The Summer Food Philosophy program will (hopefully) give you lots of inspiration and motivation to Love Your Life Style even more (if you already love it) and set your wheels in-motion (if you need a kick start).

Here, I present to you The Macrobiotic Lifestyle which focuses on the “Big” Picture of Living in order to Fine Tune your Health, Happiness, and Well-being.

Definition by the Kushi Institute:

Macrobiotics is a system that can be used to create extraordinary health, through using both traditional wisdom & modern knowledge to ascertain the underlying causes of an individual’s current health challenges, and make adjustments to their food and lifestyle choices that support health improvement. Not simply a “diet,” macrobiotics recognizes the profound effects food, environment, activities, and attitude all have on our body-mind-emotions.

Below you will 5 Basic Steps from the Kushi Institute.

I call them Your Macro Manners!

“Eat Only When Hungry”

Mind Your Macro Manners- Pay attention to the relationship between Hunger and Eating. It seems so basic, but consider the variety of reasons and circumstances you Eat other than Hunger.

Here are a few that come up in my life:

• Abundance- I just went to the grocery store and have lots of new food to sample at home.
• Emotions- The effect of food helps me process some interpersonal drama.
• Opportunism- There is a smorgasbord of food in front of me to indulge in.
• Practicality- I feel the need for a quick burst of energy.

On the flip side, if you are really going to “Know Your Hunger,” also consider the reasons you avoid Eating even though you are Hungry. Hunger is defined as a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Therefore, to alleviate Hunger you must fulfill your desire by Eating meals that counter feelings of discomfort and weakness – meals that provide satisfaction, comfort, and strength.

“Proper chewing is important for good digestion and to assimilate nutrients. Practice chewing each mouthful around 50 times.”

Mind Your Macro Manners- Have you ever practiced chewing? It can be difficult to remember, kind of like practicing 3-5 breaths in each yoga pose. It’s amazing how distracted we can become from something so basic!

Here’s an idea…. shift your thought-language from “Let’s Go Eat Dinner,” to “Let’s Chew Food!”

“Eat in an orderly and relaxed manner. When you eat, sit with a good posture and take a moment to express gratitude for the food.”

We talk a lot about posturing at Yoga Current so keep up the good work with your practice of Asana! The Yoga practices directly support this healthy eating habit.

Mind Your Macro Manners- Develop a ritual to express gratitude for your food. Here are a few that I alternate with:

• Saying a prayer or a blessing, especially at family gatherings or holidays
• Celebrate with friends by saying, “Buen Provecho,” or “Bon Apetit” (meaning “Good Appetite”)
• In silence and/or solitude, with open palms take a breath and feel gratitude.

What ways of expressing gratitude would you like  to share? Please offer them in the comment section below »

“You may eat regularly two or three times per day, as much as you want, provided the proportion is generally correct and each mouthful is thoroughly chewed. It is best to leave the table satisfied but not full.”

Mind Your Macro Manners- Eat as much as you want and leave the table satisfied (not full). This takes us back to Macro Manner #1, “Know Your Hunger.” Can you identify the difference between hunger, satisfaction, and fullness?

Note: If you are moaning and groaning and rubbing your belly over how “Satiated” you are after a meal, chances are you are more than satiated, you are stuffed, aka Full.

“Drink liquids moderately, only when thirsty.”

I grew up reading that I should drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. I never found this to be very effective because it leaves so many factors are up in the air. For example, Timing. When do you drink your first 3 glasses, your next 5, and final 2 glasses of water? Also, Practicality. If you are eating foods that already contain water like fruits and vegetables, then do you really think you need as much water as a person eating a high sodium diet from restaurants and meat and potatoes?

Thirst is a sign of dehydration and should actually be avoided. Drinking a tall glass of room-temperature water 30-minutes before a meal will satiate your body of thirst and prepare for nutrient absorption. Also, a warm herbal tea after your meal can be beneficial for nutrient absorption.

Mind Your Macro Manners- Stay Hydrated with Water and Low/No Caffeine Drinks.

Coming Soon………….. RECIPES + MACROBIOTIC VIDEO BLOG!