Most beans and bean products are extremely yin compared to other vegetables, with the exceptions of aduki beans, miso, and natural soy sauce. For this reason, these last three are included along with chickpeas and lentils (smaller, rounder, less yin than other beans) in the more restrictive macrobiotic centering diet.
And so my notes continue on the subject of beans in the beginning basic and centering macrobiotic diets, according to Pocket Guide To Macrobiotics (now revised and renamed Essential Guide To Macrobiotics), by Carl Ferre.
Beans fall into the category of yin, acid-forming foods, as opposed to vegetables, which are in the yin, alkaline-forming group of foods. (See Acid and Alkaline, by Herman Aihara and Acid Alkaline Companion, by Carl Ferre.) This is another reason why most beans/bean products are not eaten during a macrobiotic centering diet.
Beans and Bean Products in a Macrobiotic Centering Diet (3% to 10% daily):
• Miso
• Natural soy sauce
• Aduki beans
• Lentils
• Chickpeas/garbanzo beans
Beans and Bean Products in a Basic Macrobiotic Diet (10% to 25% daily): (listed alphabetically for convenience)
Group 1: "Extremely Yin"
• Bean sprouts
• Black soybeans
• Blackeyed peas
• Lima beans
• Natto
• Soybeans
• Soy milk
• Split peas
• Tofu
• White Northern beans
• whole dried peas
Group 2: "More Yin"
• Anasazi beans
• Black beans
• Black turtle beans
• Bolita beans
• Broad beans
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Kidney beans
• Mung beans
• Pinto beans
• Red lentils
• Tempeh
Group 3: "Less Yin"
• Aduki beans
Group 4: "More Yang"
• Miso
• Natural soy sauce
For information on how to prepare beans for your meals, see Basic Macrobiotic Cooking, by Julia Ferre.
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