My Macrobiotic Meals For Weight Loss
Macrobiotic Meals for Weight Loss
Here are examples of my macrobiotic meals for weight loss.
For starters, if you haven't already read my previous posts, you may want to start with My Amazing Macrobiotic Weight Loss, where I share what I did differently that led to my success, followed by My Macrobiotic Weight Loss and Health Journey, where I share a little of my health history, and photos of my recent macrobiotic weight loss.
More weight loss tips, and my simple Miso Soup Recipe to come.
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| A few items from a recent farmers market haul ~ actually the second market in a week ~ Several items purchased on Wednesday prior to the Saturday market not shown ~ as you can see we consume a produce-rich diet ~ essential for optimal health & sustained weight loss |
To get an idea of how eating macrobiotically compares to how most people eat in Western cultures, I encourage you to check out my article, A Vegan Lunch Out - How Does It Compare To A Macrobiotic Meal? and my article, Crafting A Healthy Diet, Universal Principles. Be sure to check out more resources and recipes, below.
Click here for all Macrobiotics related topics.
My Macrobiotic Diet Weight Loss Meals Video
My Macrobiotic Weight Loss Meals Format
- I make sure to eat some greens and vegetables at each of our two main meals. I usually have a snack, typically fruit and maybe a small amount of nuts and seeds, or if it's later, a bowl of puffed grain cereal with seasonal berries or hemp seeds. This is just what works for our current schedule.
- We also make sure to include one large carrot (each), and a cup of winter squash, or a sweet potato for betacarotene / vitamin A conversion, along with one cup of cooked dark leafy greens, daily.
- Each meal features a whole grain, or whole grain product, such as brown rice, bulgur, oats and millet, noodles, Don's Steamed Sourdough Buns, or a store bought whole/sprouted grain bread or tortillas.
- Most days, our breakfast consist of grain porridge with either Miso Soup with greens and /or vegetables. Having plenty of greens and vegetables is very important for both weight loss, and getting an adequate intake of minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.
- Having soups at least once per day is very helpful for aiding digestion, and supporting healthy weight loss.
- My macrobiotic weight loss meals include plenty of fiber- and nutrient-rich lentils, beans and/or chickpeas most days (just not as much as we used to consume.)
- I generally cook oil-free, but not entirely. I do add some oils to dips, dressings, and/or stir fries, however, the amount I use is very minimal. That said, it is easy to stir fry and cook meals oil-free. Seeds, and whole plant fats can be used to create dressings and sauces instead. For optimal weight loss, I suggest abstaining from oils for at least one month, to start.
Below, I outline a typical day of macrobiotic meals for weight loss, with several pictures of recent meals.
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| Breakfast Porridge with Greens, Miso Veg Soup & Local Strawberries |
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| Bulgur / Cracked Wheat is super nutritious, and very quick to prepare; the chewy texture makes for great salads like Tabouleh, or added to any other salad ~ I tossed this with fresh garden tomatoes, chives, scallion, celery, lemon, and a splash of balsamic vinegar and reduced sodium tamari (see condiments I use, here.) |
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| The above Bulgur 'Salad' with a ton more colorful vegetables |
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| Green Split Pea Soup topped with Roasted Peppers & Dulse |
Porridge with QB Greens & Veggies ~ a medley of dark leafy greens, cabbage, carrot, onion, and daikon radish with a sprinkle of kelp granules, and splash of umeboshi vinegar (see below) This medley includes a mix of upward growing green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and
ground vegetables.
A Typical Day of Whole Foods, Plant-Based / Macrobiotic Meals
My macrobiotic meals for weight loss begins with breakfast with whole grains, vegetables and/or miso soup or fruit, and some seeds. We center most of our meals around whole grains and vegetables or greens.
We often have a carrot drink blended (as opposed to juiced) with ginger and apple juice, and sometimes with a beet prior to breakfast.
Our morning porridge is usually a blend of a couple grains, like rolled or steel cut oats + millet, or oats + barley, and/or kamut, spelt, or rye flakes; or leftover brown rice porridge possibly cooked with butternut squash (an awesome blend), or goji berries.
I also occasionally use grains which have been milled more, like Bob's Red Mill 10-Grain Cereal mixed with Oat Bran, Creamy Brown Rice, or Creamy Kamut, or occasionally, polenta or buckwheat.
