Good Foods That Protect You

Wakame seaweed, kombu, umeboshi salt plums — these are only a few of the unusual foods in my diet that I've come to love. Slowly over the years as I continue my explorations in macrobiotic theory and practice, I'm learning more about the nutritious, preventative, and protective properties of special foods that for most of my life had been foreign or unusual to me. 

I've come to find out that not only are these foods nutritious and alkalyzing for your body, but they also help to eliminate harmful elements from your body. For example, whenever I know that I'm going to get an xray done (2 to 8 mrems of radiation) or a mammogram (100 to 200 mrems of radiation), I'll make sure to eat plenty of barley miso soup with wakame seaweed, onion, carrot or daikon root, and kale on the days surrounding the procedure. 

If I were to ever have a CT Scan done or a surgery to remove kidney stones, I would be prepared to be exposed to at least 1,000 mrems of radiation and most likely more than that because of the additional xrays the doctor may need to take before and during the procedure.

More than three years ago on March 11, 2011, Japan had a major earthquake and then a nuclear disaster. Following the event there was concern about the effects of radiation fallout, which can cause radiation sickness and cancer. Julia Ferre wrote a very useful and informative article called "Surviving Harmful Radiation" in the May/June 2011 issue of "Macrobiotics Today." Her article brought things into perspective, calming my initial fears and appealing to my common sense. 

All along I've been eating these foods in small quantities and moderation as part of my daily diet to strengthen and fortify my body. And from reading Julia Ferre's article, I realized that they are also very good for me to eat for every day that I'm out and about in the world exposed to radiation from the sunshine, the power lines, the television, and my computer!

Here's a list of some very special foods:

Leafy Greens
• Kale — Green Curly, Dinosaur (Lacinato), Rainbow
• Collard Greens (Collards)
• Mustard Greens
• Turnip Tops

Fats and Oils
• Avocado
• Coconut Oil

Miso
• Barley Miso 
• Brown Rice Miso

Sea Vegetables
• Kombu
• Mekabu
• Wakame

Salt Pickles
• Cucumbers, naturally fermented (no vinegar)
• Cabbage sauerkraut, naturally fermented (no vinegar)
• Umeboshi Plums

Fatty Fish
• Sardines
• Wild Salmon


Related Blog Articles:
Whole Grain Barley Miso (March 2, 2011)
Adapting Our Diets To The Situation (March 18, 2011)
 

My Very First Time At Macrobiotic Summer Camp

Finally my wish came true! I went to French Meadows Macrobiotic Summer Camp this year, and what a wonderful, wonderful experience I had! I don't even know where to begin telling you about it. So, I guess I'll start with the food!

I had already downloaded the camp menu before I arrived at camp, and I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. About a week earlier, I received a fortune cookie that said "Expect the Best!" and decided that the message was talking about the upcoming camp. Well it turns out that camp and the food were the best, and then it turned out to be way-way more better than the best!

I could not have imagined how wonderful this food would taste, after it had been cooked out in the open air, over a wood-burning stove, at an altitude over eight thousand feet high, by skilled macrobiotic master chefs and their sous-chefs. It was exquisite.

Walking into the diningroom for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to see our lunch had already been plated and was sitting on the gigantic picnic tables under a canvas canopy at twelve o'clock sharp. 

At first glance the portions seemed smaller than I was used to, but then I saw how many different items were included on the plate and realized how balanced and complete the entire plate of food really was. There was a table in the center of the area designated for serving yourself to a bowl of soup, condiments, and eating utensils. And there was a buffet table at the front entrance where you could go back for more food any time during the lunch hour.

For newcomers like me, it was very helpful to be served nine days of excellent macrobiotic food without having to prepare it myself. I was then able to directly benefit from the balanced nutrition and still have time to absorb the concentrated learning and healing from all the lectures, workshops, cooking classes, fun-time in the mountains, and private healing sessions that camp had to offer.

Now I understand much better what George Ohsawa meant when he said to start with the food and yin-yang theory — "It is a method that guarantees more than just a medical cure (simple elimination of symptoms) and the control of physiological health; it promises peace of soul, liberty, and justice within one's lifetime."

Related Blog Articles:
Twelve Theorems
My Own Fat Camp
What Is A Macrobiotic Diet, Really?