The macrobiotic diet was first devised at the end of the 19th century by a Japanese army doctor called Sagen Ishizuka, who established a theory of nutrition and medicine based on a mixture of the traditional Oriental diet together with the basis of Western medical sciences. Sagen Ishizuka recommended a traditional Japanese diet, consisting mainly of whole, unrefined foods, with very little or no milk or animal foods.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, George Ohsawa a nutrition educator, who believed that simplicity was the key to optimal health further refined the diet recommended by Sagen Ishizuka and gave the diet a name – the Macrobiotic diet.

Macrobiotic is derived from Greek – macro means big, while biotic means life, so together this word means big or long life, which is the reason why the diet was started, to help extend life and promote better health.

The basics of the macrobiotic diet are:

• Wholegrains make up around 50-60% of daily food intake
• Vegetables make up approximately 25-30% of daily food intake
• Beans and legumes make up 10% of the daily food intake
• Fish or seafood is allowed 2-3 times a week
• Seasonal fruit, nuts and seeds are included several times each week
• Include 1-2 cups of soup (preferably miso) each day
• Low sugar, low fat desserts are allowed 2-3 times a week
• Organics are recommended as much as possible
• Diet is based on local climate, season, age, gender, health, activity