They should be grown organically, and locally if possible. Sea vegetables to consider include wakame, hiziki, dombu, noris, arame, agar-agar, and Irish moss. 5 to 10 percent soups. Miso soup, a broth made with soy bean paste, is a popular choice. Also permissible are soups made with vegetables, grains, seaweed, or beans.
Advocates suggest emphasizing local, in-season foods and avoiding processed, refined products.
What Treatment Hopes to Accomplish Proponents assert that the balance and harmony of the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle create the best possible conditions for health. The National Institute of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine is studying the macrobiotic approach to cancer, but for now there's no concrete evidence that it's particularly effective. Choose a more balanced approach to nutrition during pregnancy and a youngster's early years. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are a distinct possibility, particularly with the extreme versions of the diet. Researchers also found that the breast milk of mothers on a macrobiotic diet contained abnormally low levels of vitamin B12, calcium, and magnesium.