Halloween soup! Sweet treat

Treat or trick? Sweet orange soup!

Halloween time! So what to do with our pumpkin in these cold days? A smooth and sweet soup to relax after horror movies!

{ingredients}

1 big gold onion

½ cup of orange lentil

2 cups of organic Halloween pumpkin

½ sweet potatoes

1 carrot

1 tablespoon of kuzu already dissolved in 2 Tbs of water

3 tablespoon of sweet shiro miso

a pick of fennel seeds to taste

1 spoon of sesame oil

toasted sesame oil to taste

unrefined sea salt to taste

oat cream as a decoration

{technique}

{soup}

Prepare all the ingredients ready.
Wash and drain the veggie, cut into half moon slices the onion, diced the potato carrot and pumpkin, and, dissolve the kuzu.
In an eavy pan from a height, fry, over a medium heat, the onion with the sesame oil a pick of salt and some water, until translucent.
Add to fry the lentils, then after a minute add the fennel and the other veggie, stir and add ½ cup of spring water, cover and leave over a very low flame, until well cooked (30 min circa).
Then add the miso and the dissolved kuzu, stirring. Adjust salt. Cook for 3 minute more.
Blend with an hand blender and sieve if necessary. Serve with some toasted sesame oil and oat cream as decoration.

Cooking in the 5 Tranformations

In Chinese medicine, Yin and Yang are divided into 5 stages, based on the theory that nothing is static but all is in a continuous state of change.

These stages are called 5 Transformations.
These are associated with an element each, intended in term of energy. Everyone is also linked to specific foods, flavors, colors, organs, emotions, seasons and times of the day.
In macrobiotic know the transformations make able to compose what I call the Perfect Dish, which is the meal that contains all the 5. It will be balanced in terms of nutrient and energy and will make us feel more satisfied. Is also very nice to see!

I

The five elements are related in a cyclic clockwise rotation called creative circle where each state evolve creating the next, and,  a direct way thought the transformations check/control between each others.

The Five Transformations help us to plan our plate even among the different seasons, suggesting also the taste and colors of ingredients. Fire (red, bitter) for  late spring, Soil or Earth (yellow, sweet) for summer, Metal (white, pungent) for autumn, Water ( black, salty) for winter, Tree (green, acid) for very late winter and spring begin.

Finally, the 5 Transformations are related to the energy of our organs and at different time of the day. During these hours or during the season corresponding to each transformation and through the connected food, you can redress the balance in the energy of your body.

Yin&Yang in a very short

Yin and yang are the two opposite an complementary forces on which Oriental medicine base the explanation the whole existence. Four are the laws about them. Everything we become in contact has the prevalence of one of these forces. How we manage our nutrition and life style determine our inner balance and our relationship with the outer.

1} All things are a parts of an whole or totality, alla is related.

2} Everything change. Yang will became Yin and Yin will became Yang in a constant state of flow.

3} Yin& Yang are in all things, nothing is just Yin or Yang.

4} in any phenomena. either Yin or Yang will prevail.

Yin and Yang are the opposite forces that together lead to the existence of everything.

Yin is ascribed as the primarily  energy in nature.

Yang is complementary opposite, and is referred to the materia.

The development of our physical body since the embrional state in a Yang process [growing getting older]. The development of our sensorial organs [smell-taste-intuition...] is a Yin process.
In order to perceive we must exist  :  {perception} Yin - {action&materia} Yang

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Ceci n'est pas une douce

Ceci n'est pas une douce. This is not a dessert, carrots time!

I made a vow for a month not to eat any macrobiotic dessert and no fruit.
Since I'm in London I'm suffering a little for home sickness, I started to consume too many desserts than usual to compensate this emotion. It depends on personal circumstances, but not for all sweets are appropriate; there is who, like me, should definitely limit the consume.

In macrobiotics, the sweet taste is associated with the transformation of the Earth. Emotions related are about tenderness and compassion. The moral and physical nourishment fuels this transformation. Other nourishing foods are: millet, sweet rice cakes and vegetables. If health conditions are excellent also seasonal fruits, malt and rice syrup. Some foods that are harmful to this Transformation are sugar, chocolate, white flour, ...

By removing the dessert for a period long enough, we rediscover the flavors and we appreciate a lot more the food. In addition, when you try something processed, immediately we will perceive the excess sugar and substitutes ingredients.

