The Macrobiotic Diet: Long-Life Diet or Risky PseudoScience?

In examining the many fad diets that are out there with various levels of fleeting popularity, I occasionally come across one that actually makes some sense. At first glance, the Macrobiotic Diet looks like one of these. The word macrobiotic comes from the Greek words for long life and is supposedly based on the traditional diets of some of the world's longest lived peoples. Now don't get me wrong, Macrobiotics pioneer, George Ohsawa, makes some claims that are wrong-headed. He suggests that smoking tobacco is good for the lungs, for example. I certainly don't believe that or recommend that anyone smoke anything. Clean air is good for the lungs without a doubt, and there is no need to take chances beyond that.

Health Risks of the Macrobiotic Diet

The Macrobiotic Diet does have some serious shortcomings for the average person. Without careful planning of your diet, it is possible, even likely that you may become seriously deficient in some important and life-sustaining nutrients. Earlier forms of the Macrobiotic Diet, especially the version proposed by Ohsawa in his book Zen Macrobiotics, had several stages that ultimately led one to a diet consisting entirely of grains. It is virtually impossible to get proper nutrition on a grain only diet, and there were reports of practitioners contracting diseases such as scurvy (since the diet eschewed fruits), and even dying of malnutrition.

Let me be clear here, I do not advocate many of the teachings of George Ohsawa. He had some pretty silly notions. In my opinion, the "advanced" stages of the diet are clearly not conducive to long life or even maintaining basic health. The early stages of the Macrobiotic Diet suggests that we avoid highly processed foods, eat whole grains, green leafy vegetables, "round" foods like brussel sprouts, squash, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions, and roots such as carrots, radishes, and parsnips. It recommends fish 2-3 times a week, 1-2 cups of seeds and nuts each week, and fresh fruit. That's almost good advice. However, on such a diet, it will be difficult to make sure one gets enough protein, B complex vitamins, iron, and some other important nutrients. So a doctor's assistance and supplementation would be needed.

Michio Kushi, Prominent Macrobiotic Diet Teacher

The Macrobiotic Diet has ten stages each with increasingly severe food restrictions leading ultimately to a cereal/ grain only diet. At the point where fruit is removed from the diet (the fourth stage), the Macrobiotic Diet and I must part ways. There is simply no need to take risks with such highly radical and potentially dangerous diets. Advocates of the advanced Macrobiotic Diet claim that it has incredible healing powers and can prevent and cure all manner of ills. However, one of the leading proponents, Michio Kushi, an early student of Ohsawa's, had surgery for colon cancer in 2004. While he claimed that his busy life preventing him from following the Macrobiotic Diet that he taught to others, we should note that colon cancer is often, though not always, associated with a poor diet and lack of exercise.

Kushi's relatives continue to be active in promoting the Macrobiotic Diet. Here is a statement from one of Michio Kushi's sons, Phiya Kushi, now the Executive Director of the Kushi Institute, published on the website macrobiotics.co.uk: "Personally, if I were forced to choose, I prefer to rely on the dynamic systems of yin/yang logic and chaos theory rather than function analysis or statistical probability in explaining and predicting the outcomes and results of phenomena." This statement alone waves a big red flag for me. He seems to be saying that any statistically based study of the health outcomes for followers of the Macrobiotic Diet is invalid. I can think of one, and only one, reason why a man who makes a good living by promoting the Macrobiotic Diet might make such a statement.

How to Choose a Healthy Diet

When you are examining diets designed to improve your health and lower your risk of disease, don't base your decision on such things as celebrity endorsements, mysticism, or convoluted logical arguments about good energy, bad energy, and the diet of the caveman. There is very solid, verifiable evidence about many aspects of nutrition. There are things proven again and again to work, and work reliably, without risk of malnutrition or other diet related maladies. Generally, these safe and effective diets are not patented, don't require large expenditures of your money, and don't require a suspension of disbelief. Diets like the Mediterranean Diet have been proven over and over again to provide a healthy and nutritious plan for lowering your risk of disease and increasing your chances for longevity. Use your head, consult with a doctor, and make sure whatever you try has been thoroughly studied and evaluated. I don't recommend the Macrobiotic Diet, even its lower stages, when there are so many proven alternatives.