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Macrobiotic Diet

Macrobiotic means “long/great life”. It come from the greek words “makros” that means great or long and “bios” that means life. Macrobiotic diet is, therefore, considered more of a lifestyle than just a diet. It has its origin in Asian philosophies and it was developed by a Japanese educator named George Ohsawa whose theory was further expanded by another educator, Michio Kushi. Macrobiotic diet is more popular today than it was when it first came to the western countries in the 50's. A macrobiotic diet is predominantly vegetarian and emphasized consumption of whole grains, vegetables and beans. It is low in fat, high in fiber, antioxidants, cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and algae. It is a very flexible diet and has several obvious nutritional benefits. Vegans and vegetarians as well as people who enjoy taking care of themselves with food can easily adopt it.

Macrobiotic philosophy is guided by the principles of yin and yang which is, in simple words, the interrelationship between opposites. Yin and yang are complementary, interdependent and opposite forces, neither of which can exist without the other. For macrobiotics it is very important  to balance yin and yang in order to achieve health and vitality. This is a critical concept to Chinese  Philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Macrobiotics believe that our body reacts differently to different kinds of food which affects our state of health and well being.  Yin foods are cooling and calming while yang foods have opposite effects which increases body's heat and boost energy levels. So, ideally, it is best to eat a mix of both types of yin and yang foods to keep body and mind in balance. (Learn more here…)

In the Macrobiotic diet all the processed and refined foods are discouraged, but sea salt, soy sauce, ginger root, sesame seeds and umeboshi can be used to add flavour to a macrobiotic meal. Sodas and  all drinks containing caffeine and artificial sweeteners are not considered a good choice.  A macrobiotic diet is a strict whole-foods diet. It may sometimes include fish but not red meat, poultry or any dairy products. It is appealing to health-minded people who are practicing a holistic approach to physical and spiritual well-being. It primarily focuses on balancing yin and yang foods. A macrobiotic diet is based on simple dietary principles and avoidance of dangerous toxins that come from eating dairy products, meats, oily foods and refined sugars.

Food prepared according to the macrobiotic principles has been linked to reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and many chronic ailments. A macrobiotic diet has several nutritional benefits. It is a diet formulated around the belief that food, and the quality of food, has an affect on a person's life on a greater extent than most people realize. Followers of the macrobiotic diet believe that food not only affects physical health but also psychological and spiritual well being. The macrobiotic version of the Food Pyramid, indicates recommended daily intake at 40-60% whole grains, including brown rice, spelt, oats, whole wheat, millet and barley; 20-30% vegetables, including green leaves and root varieties; and 5-10% beans and bean products, including tofu, miso, tempeh and others.  Fish and seafood, seeds and nuts and seasonal fruits are allowed on a limited weekly basis. Macrobiotics is a healthy, holistic way of living a balanced lifestyle and its simple principles can be applied to every aspect of a modern and active life.

Raw Food Diet

A raw food diet plan consists in eating unprocessed and uncooked plant-based foods. It mainly includes fruits, vegetables and sprouted beans and it is extremely beneficial for boosting energy levels, lowering cholesterol, enhancing the overall look of the skin, reducing the risk of heart diseases, lowering bodyweight as well as decreasing the potential risk of developing cancers and diabetes. As we said, in the raw food diet the foods eaten are mainly plant-based, raw, unprocessed and uncooked.  If the food is heated, the temperature used is less than 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw-foodist believe that the nutritional value of the food is lost when cooked above the said temperature.  Most followers of the raw food diet are vegan, because they believe that animal products are unhealthy and/or unethical. 

Raw foods have such wonderful life energy and are extremely high in nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, vitamins and fiber. They include  good-bacteria  and other  micro-organisms  that positively affect the  immune system  and  digestion  by populating the  digestive tract  with beneficial intestinal flora. Raw foods are more easily digested and assimilated into our bodies than cooked or processed foods. Eating raw foods reportedly delivers more nutrients to the body and helps to keep the body's pH levels balanced and more alkaline.  When you follow a raw food diet  you will quickly start to feel a significant increase in energy.  You'll have energy from the minute you wake  up in the morning to the minute you go to sleep. Everything on you will start to shine with vibrant health. Chronic conditions developed after years of eating a meat-based diet laden with saturated fats, preservatives, artificial additives, hormones and antibiotics, will literally start to heal by themselves. Studies have shown that following a raw food diet long-term may reduce cholesterol levels and triglycerides, decrease hypertension, and dramatically reduce symptoms of some chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. 