To balance the diet and break the chain "emotion-food", the alternative is to consume naturally sweet vegetables, pressed salads, leafy vegetables and slow cooking style "nishime".
But sometimes that's not enough, at least not enough for me! I appreciate all about dessert,not just the taste but the presentation, the rite that is around and enjoy it with people I love.
A plate of carrots in the oven as far as worship, has a whole different impact, visually, emotionally and socially.

So my topic this month is find alternatives that satisfy the palate, calm down my emotions and that can be shared with loved ones.

So we said, no fruit. And the vitamins?
The vegetables can contain as many vitamins and less sugar. A cup of carrots (128g) contains 428% DV of Vitamin A, 13%DV of Vitamin C, 21%DV of vitamin K, 6%DV of Folate (essential for cell renewal). Carrots are also mildly anti-inflammatory.
The same amount of apples contain: 1% of the daily ration of vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, vitamin K 3% and 1% of folate and' also slightly inflammatory. (Percent Daily Values %DV are for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2.000 calorie reference diet. Source http://nutritiondata.self.com)

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This carrots flan is quite rich due the tahini maybe you want to match it with a lighter supper, if needed.

{ingredients}

 

{Carrot flan 2or3 serving}

  
4 carrots (those for juice)
¼ cup of carrot juice
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1+½ Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp chestnut flour
1 Tbsp full of "light" tahini
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 pinch of salt or/end a drop of shoyu
few drops of lemon juice

{technique}

Wash and dry the carrots, peel if necessary. Chop coarsely and sprinkle lemon so do not turn dark.
Put in a saucepan carrots, carrot juice, vanilla, and salt or/and shoyu. Cover and simmer 20 minutes over low heat adding a little water, if necessary.
Meanwhile, toasted sunflower seeds.

Try carrots which should have lost the "wild" taste and more acquired a sweet taste.If it is not continue to cook, unfortunately depends on the same carrot. You get to cook them up to an hour and there are always bitter, in which case put them in a soup and try it again with other more sweet. If not available try adding some very fresh pumpkin.
Once cooked, add the tahini, almond meal and the chestnuts, stir well and remove from heat.

{to assemble}

Put your mixture in a simple shaped mould, a little greasy with tahini and bake for 20 minutes at 240'C, in order to make a little crust.
Serve warm or room temperature decorated with flowers and roasted seeds.

Tip1: Before baking, at your discretion, you can add a little raisins previously soaked.
Tip2: When you strictly limit the sweets, however, increase the pressed salads and green leafy vegetables. Basically everything that can help you relax.

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cooking styles

ENGLISH

In macrobiotic the cooking styles are used to change the energy of the food in order to balance the meal depending on the season, as well as on personal needs.
I give you a simple example borrowed from a well-known macrobiotic lady. Take 3 carrots, grate one raw, boil a long another and cut into slices or matches and fry the third.
Now taste the different cores. Taste them one by one and slow down to feel how your body react.
What would you like on a summer day? What would you like if you had a cold? What more if you need energy? The example seems obvious, but still do the test.
The cooking styles are related to emotions just like different the foods. If you are tense then a plate of steamed or stir fried vegetables can be ideal. If you feel tired or not focused and you need energy, a stew or pressure cooked cereal can certainly help. Also, the style of cooking changes the flavor a lot. Place to have sweet tooth, but there you were recommended to not use any dessert for a while.
Cooking carrots and onions with the method Nishime, long cooking over low heat, you get a sweet cream of vegetable, as a compote to a spread on bread!

 

raw&porrige dreamshake

ENGLISH

I'm just back from my Health Adviser course and, WOW, this morning has been delivered to me one of 30th birthday presents, the Vita-mix blender!! From my mother in law, god bless her! So I've to immediately try my new toy!

Is about a couple of weeks that I'm quite yang due the combination of my period, my stiff liver, and the autumn that is a Metal time. I found myself hyper focused and plenty of energy but really imbalanced: pushing others, with a low patience, shoulder blades pain and night grinding teeth. Quite a mess, I know.

So I need some opening food for the liver also I feel like smoothness and fresh flavours together. And of course I wanted to play with  my new tool!

I just invented this breezy and nutritious smoothy milkshake without any milk, (but you can really deem there is some in), to enjoy as a diverse breakfast. I think it can be very good for children as well.

This recipe is really Yin except for the porridge so has to be eaten carefully. The energy of the 5 transformation related with this recipe is Tree, and with a correct diet, can help to release from a transitory stiff(Yang) liver condition.

