A PROTEIN PROGRAM

In common conversation the protein component of our meals tends to take centre stage. If you ask 'What's for dinner tonight?' people will say "Chicken". What they mean is chicken plus vegetables plus other side dishes, but it is the chicken which is the central feature. The chicken is the protein - the other components of the meal - the vegetables and carbohydrates - are the side show.

Macrobiotics is not quite like that because it is, first and foremost, a grain-based cuisine. So in answer to the question, 'What's for dinner tonight?' the answer will be "rice" or "millet" or "barley" or some other whole grain. In cuisine macrobiotique the grain is centre stage and the other components of the meal are the accompaniments. This is as it should be. Whole grains are foundational. The meal is built around the grain. The grain is the main ingredient and the other elements of the meal are enjoyed in smaller amounts.

All the same, every square meal requires protein as well as grain. Certainly, whole grains contain some protein themselves, but it is incomplete. In general, every grain-based meal must also include an additional form of protein. There are narrow versions of macrobiotic dieting in which there is an extreme emphasis upon grains and very little protein, but this is really a type of selective fasting and can be dangerous if maintained for too long. The body needs protein. A "square meal" - meaning a full and wholesome meal suitable for a healthy person - will always include a starch (grain) and protein and additional vegetables.

In order to provide variety and to make planning easier during busy times I have often resorted to drawing up a program of protein components for the main meal of the day over the week or fortnight. The program includes protein foods from both plant and animal sources but with an emphasis on plant proteins - macrobiotics is a plant-based (but not plant-exclusive) cuisine. A typical program might look like this:

1. Adzuki beans
2. Tofu
3. Free range chicken
4. Lentils
5. Fish
6. Tempeh
7. Eggs
8. Chick peas
9. Shellfish
10. Mung

The challenge each day is to create a dish featuring the day's protein source. This is eaten in relatively small serves along with the grain of the day - the feature of the meal - and a good range of well-prepared vegetables.

Notes:

*Variety is the key. It can't be good to eat the same protein source too frequently. The idea is to mix it up. Macrobiotics - properly considered - embraces the full range of wholesome traditional foods. Balance and moderation are what are important. Too much meat eating is undoubtedly bad. But so too is too much  supposed "health food" and a one-sided narrow approach to healthy eating. Macrobiotic cuisine is diverse, nutritional, tasty and interesting.

*Tofu and tempeh should not be eaten too often. Many vegans and vegetarians over do it. Once a week for each is enough. These are beautiful traditional foods but too much of them can produce health problems.

*Different legumes have different protein profiles. It is good to eat a range of different legumes. In macrobiotics the smaller beans - adzuki and mung etc. - are preferred compared to the larger beans such as chick peas and kidney beans, but this is only a guiding principle, not a rule.

*Meals can also be accompanied by items that add extra proteins: nut sauces, miso soup etc.

*Some red meat (from a naturally farmed source) might be included now and then as a treat. The idea that red meat is "forbidden" in macrobiotics is erroneous. Nothing is forbidden. Although some people will choose not to eat meat for ethical or other reasons.