Yes. Wholefood Harmony is based on an ancient Japanese wisdom called Macrobiotics, meaning the “big life” due to its truly holistic approach. The concept embraces all areas of life and is about enjoying whole, natural foods and nurturing balance in the body.
Macrobiotics supports a real balanced diet, generally comprising of wholegrains, beans, seasonal vegetables and sea vegetables, cooked for a perfect medley of flavour, texture and colour. Variety is key to achieving balance and Wholefood Harmony seeks to inspire and empower people into developing variety in their meals. This may be through:
- Introducing new or different grains and other ingredients. There is a huge variety of ingredients and natural seasonings and condiments available to be explored and enjoyed.
- Ideas for delicious recipes which are simple and easy to prepare
- Applying a range of cooking styles
- Eating a balance of grains, proteins and vegetables
Macrobiotics is mindful of the seasons and their connections to the natural elements, the body and its organs, feelings, flavours and foods. For example, summer resonates with the Fire element and fire energy nourishes the heart, which is the bearer of joy and laughter. In summer, stir frys and quick cooking styles are appropriate to maintain that fiery energy and desserts rich with berries and other fruits of the season are great to enjoy.
Macrobiotics is about balancing your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self in order to embrace life holistically. Food and diet permeate through each area. On a physical level, we take on the energy of what we eat and certain foods are more conducive to, for example; efficient digestion, purifying the blood and general vitality and health.
Emotionally, macrobiotics can help create inner balance by addressing desires for extreme foods or drinks such as sugary desserts, chocolate, alcohol and coffee.
The kitchen may also be seen as a platform for spirituality. Here cooking is not only an art, it may become a daily ritual, an opportunity for intuition to develop and cater for what the body really needs.
There are many varieties of seaweeds and ways in which to cook them to add colour, flavour and nutrients to meals. Nori is probably the most commonly known seaweed – it’s the delicate, paperlike seaweed used to wrap sushi. Wakame is a lovely tender seaweed, delicious in soups. Kombu is used when cooking beans to make the beans more digestable and nutrient rich. Agar agar is a natural gelatine and used in making tasty jelly dishes and puddings.
The nightshade family includes tomato, pepper, potato and aubergine. These vegetables grow during the night, which is out of tune with our bodies that are active during the day. Our cells carry a certain balance of sodium to potassium in order to maintain health. However the proportion of potassium in nightshades is incredibly high in proportion to the sodium count. Potassium is very acidic and this means we crave salty foods like cheese to balance the acidity. This is why cheese and tomato and meat and potato are common combinations.
Nightshades are also high in alkaloids, which blocks Vitamin B absorption and may affect nerve muscle function, digestive system and joints. There is some evidence that nightshade alkaloids may cause loss of calcium from bone tissue. Wholefood Harmony uses nightshades in very small amounts.