SANE MACROBIOTICS

It was put to me recently that there are a high proportion of "nuts" in the macrobiotic fraternity. The person who reported this had ventured online and had delved into various macrobiotic websites or blogs, or rather one in particular, and found it... well... "nutty". That is to say, paranoid, extremist, immoderate, given to bizarre theories, and so on. What reply did I have to this, they wondered?

My reply: yes, there are plenty of crazy types who hang out on the fringes of contemporary macrobiotics, just as there are on the fringes of, say, the raw food movement, or similar alternative food movements. It is an unfortunate fact of life. In fact, there is no shortage of crazy people in just about any walk of life, and macrobiotics is no exception. So, yes, you will find health nuts, food puritans, conspiracy theorists et al. among the macrobiotic fraternity. 

The best antidote to this is simply to read widely. Don't stop at one website. Explore further. There are a wide range of opinions and a wide range of temperaments out there. Do not judge macrobiotics by just one website or by one book. Be suspicious of people who say their way is the only way. Be prepared to encounter crazies, yes, but if you look deeper you will find plenty of sane, sensible, sincere people who advocate and enjoy this type of cuisine. Avoid extremists. Use common sense. 

That is the best advice. If someone tells you to eat nothing but brown rice as a means to communicating with higher intelligences from outer space - get another opinion! 

Hopefully, you will find an eminently sane and sensible approach to macrobiotic food on this present blog. Over the years, and through much reading, I have learnt to avoid extremes, to embrace compromises and to find a middle path to health and delicious macrobiotic cooking. For a start, I distinguish between macrobiotic cuisine and macrobiotic therapeutics. The therapeutic side of macrobiotics may sometimes seem extreme - but that is because it is for sick people. For example, fasting on nothing but brown rice may be useful for someone who is sick. But it is not a recommended practice for a healthy person and it is not part of macrobiotic cuisine. The cuisine is rich, varied, healthy and beautiful - not extreme at all. There are always fanatics who will try to impose their extreme views on things - avoid them and seek out sane voices.