An example of 7 days of macrobiotic diet can give you an idea of what to eat during the macrobiotic diet. Its principle is similar to the vegan diet but allows some foods of animal source during the transition phase, it’s based on the yin and yang (to avoid foods very yin and very yang).
The macrobiotic diet in short
| Duration | Not limited |
| Weight Loss | A slight weight loss is possible. But this is not a weight loss diet. |
Benefits | satiating effects (because of the dietary fiber & proteins) No prohibitions (just limitations) Favors organic food, therefore well-being. Improves longevity |
Disadvantages | Limited food choice Excess fiber can cause digestive disorders and requires a lot of motivation Risk of deficiencies |
Not recommended for : | Children, Teens, Pregnant & breastfeeding women, malnourished people, and cancer patients |
| Cost | a bit expensive (up to 135 USD). |
| Calories | Uncontrolled |
7 days of macrobiotic diet meal Plan
Day 1
Breakfast
- 1 tablespoon of oats mixed in a glass of almond milk.
- 1 to 2 medium-sized fruits or 120 g of fruit salad with no added sugar.
Lunch
- Green salad
- Mushroom and daikon soup
- 100 g Tofu grilled in a dab of peanut butter.
- 2 whole medium-sized seasonal fruits.
Dinner
- Steamed green vegetables or 150g of raw vegetables (cucumber, grated beet), seasoned with cider vinegar.
- Brown rice
- 1 whole fruit.
Day 2
Breakfast
- 1 tablespoon of raisins
- 1 glass of plain rice milk
- Rosemary infusion with no added sugar.
- Fresh fruit
This breakfast seems like a liquid diet, I encourage the morning on fluids because our gut in the morning is at rest and a bit relaxed so they must recover its function gradually and not abruptly directly with solid and difficult to digest food. In addition, you should refresh yourself with drinks in the morning.
Lunch
- Pumpkin soup
- Sea vegetables (seaweed)
- 100g of brown rice with vegetables.
- Fresh fruit
Dinner
- Green vegetable soup
- Red lentils in sauce
- Light miso soup
- Fresh fruit
Day 3
Breakfast
- A glass of warm almond milk
- A slice of toasted wholemeal bread with homemade peach jam (organic).
- 1 tbsp of dried grapes
Lunch
- Miso soup with seaweed
- Lima beans with vegetables
- Seasonal fruit salad with no added sugar
Dinner
- Root vegetable-based salad
- Red beans in sauce 2 medium size fresh fruits (the fruits must always be in season).
Day 4
Breakfast
- Seasonal fruit salad
- Toasted barley bread with home-made jam (organic)
- Organic cereal coffee
Lunch
- seasonal vegetables (cooked or raw depending on the type and period of year), dessert (various in small quantities)
- brown rice with grilled sardines
- 1 fresh fruit in season
Dinner
- Miso Soup
- Pulses (lentils, chickpeas) steamed and then put in a sauce.
- Fresh fruit in season
Day 5
Breakfast
- Red lentil soup
- 2 slices of whole wheat toast
- Seasonal fruit salad
Note: This macrobiotic breakfast is ideal for a heavy day.
Lunch
- Miso soup
- Grilled seafood with raw vegetables.
- 2 medium-sized fresh fruits
Dinner
- Red beans with vegetables
- 2 slices of whole wheat toast
- Fresh in season fruit
Day 6
Breakfast
- Rice tea before 30 min to start breakfast
- Cooked vegetables: seaweed
- almond milk with oatmeal.
Lunch
- Raw vegetables with pickles
- Pumpkin and bell pepper purée
- Miso soup
Dinner
- Baked green vegetables
- baked cauliflower
- Fruit juice with no added sugar
Day 7
Breakfast
- Juice with parsley mix
- Seafood in sauce.
Lunch
- Quinoa Soup
- Wild rice with carrots and peas
- Fresh fruit
Dinner
- cooked quinoa with almond milk
- 2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
- 2 medium peaches.
Macrobiotic diet shopping list
List 1: Primary List
This is very important, it includes foods that could be consumed every day.