{ingredients}

 

{dreamshake for 2} 

1 sour green apple
2 purple carrots (purple just for a better color)
1/2 stalk celery
1/2 cup of plain barley porridge
a drop of shoyu
a pick of salt1 teaspoons of rice syrup or apple concentrate if needed

few toasted seeds or 2 almonds (optional, to avoid for serius liver issues)

 

{technique}

Wash and drain the fruit & veggie and cut into chunks. Pulse all ingredients start blending on the low power and than turn on maximum for 3 minutes, or until beautifully smoothed.

-If you are fancy to have a more acidulous flavour maybe drop in some lemon. I cannot for instance, due my kidney issues, because lemon "wash" away the minerals from them. Although, if you have problem to digest apples because acid, you can slightly cook them or replace with blueberries or beetroot if fruit doesn't work at all with you.

Serve room temperature or slightly cold.
And even if is a smoothy remember to chewing well, is really important for a good digestion!

 

Panzanella salad

I have been a week in Italy for my birthday and I turned back to my mum food because I couldn't cook that much.
At the begin I didn't get too hung up on their food style, because my parents eat tones of veggie and I was missing my mum scents.
But eating again in that way reminded me some odds.
Get drowsy after a meal, the mind blurred, my creativity completely dormant. A sense of irritability that I was trying to calm down with fruit or bread, or both.

My parents diet is based on raw fruit, vegetables and olive oil; plus, over-boiled veggie, long pressure cooked minestrone soup and bread, pasta, bran.. I should say that almost everything is whole, organic and from local farmer production.
But, the cooking styles are a Yin-Yang gymkhana.
I introduced pressed salads, crispy-cooked vegetables, grains boiled in carrot juice and kanten. In few days I felt fit again.
Well, but since bread and salad are one of the most simple, easy and delicious summer in Italy, I decided to made a Macro variation of the a traditional Tuscan salad: Panzanella, my father's love.
I served Panzanella at my birthday party and all guys drove into my dish... they licked their bowls clean! My father found my choice more digestible and even more appetizing than the original recipe.

"Instead" time: Instead of raw salad I used pressed veggie.Carrots which contain fibers and are a very good source of Vitamins A. Celery, good source of amino-acids, Vitamin K and Potassium. Cucumber rich in fiber and minerals and amino acids. So adding other foods with complementary amino acid profiles to this veggies may yield a more complete protein source and improve the quality of some types of restrictive diets. Pressed salad is refreshing as well as the raw, but slightly fermented are easier to digest and doesn't make you feel swollen.
Instead of white bread I used my Kayu bread, a mixture of whole flour and overcooked grains. Is a yeast free, overnight fermented bread. A digestible potion also rich in amino-acids.
Instead of tones of oil I used Ume vinegar. Sour, salty and fruity, is a mount-watering condiment.

Umeboshi is used as natural preservative in the hot&humid Japanese weather so was been perfect in the Italian summer.
The following recipe is for 12 serving.

{ingredients}

 

{pressed salad} 

6 large carrots
4 large cucumbers
2 beautiful red onions
1 stalk celery, very tender
3 tablespoons sea salt
a few drops of lemon

{panzanella}

¼ loaf of bread Kayu or 1 / 3 of
sourdough bread,
5 tablespoons of ume
1 tablespoon of shoyu
lemon juice to taste
½ cup sunflower seeds
4 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil
few leaves of basil
oregano or marjoram to taste

{tecnique}

{insalata pressata}

Wash and dry the vegetables.
Clean the carrots with a coconut brush or a sponge, without peel. Grate or cut into thin matches, sprinkle with lemon juice so don't turn dark.
Peel the cucumbers, cut into 4 lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut into eighths, then into cubes.
Clean the celery from any hard wire and cut it to thin diagonal slices.
Cut the onion into half, following the veins, and then into very thin slices, always following the pattern of veins.
Place all vegetables in a glass or ceramic bowl, add salt and mix with your hands. Place a second smaller bowl oinside the first, and let stand for 2 hours or more with a weight on top (a bottle of water for example).

{panzanella}
 

Cut the bread into thick slices and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the seeds until gold, turn off the heat and sprinkle stirring with soy sauce.
So cut the bread into squares, being careful not to break it.
Drain the vegetables from the water that is formed, (which you can keep as a base for a soup or to moisten salad if it is too dry, remember that is salty!).
Chop a few leaves of basil. Who likes and digests it, can add some chopped garlic.

