I recently received an email from one of my readers (hehe, love saying that!) asking about my balance of a Macrobiotic diet/ lifestyle in the crazy, busy, wonderful life I lead. First off, I should say that I have had a great exposure to incorporating Macrobiotics into daily life from the Spear family. Almost everything I have learned about balancing my meals, paying attention to how foods make me feel, self-treating, preparing for travel, adapting when eating out, etc… I have learned from them. I’ll sneak a little thank you in here… THANK YOU! :)

So, here is what I have learned:

1. Be prepared and pack lots of snacks. ;) I like tamari almonds, natural coconut bars, licorice bars, rice crackers, blue tortilla chips and hummus.
2. When you travel, carry on. Before I go on a trip, I will order in loads of food from my favorite Macro places or make a run through Whole Foods. I pack the leftovers in a little mesh cooler for my in-flight lunch or dinner.
3. The whole concept behind Macrobiotics is to eat a blanaced diet with whole and seasonal foods as a cornerstone. So when you are in different climates with different produce- those foods are that are in season there are the ones you should be eating. Also, always try to find organic and local produce.
4. When eating out pull the “intolerant” card. I will often ask if I can have a dish prepared without butter, cream or cheese stating that I am lactose intolerant.
5. I eat fish when I eat out. When I am at home it is easier to prepare macro meals with yummy veggies, brown rice and tofu, but when I am out my go-to move is to order the fish entre- altered to fit my “intolerant” needs. ;)

Macrobiotics is a lifestyle, although a large portion is centered around food. The thing is, it is very individualistic. The food part is important to me because I am very interested in that component and have an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. I stay away from processed foods, sugar, gluten, nightshade vegetables, meat and dairy because I know how it affects my body and how much better I feel without those foods.

In a way, being Macrobiotic subscribes me to being good to my body, and I don’t like to break the rules. If I am at a birthday party, I may have one bite of cake or I may stay away from it all together, knowing that I don’t need those ingredients cursing through my bloodstream.

I suppose that you may feel isolated and become weary of always having the chat about your “diet”, but truthfully I like being different, and I know that I am leading by example- hopefully inspiring others to look at how they treat their bodies too.

In my previous post about Macrobiotics I listed some helpful resources. Here are a few more. ;)

• Souen- my favorite Macro restaurant in NYC!
• Angelica’s Kitchen- another favorite, and they make the best desserts, and have a cookbook. ;)
• Luscious Organics- my Macro place in London.
• Eat Me Now! is the latest book by Melanie Waxman which is a how-to guide to being Macro in this busy world, complete with recipes.