily food intake) – brown rice, barley, millet, oats, corn, rye, whole wheat, and buckwheat are considered to be the most balanced Yin-Yang foods.

Brown rice is wholegrain, because retains the bran and germ. It is rich in fiber and more nutritious than white rice.

Fresh vegetables(25-30% of daily food intake) – kale, collard greens, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, turnip root and greens, onion, daikon (white or Chinese radish), acorn squash, butternut squash, and pumpkin.

Two to three times per week you can also eat celery, iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, snow peas, and string beans.

Sea vegetables – wakame, hijiki, kombu, and nori, are rich in vitamins and minerals, and are easily added at each meal.

Beans(5-10% of daily food intake) – adzuki beans, chickpeas, lentils, and tofu.

Soy products – they are also essential to macrobiotic diet because they contain phytoestrogens, which are believed to lower the risk of breast cancer and to prolong life of patients suffering from cancer.

Soups and broths - containing miso (soy bean paste), vegetables and beans 1 or 2 bowls a day.

Fresh fish – halibut, flounder, cod, or sole a few times per week.

Fruits – you can eat pears, peaches, apricots, grapes, berries, and melons several times weekly, avoiding tropical fruits like pineapples and mangoes.

Nuts, seeds – moderate consumption.

Cooking Oil – the most commonly used one is dark sesame oil, as well as light sesame oil, corn oil, and mustard seed oil.

Flavorings – natural sea salt, brown rice vinegar, tamari soy sauce, grated ginger root, fermented pickles, roasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions can be used to flavor foods.

Sweeteners – brown rice syrup and barley malt.

Fluid intake – teas made from roasted grains, dandelion greens and the cooking water of soba noodles. You must use purified water for teas, drinking and cooking, but must avoid teas with aromatic fragrances or caffeine.

How to prepare the foods

It’s essential for the macrobiotic diet how you cook the foods and the manner you eat them. It’s recommended not to use a microwave oven to for food preparation and to cook rice in a pressure cooker. You must chew food completely and eat it in relaxed manner and posture.

Vegetables should be lightly steamed, sautéed or baked with a small amount of cooking oil. 1/3 of the vegetables should be eaten raw.