The key to healing through macrobiotic foods is the Ph of the food matching the Ph of the body. Body's Ph is 7-10. Macrobiotic foods are 7-10 as well. The body has to take the Ph of any food outside this 7-10 ratio and bring it to 7-10 Ph. This takes energy. If a food is 7-10 Ph the body does not have to do anything to adjust. It can straight away make use of the energy from the digested food. The body's job is to keep the systems in optimal working order. If excess sugar, protein, fat, heavy metals, radiation, pharmaceuticals, etc are present, it is the body's job to eliminate these excesses. If the body has spent its energy adjusting foods to the body's Ph, it has used its energy and has less energy avaialble for keeping the body in optimal balance. This is a key reason Macrobiotic foods accomplish so much. Tremendous change occurs from the beginning of eating this program of foods. One usually notices changes right away.
Another aspect to the Macro Diet is the Yin-Yang balance. Yang energy has a contractive quality. It moves inward towards a center. Yin energy expands outward. In this expansion, there is an evaporation or a thinning quality to the matter. In regards to the body, this is a moving away from density. In the case of bones, as an example, yin foods will create a 'dispersing of the matter,' a breaking up, a lessening of density, therefore a weakening. Bones are a dense structural material. To disperse this density means to weaken the bone matter. This shows that highly yin foods (particularly sugar and processed foods) are not good for healthy bone structure.
Likewise, in order to cleanse an organ, a wringing action is needed. The same as wringing a washcloth, where one soaks the cloth in water and then wrings out of the cloth. Dirt will flow out of the cloth along with the excess water.
It is the same in our bodies. Too much yin creates weakness and the inability / lack of energy, to do the wringing, the cleansing.
Therefore many foods are eliminated in order to eliminate excess yin energy in the diet during the Healing Phase.
The foods that qualify for an effective Macrobiotic diet are grains, beans/legumes, ground vegetables and greens, salt, nuts & seeds, primarily.
Salt is a yang ingredient and is also a prime ingredient, a very potent ingredient. Too much salt creates excessive yang energy, which will create stiffness, hardness in the body. Too little salt will not give the body its due amount of yang energy. Salt is primarily taken in through the process of cooking grains & vegetables. It varies per individual. 1/4 tsp salt per cup of raw grain when cooking is recommended.
There are many techniques and details to learn along the way. One such is that in cooking grain one adds salt at the beginning of the process. Where in cooking beans/legumes, salt is added after the cooking process completes. Salt, being yang, will cause the bean to contract, which is why it is not included while cooking. Grains, which are to be cooked with salt, have a contracting energy when eaten. One will experience this effect, which seems to be part of the excess-weight loss and weight maintenance process of macrobiotic healing foods.
For those with any degree of extra points, excess-weight loss is generally a common result early on in the first months of eating Macro. After excess fats, proteins, sugars, heavy metals, etc are shed, a steady body weight will naturally be maintained as long as one continues with the Macro Healing Foods Program.
Ginger Compress is another necessity in order to truly heal through this system. A large pot of strong ginger tea is prepared. One soaks a towel in the hot ginger tea, wrings it out and places it on the colon, covered with blankets to conserve the heat. It is a half hour long process. Sixty four ginger compresses are required, up to four a week. The ginger root grows horizontally. Applying its energy through the skin enables the colon to be cleansed via ginger's horizontal movement. As one who came to this practice with severe ulcerative colitis, i can vouch for its positive healing effects.
For indepth comprehension of macrobiotic healing foods visit: www.alchemycalpages.com Kaare Bursell is the author of the website and is a gifted macribiotic counsellor, trained at the Kushi Institute, more than thirty years ago. Also author of the book The End of Medicine.