{to assemble}

Gently mix the bread, vegetables and basil, add the seasoning little at a time, tasting to feel how much you prefer.

Garnish with the toasted seeds and fresh basil just before serving.

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.

nectarine mousse kanten

 

Finally I'm back to Italy for my holidays. Thirty-five degree. A possible murder if I don't have something refreshing. And seems I'm not the only one looking for that!

Here is plenty of melons, every kinds of plums, summer apples and pears, so many different type of peaches... Now all the trees are empty for full tables. The nature is blow up, a rainbow of scents fill up the air all around you. And you feel to be in the heaven, just have to choose.

What to do so? My mother was complaining for too many ripe nectarine for just three of us. Actually, yep, four plateau are quite a lot...

Lets do a peach mousse kanten! But because this hot weather makes me quite nervous maybe a pick of calming herbs like camomile can give us the right touch. Sniffing them, smells seems working very good together.

Peaches are plenty of vitamins, full of sugars, and good source of minerals and quite good source of proteins, nutritive and low cal. They are perfect summer here.

This dessert, is about the Soil transformation. The nature is quite Yin so maybe need to have a balance meal before. And remember to eat less during the hot days.

{ingredients}

{peaches}

 10 small organic nectarine
few pinch of fine unrefined sea salt

 {camomile}

  1/4 cup organic camomile flowers

[possibly no petals]
3/4 cup water

5 g circa Rapunzel agar agar flakes

{technique}

{camomile}

Bring to boil the camomile flowers and the water, let boil for 5 minutes that strain, sprinkle the agar over the infusion, stir well and stand while you prepare the peaches.

Than bring again to boil for 5 min on a medium heat, stirring until agar is dissolved.

{peaches}

Wash and drain the fruits, diced and place in a heavy pan with salt, cook for 6-7 minutes on medium heat and blend with an hand blender or puree mashing them.

{kanten mousse}

Add to the peaches puree the infusion whisking. Test purring some puree on a plate if the agar is working. Leave to set in a big one or individual moulds. Serve room temperature.

raw patisserie in my way: raspberry tartelette

Mid-August, and my breath condensing!!! Is raining so much that I cannot see my roses through the window. The only pleased is the cat allowed to join the sofa since I'm at the computer.

    Well, I need some summer in my kitchen. Clean flavors and colours.
I truly love simple food. Few ingredients and huge imagination. That is something I really do love in macrobiotic, and my digestion too. I'm always impressed from some recipes, I appreciate how the food is kept as it is, no complex condiments or mixtures. Two or three items and some magic.

    This recipe has been inspired from raw patisserie. I made quite a lot changes to make it more balanced. Still, is not easy for people with a slow digestion, like me, and, I do not recommend for people with mood swing or or any extreme Condition/Constitution. But I can suggest as party food to impress your guests.

     Instead time:  Instead of marble or date`I used the rice syrup, a milder option. Instead of cashew I used sunflower seeds. That are plenty of proteins, vitamins, very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper and Manganese. This seeds may yield a more complete protein source to balance the nutrients of restrictive diets like vegan. Besides, are very low in fats comparing with any nuts. Instead of the raw-one-hundred-stuff-pulse-together filling, I choose a simple marvelous 10-minute-time-raspberry-jam.

    At Portofino years ago i tried a vegan gelato: Melon and Marjoram. Tones of sugar .. but really chic. So, for our raspberries jam we have nigella seeds. Just perfect. Raspberries are very rich in vitamin C, Manganese, and, good source of fiber. And I love nigella seeds! Beautiful deep black, that will work perfectly with the raspberries red, to nourish also the eyes. Nigella fresh flavor remember me so much the Ligurian coast...

    Finally, sunflower seeds are slightly inflammatory and raspberries are slightly anti- inflammatory. So, we got just the right balance.

    About the transformation, we got the roasted sunflower (Metal cooking style) and a very sour jam (Tree). Plus, the rice syrup (Earth).

{ingredients}

{rice syrup sunflower crust}
1  cups organic sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. rice syrup
a pinch fine unrefined sea salt

 {raspberries & nigella jam}

  4 cups of organic raspberries
1/2 tsp. of nigella seeds [or more to taste]
1Tbsp. of kuzu 

a pinch of fine unrefined sea salt

{technique}

{crust}

Toast the seeds in an heavy pan until smell a nutty flavor. Blend in a food processor with syrup and salt and pulse until the mixture is combined. In a muffin pan scoop a couple tablespoons per cup. Press firmly so that the seeds mixture is compact and holds together. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hr.

