What is Macrobiotics?

yin and yang

yin and yang

The word from Greek = Macro – big   Big-life   Tics – skills

It is a way of life, embracing natural, seasonal, local, organic foods and balancing our physical, mental (emotional), and spiritual states.

What Is Macrobiotics?

The word “Macrobiotics” comes from Greek.

  • Macro means “large” or “long”

  • Bio means “life”

  • Tic refers to “study” or “way”

Together, macrobiotics means “the wisdom of living a long and meaningful life.”

Macrobiotics is often described as a dietary therapy, but in its essence, it is a philosophy of living.
It is based on the ancient Chinese principle of yin and yang, which helps guide us toward balance and harmony with the laws of nature and the universe.


Living in Harmony with Nature

Eating is a large part of our daily lives.
Through food, macrobiotics invites us to look more deeply at what it truly means to live.

Macrobiotics encourages us to live in accordance with nature—
to listen to the seasons, our environment, and our own physical and emotional conditions, and to make choices that support balance.


The Basics of a Macrobiotic Diet

The foundation of a macrobiotic diet is brown rice as a staple food,
with vegetables, pickles, and dried foods as side dishes.
It is a simple, traditional way of eating that has been practiced in Japan for generations.

Based on its own yin-yang principles, macrobiotics considers the balance of ingredients, cooking methods, portions, and food combinations.

In general, macrobiotic eating includes the following characteristics:

  • Whole grains such as brown rice, other grains, and whole wheat products as staple foods

  • Primarily plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains, beans, and sea vegetables
    (organically grown and naturally farmed foods are preferred)

  • Eating foods that are grown locally and are in season whenever possible

  • Avoiding refined sugar, and using natural sweeteners such as rice syrup, amazake, beet sugar, or maple syrup instead


What Macrobiotics Means to Me

For me, macrobiotics is not only about food—it is a way of life.

Through the concept of yin and yang, I have learned about impermanence:
that everything in life is constantly changing.

Macrobiotics has taught me to observe these changes, accept them, and find balance within them—
through daily meals, emotions, choices, and the way I live my life.

It is a path that helps reconnect us with ourselves and with nature.

Love, Sanae❤️