What distinguishes macrobiotics from other principles of nutrition is that macrobiotics is an energetic diet, that is, a nutritional principle that takes into account the energy movements that make up everything in the universe - the cosmos, the Earth, our bodies. Traditional cultures have used the theory of complementary/opposite forces to explain how all the phenomena of life work. For example, electricity is a product of the attraction and union between positive and negative poles. A child is the result of a relationship between a man and a woman. When it's cold, our body contracts to conserve heat, and when we stretch in the hot sun, our cells expand to release heat, and so on. Nature, life follows this natural law of complementary-antagonistic movement. The Chinese called these forces yin (earthly force that goes up and expands) and yang (force that comes from the cosmos, moves down and contracts). Today, modern quantum physics has proven that all matter is woven from energy and they named these forces: gravity, which is the magnetic attraction of mass towards the earth (yang) and electromagnetic force, which spreads from the center of the earth, generated by the rotation of the earth (yin). It means that these two simple words summarize the laws that govern nature.
Yin represents the energy movement that creates expansion and moves outward. Yang again symbolizes the energy of gathering, moving towards the center. Although opposite in action, these forces cannot exist without each other and do not act independently of each other. They are in constant movement together and form an energetic interaction, expanding and contracting constantly and thus forming life itself. The theory of yin and yang is a philosophy of balance through which we can understand our human nature. Health arises from the balance between expansion (yin) and contraction (yang).
How does this philosophical concept reflect on us? Yin influences create a ripple effect on our energy and bodily processes. Yang influences work on us like a shrinking effect. The foods we eat also have their own yin and yang effects on us. Yang foods create a feeling of contraction, firmness, pressure, while yin foods create an effect of expansion, dissolution, relaxation. We need both, but if we keep taking them in extremes, our body will begin to lose its ability to maintain balance over time. For example, excessive consumption of alcohol or sugar (yin) generally results in physical and mental weakness. On the other hand, excessive consumption of meat and salt (yang) causes tightness and constipation. Simply put – our diet becomes a matter of balancing the effects of expansion and contraction. Understanding this dynamic is crucial if we want to maintain our health on a daily basis, and this would be the essence of macrobiotics.
(To be continued…)
Cvijeta Mesic, Authorized instructor macrobiotic cooking by School of Healing Arts, San Diego, USA