A balanced raw food diet will also help you lose or maintain an ideal weight. Raw foods contains enzymes which aid digestion. These enzymes, which regulate the body's metabolic processes, are thought to be destroyed when food is cooked. Consuming food with no enzymes makes digestion more difficult and this can lead to some levels of blood toxicity which is considered to be one of the main causes of obesity and chronic disease. Research shows that switching to a diet of raw foods will immediately improve your health and it is considered to be one of the safest way of losing weight. A balanced raw food diet plan includes fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, sprouted beans and also a limited amount of processed foods like cold pressed olive oil, soy sauce, sauerkraut and a few more.

The raw food diet is obviously extremely healthy and besides boosting energy levels, it also improves skin appearance, digestive functions and reduce the risk of cardiovascular ailments. Many Hollywood stars use it to keep themselves looking young and vital on screen. After a few weeks on a raw food detox diet, you will look virtually 10 years younger, your skin will glow and your eyes will shine. Various studies demonstrate that cultures that eat primarily a raw food diet, have some of the longest documented life spans, like the Himalayan Hunza for example.  

A balanced raw food diet plan incorporates organic fresh foods as much as possible. Because raw foodist do not cook their foods, they will often lean toward more organically grown produce. This is mainly due to the increased use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers on conventionally grown produce. Today it’s fairly easy to find organic products on the shelves of many supermarkets and health stores in every country around the world.
A balanced raw food diet is actually fairly easy to follow but it does require some attention to your body and to the foods you'll be purchasing and preparing. The best way to approach raw foods is to gradually incorporate more and more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet. But you have to know how to do it right.  You need to get all the information available on the subject through specialized books and the interaction with people who are already 100% raw.
This will help you getting started smoothly and beside that, sharing your experience with others will make the transition much more enjoyable. Eating a raw food diet is healthy, restorative, cleansing and energizing, it enhances digestion, contributes to a natural detoxification of the body and promotes natural beauty, health and longevity.

Vegan Diet

The term vegan was coined in England in 1944 by the first Vegan Society and has its routes in 'Hinduism' which preaches that a 100% plant based diet is ideal for spiritual evolution. Without getting into spiritual matters, it is proven that a balanced vegan diet plan is healthier than an omnivorous diet.

A vegan diet plan does not contain any animal products which are particularly acid forming and contribute to cancers, osteoporosis, arthritis, gout, kidney problems and aging in general. It is also very low in saturated fat and produces significantly less free radicals than an omnivorous diet.

Vegans eat large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, pulses and nuts which are very high in all the nutrients required by the body, including carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other potent antioxidants which are anti-inflammatory and inhibit the oxidation of cholesterol in the blood stream reducing the risk of blood clot formation. According to recent studies following a balanced vegan diet plan can also reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and helps prevent many types of cancer. Research shows that death rates from cancer are dramatically lower in countries where diets are typically plant-based. Vegans have also a lower occurrence of heart disease than meat-eaters and report lessening of migraines and allergies. Women following a vegan lifestyle have less severe pre-menstrual syndrome than those on an imbalanced omnivorous diet. A vegan lifestyle definitely contributes to higher overall health and quality of life.  

Following a balanced vegan diet will put you at a healthy weight in no time due to the lower sugar and saturated fat intake. Eating a wide variety of leafy green vegetables, colourful fruits, nuts, beans and whole grains, which all contain high levels of essential nutrients such as vitamin A, C and E, will greatly improve the function of your immune system and sustain heart, skin, eyes and hair health. Whole plant foods also contain important phytonutrients that also act as antioxidants that can help prevent, if not reverse the aging process.

It is a challenge though going from being a meat eater to being vegan in our fast food culture. A transition from being vegetarian to being vegan is a bit easier due to similar healthy eating habits. Today, though, if you plan to switch to a vegan lifestyle you can easily find a wide range of alternatives to animal-based products that will help you with the transition and will make it an enjoyable experience. A balanced vegan diet plan will put you and your family on the right path to a healthier, happier and fulfilling life.

Vegetarian Diet

A true vegetarian diet consists mainly of plant-based foods and primarily focuses on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds,  while substantially reducing animal products. Today millions of people all around the world follow an healthy vegetarian lifestyle – some by choice, some by religion, some for health, some for the love of animals.  

Following a vegetarian diet plan has several health benefits. Compared to the general population vegetarians have a lower body mass index (BMI), lower cholesterol levels, reduced risk of diabetes and reduced risk of heart diseases.
Adopting a vegetarian diet plan for just a few days can reduced levels of toxicity in the blood. Nutritionists suggest that people on a plant-based diet may be able to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases just through simple dietary choices, such as limiting consumption of animal products like meats, dairy products and refined sugars. Research has also shown that, on average, people who follow an healthy vegetarian diet eat fewer calories and less saturated fat than meat-eaters and therefore tend to have lower body weight.

