Macrobiotic Diet for Crohn's Disease

The macrobiotic diet can be traced back to the principles of Japanese army doctor Sagen Ishizuka. Dr. Ishizuka applied the principles of the traditional Japanese diet to Western medicine, and came up with a plan high in unrefined food, whole grains, and locally-grown foods. Macrobiotics was later expanded upon and popularized by George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi. Macrobiotics has been promoted as a cure or prevention for many diseases. According to authors Virginia Harper and Tom Monte, the standard macrobiotic diet, with a few modifications, can be also be effective in controlling Crohn's disease.

Basics

• The standard macrobiotic diet has a large emphasis on whole grains such as brown rice, millet, and amaranth. Fifty to to 60 percent of daily foods should be made up of whole grains. Vegetables, including sea vegetables, should make up 25 to 30 percent; beans should make up 5 to 10 percent; and 5 to 20 percent of the diet should be fish, nuts, seeds, fruits and miso soup. Consume miso several times a day.

Miso Soup

• Miso is a paste made from fermented soy beans. Tablespoons of miso added to hot water make a quick and easy-to-digest soup base. Add tofu, seaweed such as wakame, or root vegetables such as daikon radish to miso for a more hearty soup, although miso alone is tasty and full of nutrients. Miso has anti-oxidant properties as well. There are many kind of miso, which range from very light, white miso to dark red miso. The tastes vary, as different kinds of miso are made with slightly different ingredients.

Brown Rice

• Brown rice is a staple of the macrobiotic diet, and, according to Harper and Monte's book "Controlling Crohn's Disease: The Natural Way", one of the best whole grains for people who suffer from Crohn's and other intestinal disorders. Brown rice is easy to digest, contains a variety of nutrients, and contains phosphorous, which helps expel toxins from the body.

Millet

• Millet is another whole grain which, according to Harper and Monte's book, is particularly good for those suffering from Crohn's disease. Harvested millet are the seeds of the millet plant, and can be used similarly to rice. Millet is non-acid forming and is easy to digest. It's very high in protein as well. Millet can be cooked alone, eaten with vegetables or added to soups. Harper and Monte recommend that after brown rice, millet should be the grain most frequently eaten by sufferers of Crohn's disease.