It’s still the beginning of a new year and it’s not too late to start the diet you want to further your 2020 resolutions. Not only should your diet make you feel well and confident, but it should allow you to pursue the best lifestyle you can achieve. So what diet is the best for you? Compare two popular diets – macrobiotic and ketogenic – and learn about which is the best decision towards the lifestyle you desire.
To learn how to incorporate macrobiotics into your life, schedule time with Denny now!
Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet, also known as ‘keto’, has become extremely popular choice for those looking to lose weight. It is a low carbohydrate, and high fat and rich protein diet with the intent to help you lose weight fast. Foods you can expect to eat through this diet include meat, fish, pure fats, butter, oils, and low carb vegetables. In a short time, many find the ketogenic diet does help them lose weight. However, though the ketogenic diet has this benefit, it could potentially endanger your well-being and long-term health.
What is important to remember though is that this diet is intended to be for short periods of time – if you remain on a ketogenic diet for too long, there are serious health risks. For instance, the high consumption of animal fats in this diet puts pressure on your kidneys. Animal fats causes a build up of acidity and toxins. Causing kidneys to work non-stop to try to eliminate toxins and balance out the acidity. According to UChicago Medicine, “the keto diet could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies, and an increased risk of heart disease.”
In addition, the keto diet could also dramatically impact your mood and mental well-being. Since this is a low-carb diet, it restricts foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which should be essential to any diet. This lack of nutrition will lead to you always feeling hungry and tired. In addition to an upset stomach, you may experience dizziness, decreased energy, mood swings, or may lead into social isolation or eating disorders because of the strict guidelines of what you can or cannot eat and how much.
Macrobiotic Diet
The macrobiotic diet is unique because it’s not just a diet, but also a lifestyle. This diet has been proven to enhance your health and dramatically decrease your likelihood of contracting disease. Since food is an integral part of our daily lives, it is essential to consume food that boosts your health and well-being.
Through this nourishment, you integrate spirituality techniques and traditions into your dietary plan to optimize your well-being. The macrobiotic diet promotes a lifestyle that focuses on the alignment of the mind, body, and soul – only then can you be in harmony with the world and rejoice in your well-being.
As a plant-based diet, the main food groups include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and nuts. This diet minimizes the consumption and intake of sugar and animal-based products such as meat, cheese, and yogurt. A macrobiotic diet will allow you to have greater satisfaction and nourishment from the meals you eat and improves your digestive and heart health. These dietary regulations are more than what you put into your body, but the diet itself is also impacted by the choices you make and actions you take, which exemplifies a true balance with your own spiritual and physical wellness.
Macrobiotics itself recognizes the importance of local and indigenous foods. This diet incorporates fitness and mindfulness strategies, such as being present in the moment or taking a stroll which integrate healthy activities and practices into your routine. Other lifestyle practices include doing yoga, eating without distraction, sit while eating, gardening and spending time outside. These practices have shown to prevent disease and reduce your risks for obesity, cancer, and more.
As a diet focused on improving your overall physical and mental health, macrobiotic nutrition has multiple benefits. The macrobiotic diet allows you to have more deep, restful sleep and have anti-aging effects. People who are practicing the macrobiotic diet report an ability to think more clearly and have better memory, along with possessing greater confidence and self-love in one’s own self-image. Macrobiotic celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, are starting to practice this diet and the positive effects are salient. Essentially, macrobiotic is a sustainable, long-term diet and lifestyle.
Macrobiotic vs Ketogenic Diet
The biggest difference between macrobiotic vs ketogenic diet is the view on carbohydrates. Keto diet is extremely low carbohydrate diet while macrobiotics uses healthy, complex carbohydrates (whole grains, legumes and beans) as the base for all meals. So are carbohydrates good or bad? Carbohydrates are great for you! If you take a close look at the countries with the greatest longevity and lowest chronic diseases (especially Japan), a pattern appears. That is all these healthy places incorporate grains into every meal.
Healthy, Complex Carbohydrates to Eat
- Brown rice
- Barley
- Millet
- Oatmeal
- Bulgur
- Polenta
- Semolina Pasta
- Unyeasted sourdough bread
The Diet For You
Don’t know what the perfect diet is for you? That’s okay! Schedule a one-hour session with Denny Waxman and earn guidance on your diet, health, and lifestyle. Denny works with you individually to alter the perfect macrobiotic plan for your own needs and goals. Contact Denny Waxman today to achieve the healthy lifestyle you desire.
For more interesting articles about nutrition, macrobiotics, and living a healthy lifestyle, please visit Denny’s macrobiotic blog.
The ketogenic diet may result in cosmetic weight loss externally.
However, it creates visceral fat around the internal organs, especially the dense ones, like the liver
This condition is referred to as TOFI, an an acronym for “thin on the outside, fat in the inside”, also known as “skinny fat”
Macrobiotics, through the use of daikon, leafy greens, hato mugi, healing mushrooms, as well as shiatsu massage, can dissolve fatty deposits deep inside the body so that internal organs can regain their optimal functionality
While I am not aware of any clinical trials to corroborate this, nevertheless we have testimonials to support this
According to the 5 transformations theory, pungent foods such as radish, are dispersing. Traditionally, the Japanese served grated daikon and horseradish with tempura and deep fried foods to circumvent the stress that oil places in the liver and gallbladder.
Thank yo for your comments Andrew. I agree with most of your points with one clarification. Pungent foods are Metal nature and therefore gathering even though they may appear dispersing by their first taste.