- Seeds: Boulgour, buckwheat, quinoa.
- Starches: brown rice, wild rice, whole grains, lentils and beans, green beans, chickpeas, and peas.
- Vegetables:root vegetables, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, radish, carrots, cucumber, chok boy, onions, sea vegetables ( seaweed).
- Oils: Oils of first cold pressure. Sesame oil.
Condiments
- Pickles, beans, soy products, such as miso, sea vegetables, such as seaweed, vegetable oil, natural seasonings, such as naturally processed sea salt.
- Drinks: yannoh grain coffee, rice tea, thyme, rosemary, mature tea, spring water.
- Milk: rice milk, almond milk
- Other: Tempeh, hummus, tahini, soya.
List 2: Secondary list
This list is about foods that you can eat once in a while and with limited quantities:
- Vegetables: Potato, Tomato, peppers.
- Fruits: Berries. Seafood.
- Taste enhancers: Maple syrup, raw cane sugar, perry (burned), malt candies, fruit compotes
- Milk and dairy: Soy milk, almond milk, vegetable margarine, hard cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese, soy yogurt
- Fluids: Herbal teas, green tea, natural black tea without tannin, apple juice, cider, mineral water, spring water, organic beer, and wine.
- Also to be consumed occasionally: fish, eggs, poultry,
Macrobiotic diet VS vegan diet?
There is a real similarity between the macrobiotic diet and the vegan diet in the choice of foods. The macrobiotic method encourages eating more fiber-rich and plant-based foods, but very little animal and dairy foods during the transitional phase of the macrobiotic diet. If you are vegan, we also made 7 days of Macrobiotic/Vegan diet.
The difference between the macrobiotic diet and the vegan diet is first of all the goal.
- The macrobiotic diet was originally created for longevity.
- The vegan diet was originally created for environmental and religious reasons.
- The vegan diet is not a diet, it is a way of life that does not have different phases.
- The macrobiotic diet encourages us to remove from our diet what man no longer needs according to the principles of this diet “Lactose” is no longer and some raw vegetables are no longer resisted by the adult man so it is better to remove them.
- You can lose weight easily and quickly with the vegan diet. But the macrobiotic diet is not a weight loss diet.
- The macrobiotic diet is more strict than the vegan diet because apart from animal products, it also eliminates certain foods of plant origin that contain nutrients beneficial to health: potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, eggplant, and peppers.
Is the macrobiotic diet healthy? A dietitian guidelines
The macrobiotic diet eliminates many healthy foods such as peppers (very rich in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants), tomatoes, potatoes very rich in magnesium, salad and asparagus. Fish and meat are only allowed during the transition phase in limited quantities.
This diet is not a weight loss diet. So I don’t see any benefit in following the macrobiotic diet.
Some of the foods removed from this macrobiotic diet may even alter your hormones due to deficiencies, for example, magnesium deficiency (which is very present in white pasta and potato), which helps reduce stress and get enough sleep.
Then I don’t see any benefit or purpose why we remove tomatoes and eggplants, eggplants which are foods that have many virtues for health.
Should you take supplements during the macrobiotic diet ?
Supplements are only indicated in case of deficiency. In cold countries, it is necessary to supplement with vitamin D. If you have trouble sleeping, check with a nutritionist to see if you have a magnesium deficiency.
Iron and vitamin B12 are also lacking in the macrobiotic diet. If you have signs of anemia, check the levels of these two nutrients in your blood.
It is important to follow up with a nutritionist if you are on a macrobiotic or another strict diet to avoid deficiencies.
Bottom Line
The macrobiotic diet, is a Chinese method that encourages the avoidance of yin and yang foods, which are two groups of foods that are at the end of the spectrum such as refined products, sugar, processed foods, etc., and yang which means dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, etc.
This method is not made for weight loss but for longevity. But it is not recommended for elderly people who are malnourished or thin.
During the macrobiotic diet, you can eat daily the foods that are in the middle of yin and yang: parsley, whole grains, quinoa, miso, legumes, oleaginous fruits, and in season veggies and fruits.