{jam}

Save some raw raspberries for decoration. In an heavy saucepan cook the left raspberries with a pick of salt* until juicy and soft. Wisking with a spoon, filter through a strainer to remove seeds . Place again in the pan with the nigella and quickly reheat. Dissolve the kuzu in some water and add stirring carefully to prevent agglomerates. Stir over low heat until tick. [tip: if you don't like to chewing the nigella seeds, cook together with raspberry from the beginning and filter away, maybe you need more seeds to feel the flavor).

Leave to cool perfectly.

{to assemble}

Take out the crusts from the muffin pan. Scoop carefully 1 tablespoon of jam in each cup.

Decorate and serve.

{*} salt alkalize the food, help the digestion and bring out the sweetness.

 

 

Amasake, the japanese sweetner

It was a cloudy, cold day when i experiment how to make amasake. And I was sunk into the sofa busy with my book. The worlds were flowing under my eyes but nothing got in my mind. I needed to switch off with the study with some action. Since I had the ingredients sticking inside my cabinet from a while I decided to make the amasake. I went down to the kitchen I wear my apron. Took the ingredients from the cabinet. And started putting pieces back together organizing the recipe.

This is my style amasake, I mix 2 kinds of rice to cut down the costs...But sweet rice is quite different from common brown rice. Is plenty of proteins {the amino acid score is 71%} is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Manganese.

Amasake is quite Earth Transformation [sweet] but the cooking method is more Metal. And the fermentation makes it more about Tree. So is quite in the middle of a balance but because we usually use it in desserts I feel more right to place him in the Earth Transformation anyway.

{ingredients}

 1 cup brown rice

1 cup brown sweet rice

½ cup koji

6 cups spring water, plus 5 cups

Pick of unrefined sea salt

{technique} 

Boil the 2 cups of rice with the salt and 6 cups water, until cooked [50/60 min]. Set aside to cool down. When is cold enough to put a finger in the grain, add the koji and set aside in a warm place overnight or under the sun. At least 10 hrs. After that amasake should smell acid and sweet, if not leave to ferment much more.

Bring to boil again in a pressure cooker, with 5 cups of water, for 2 hour over a medium-low flame. Turn off the stove and leave the cooker to loose the pressure naturally. Then if you like to, add a vanilla pod. Leave on the stove until creamy if needed. Store in the fridge in a glass jar.

[if you like it smooth is possible to blend with a blender or mill amasake in a suribaci]  

the perfect plate

ITALIANO

Nella cucina Macrobiotica uno dei punti chiave e' bilanciare correttamente il pasto in modo da soddisfare il nostro palato e le necessita' dell'organismo.
E' importante essere sempre flessibili in modo da incontrare le proprie necessita'. In questi termini il piatto perfetto in assoluto, non esiste. Esiste pero' una linea guida generale da cui partire ed eccola qui:

50% cereali integrali (80%riso + 20% di orzo, farro, avena, miglio, grano,... a rotazione)
25% verdure di stagione miste
15% legumI
15% zuppa o brodo
5% alghe, frutta di stagione, semi e condimenti vari.

Per darvi un'idea pratica, un esempio di piatto base potrebbe essere:
Riso integrale, carote al vapore, fagioli rossi cotti a pressione, verza e sedano pressati conditi con limone e semi tostati. Una zuppa di miso con wakame e cipolle, e cipollotto crudo a guarnire. Gomasio o altri semi tostati come condimento.
-E' importante introdurre il maggior numero di colori possibili nel piatto e presentare il cibo in modo attraente. Bastano piccoli accorgimenti come una fogliolina verde o un po' di sesamo per fare la differenza.

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La cucina macrobiotica ci vuole riportare ad uno stile di vita piu' salubre, riproporzionando i cibi che mettiamo a tavola secondo le vecchie tradizioni comuni a tutti i paesi.
Rispetto ad altre diete in cui l'ecologia del corpo e' centrale, la macrobiotica tiene conto anche delle energie che il cibo e le cotture portano con se. Quindi porta attenzione non solo al nutrimento fisico, ma anche a quello emozionale e spirituale.
Per fare un'esempio semplicistico: una persona aggressiva e materiale secondo voi cosa mangia? Carotine bollite? O bistecche alla griglia? Bistecche direi.
Quindi, quando vi sentite nervosi, che cibo potrebbe aiutarvi? Verdure e carotine bollite magari?
E' la cosa piu' semplice e naturale.
Bilanciare i giusti cibi tra di loro puo' aiutare a mantenere un equilibrio emozionale.

