|
Where
the Essentials Come From
A well-balanced diet
of grains, beans, fresh vegetables, seeds and fruits provides us with
all the nutritional essentials we need. Here are the best sources (by
weight of edible food portion) of vitamins, minerals, proteins, oils,
and starches in our principal foods:
Vitamins
- A: Green leafy
vegetables, dandelion greens, carrots, parsley, kale, lettuce, watercress,
spinach.
- B1: Almonds, kelp,
soybeans, brown rice, beans, lentils
- B2: Sunflower seeds,
rice bran, soybeans, peanuts, pinto beans, millet, wheat, rye, sesame
seeds.
- C: Parsley, watercress,
cabbage, beets, carrot tops
- D: Dried fish (Bonito
flakes), some vegetables. Sunlight is the best source of this vitamin.
- E: Rice and all
whole cereals, nuts, beans, green leafy vegetables
- F: Vegetable oils,
olive and sesame oils. Choose oil in dark bottles so light does not
deplete its essential nutrients.
- K: Green leafy
vegetables (cabbage, parsley, spinach), brown rice. It is also produced
by intestinal flora.
Minerals
- Calcium: Sesame
seeds, sea vegetables, green vegetables (watercress, dandelion), nuts,
sunflower seeds.
- Magnesium: Sea
vegetables, soybeans, lentils, green leafy vegetables
- Phosphorus: Cereals,
sea vegetables, nuts, beans
- Potassium: Sea
vegetables, soybeans, dried fruits, nuts, vegetables
- Iron: Sea vegetables,
soybeans, dried fruits, nuts, vegetables
- Iodine: Sea vegetables,
green vegetables
- Sodium: Sea vegetables,
green leafy vegetables, dried fruits
Proteins
- Cereals, beans,
nuts, and assorted vegetables contain all the essential amino acids
we need. Miso and shoyu (pure soybean products) are particularly rich
in these essential nutrients.
Fats and Oils
- In the Macrobiotic
diet, our principal oils and fats are the unsaturated type. We derive
most of our fats from the unrefined vegetable oils we use in cooking
and baking. Among the cereal grains, oats have the highest amount
of fat, while small amounts are found in almost all vegetables.
Starches (carbohydrates)
- Natural sugars
are found in abundance in cereals and vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Eating organic foods
is healthier for your body. Non-organic foods are sprayed with pesticides.
These can line the walls of the intestines and inhibit the absorption
of vitamins and minerals.
|