I typically snack on fruit, possibly with a few nuts. Sometimes I have a slice of Ezekiel bread or even thin no-sodium rice cakes with a thin layer of tahini, preserves, and homemade fermented cabbage or kimchi.
My second / last meal consists of more whole grains (or whole wheat tortillas) or possibly potatoes, fresh corn if in season, or whole grain noodles, and more vegetables and greens ~ some cooked, some raw or fermented, and whatever plant 'protein' food, such as tofu, beans or lentils, or seitan.
Sticking to mostly whole foods, with very small amounts, if any, oil and less total volume of liquid has been the primary component of my macrobiotic meals for weight loss.
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| We enjoy noodles around once per week, with veggies, or simple sauces, as shown below. |
For those concerned about gas and bloating on a whole foods, plant-based diet, the body will adjust to a higher fiber intake, however, there are ways to help minimize digestive discomfort, including adding higher fiber foods like beans in slowly, with just a little at a time. You can watch my video about how we adjusted our meals to improve our digestion following suggestions in Ayurvedic medicine, below, or read my article on Tips to Improve Digestion, or How to Minimize Gas and Bloating ~ Recent Meals with Our Vata Reducing Dietary Revisions. According to Chinese food therapy and Macrobiotics, black soy beans, aduki beans, and small black turtle beans are good for the kidneys. Black soy beans have a slightly higher fat content, making them super creamy and tender when cooked properly. We also enjoy aduki (azuki/adzuki) beans, which look like small red beans with a tiny white stripe, chickpeas, lentils, and green or yellow split peas. Black sesame seeds also support the kidneys (in general, darker colored blue or black foods), and are taken daily as a tea to help maintain one's natural hair color, used by the Chinese emperors to keep their hair black. In the picture below, black sesame seeds are sprinkled on top of black soy beans as a garnish.  More Macrobiotic Meals for Weight Loss About once per week, we have some type of noodle dish, either a Soba Noodle Salad or Soup, or 100% whole wheat or whole grain pastas with simple sauces as shown in the top two photos, including tomato sauce made from home grown tomatoes and vegetables, and occasionally a lower-sodium, store-bought spaghetti sauce. Here's a great Healthy Homemade Slightly Spicy Marinara Sauce Recipe. |
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Millet Squares, QB Greens, and a Sweet Potato. Millet and/or polenta and millet can be poured into a baking dish once cooked. It can then be cut into squares, or bars, and taken to-go, or reheated by either steaming, baking, or pan-frying in a little toasted sesame oil if craving something more rich. |
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| Garden grown Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard and Onions, a vibrant mix of carotenoid-rich greens and squash. I lightly seasoned the vegetables with tamari, ginger, garlic, and pepper or an optional pinch of cayenne pepper or garam masala. |
Don't you just want to dig into a plate full of colorful greens and vegetables? I always do!
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| We eat ample portions of whole grains, vegetables, and other supplemental foods. That said, for weight loss, learn to eat enough to feel satisfied without over eating. |
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| Brown Rice w/ QB Green Beans, Onions & Carrots |
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| Barley Oat Porridge with Goji Berries |
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| Miso Soup with Wakame, Ginger, Carrots, Celery Scallion & Dried Shiitake Mushroom |
Recommended Resources for More Plant-Based / Macrobiotic Diet Information and How To Get Started
Here is my Barley Oat Porridge Recipe, with several ways to vary it. Look for my Whole Grains Cookbook, coming soon.
Get a FREE copy of Don's previously published, excellent, highly referenced book, Powered by Plants while he revises an updated edition.
Get a FREE PDF of How To Feel Great & Improve Your Health with a Macrobiotic Diet. Or click here to learn more.
You can also get a FREE copy of my Whole-Foods, Plant-Based 21-DAy Health & Wealth Challenge ebook.
For the best quality canned beans, soy milk, Japanese Sencha teas, noodles, umeboshi plums or plum paste, and other items, visit the Eden Store on Amazon, or visit their website. Some items may be available at your local Whole Foods or natural foods store.
Be sure to bookmark my Macrobiotics Page for all related macrobiotic diet and lifestyle topics.
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