Each year  more and more people decide to switch to vegetarianism.  A vegetarian diet plan may seem boring and tasteless to most people, but it is anything but boring and it can be delicious!  Knowing all of the options can make it very worthwhile, especially when you know the benefits of a vegetarian diet over an omnivorous diet.
A vegetarian diet plan is distinguished from an omnivorous diet mostly by its lower content of animal derived proteins. For vegetarians an adequate amount of protein can be derived from multiple sources. Vegetables, whole grains, seeds, legumes and nuts contain nonessential and essential amino acid and alone can provide the necessary amount of amino acid that is needed by the body to build proteins. Some people, as a first step to vegetarianism, may choose to become ovo-lacto-vegetarians and continue to eat eggs and milk products, or  lacto-vegetarians and add dairy products to their vegetarian food. These take the place of meat and fish as the major source of proteins.

If you are a non-vegetarian and planning to switch over to vegetarianism you can easily find new products on the market that can help you make the transition from a meat-based diet an enjoyable experience. Change, however, can be challenging. The question is whether to make the transition gradually or to plunge in dramatically. Our own experience leads us to believe that a slower approach would be more likely to help you stay on the vegetarian path and be able, in this way, to get the best results for your health. You may start by removing all red meats from your diet and then gradually remove dairy, eggs, poultry and fish.  Those who choose to continue their journeys will eventually get to the stage where they eat only plant-based foods. Eating a vegetarian diet has always been a great way to be healthier, happier and have a more active and joyful life.

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and other herbals and botanicals substances and they are usually marketed in different  forms such as tablets, capsules, drinks, gelcaps, energy bars  and powders.
A healthy diet, rich in vitamins and minerals, have a great deal of impact on a healthy lifestyle. Vitamins are necessary ingredients needed by the body to grow healthy. But too often the reason people take supplements is because they lack important nutrients in their daily diet and they hope that vitamins and supplements will correct that imbalance.
The real problem here is that most people have a poor diet due to lack of nutritional education and therefore they rely on dietary supplement as primary source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other essential substances. We strongly believe that when you eat a healthy diet you do not need to take vitamins or any other kind of supplements. Good nutrition is vital to vibrant health and dietary supplements are just "supplements" and are not meant to replace an healthy diet. We are firmly convinced that no dietary supplement can ever replace a balanced diet and an healthy lifestyle.

Today hundreds of dietary supplements are available everywhere. The market is saturated with any type and forms of  supplements that claim to treat just about any symptom. The thing is that, due to the large number of different choices available and their range of uses, testing and regulation of these products is difficult and often ineffective. Testimonials of their effectiveness abound in all the media especially on the internet and that can be misleading for the consumer and create even more confusion.

Although the benefits of some dietary supplements have been documented, the claims of others may be unproven. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. To take full advantage of what nutritional supplements can offer, you must  choose the right one for you personal situation.  It is only by taking your choice seriously that you will be able to live a fuller and better life. So, choose well from now on and please keep in mind that vitamins and minerals are not intended to cure or prevent illnesses. Manufacturers can not legally say that dietary supplements can cure, treat, or prevent disease, but for commercial purposes they use very powerful and carefully worded marketing campaigns to suggest to consumers that the supplementation they provide can prevent or cure diseases. These are radical claims without solid evidence to back them up. Since the dietary supplements industry is not governed by any medical bureau, there is no way that these theories have been scientifically proven. Most of the nutritional supplements on the market are being used today without recommendation and sufficient evidence of improving health. It's a known fact that vitamins and minerals can help a person's overall well being but  there is also strong evidence that some of them can cause serious harm if not taken with the right precautions. Vitamin overdose, for instance, can be very dangerous.

People with illnesses or those on a weight loss diet often require dietary supplements to ensure they get the required amount of minerals, vitamins,  amino acids ,enzymes and other nutrients. Most, however, take dietary supplements to boost their energy levels or just hoping for optimum overall health. All the informations here provided are not intended as  medical advice or endorsement of the use of dietary supplements. We advise to always  talk to your doctor or health practitioner before taking any herbs, vitamin or any other supplement. All  herbs, drugs, and other substances have potential side effects. When considering alternative treatments, it is always better to work with your healthcare advisor to investigate the scientific validity and safety of these treatments. It is our strong opinion that serious certification procedures should be adopted by the dietary supplements industry in the interest of public health.