ENGLISH

Macrobiotic cuisine in one of the key points is properly balance the meal. In this way we satisfy our palate and needs of the body. Here I give you a few lines basis. It"s important to always be flexible to meet personal needs.
The dish should generally be composed of:

50% whole grains (80% rice + 20% barley, oats, millet, wheat, make a rotation ...) 25% mixed seasonal vegetables
15% legumes
15% soup or broth 5% algae, seasonal fruit, seeds and various seasonings.

To give a practical idea, an example of a base plate would be:
Brown rice, steamed carrots, red beans pressure cooked and pressed cabbage and celery, seasoned with lemon and roasted seeds. Miso soup with wakame and onions, raw onion to garnish. Gomasio or other roasted seeds as a condiment.
-Also important to introduce the largest possible number of colors on your plate and present food in an attractive way. A green leaf or a little sesame can make the difference.

   ---

The macrobiotic cooking takes to bring a more healthy lifestyle, following the old traditions common to all countries.
Compared to other diets where the body ecology is central, Macrobiotics also takes into account the energy the food and cooking styles they bring with them. So not only brings attention to the physical nourishment but also the emotional and spiritual.
For a simplistic example: an aggressive and material person, what does he eat? Boiled carrots? Or grilled steak? Steak I would say.
So when you feel nervous, what might help? Some veggie and boiled carrots, maybe?
It is easy and natural. So a balanced meal can help us to balance also our emotions.

food mood chart

ITALIANO

Il cibo fa di noi quello che siamo.

In questa Chart c'e' una facile schematizzazione dei cibi e della loro Energia. In una condizione di salute normale, cibi piu' agli estremi possono essere consumati raramente o in basse percentuali. Mentre i cibi piu' equilibrati come cereali integrali, legumi e la verdura di stagione dovrebbero essere la fonte principale di nutrimento. Scegliendo questi manterremo le nostre emozioni e la nostra Energia nello stato di Armonia.

La cucina macrobiotica non si occupa solo di bilanciare il cibo in funzione dei nutrienti ma anche in funzione dell'Energia.
Per fare questo si basa sulla tradizione orientale dello Yin e Yang.
Lo Yin e lo Yang rappresentano i due estremi di tutto l'esistente. Entrambi sono necessari al mantenimento della vita ed entrambi sono presenti in tutte le cose.

Nel loro equilibrio si possono pero' creare degli sbilanciamenti e quindi problemi. I possibili sbilanciamenti sono: eccesso di yin, eccesso di yang, insufficienza di yin, insufficienza di yang, fluttuazione continua tra i due estremi.

Una dieta squilibrata fatta di troppi cibi appartenenti ad un'estremo o del mix di cibi da entrambi gli estremi puo' portare a problemi importanti  che possono dare inizio a depressioni, stati di ansia, mancanza di concentrazione... Nei casi peggiori paranoia, aggressivita', inabilita' ad affrontare la vita di tutti i giorni, e peggio ancora.

Fisicamente parlando, il cibo crea il sangue ed il sangue nutre gli organi.
In particolare il cervello che ne e' il maggior consumatore. Immaginate far arrivare al vostro cervello un sangue appesantito dai grassi e povero di ossigeno, per quanto vi sforziate le vostre capacita' saranno rallentate ed offuscate.
Vale la pena di sottolineare che le emozioni nel tempo vanno in profondita' e diventano parte del nostro carattere e del nostro essere, anche per questo e' importante non trascurare il modo di nutrirci.

ENGLISH

The food makes us who we are.

In this chart there is an easy outline for the relation between foods and their energy. In a state of normal health, the food to extremes can be consumed rarely or in low percentages. While most foods' as a balanced, whole grains, legumes and vegetables in season should be the main source of nourishment. Choosing these foods will keep our emotions and our energy in the state of Harmony.

As I said, macrobiotic cooking is not just to balance the food according to the nutrients but also as a function of Energy.
To do this is based on Eastern tradition of Yin and Yang.
The Yin and Yang represent the two extremes of all that exists. Both are necessary to support life, and both are present in all things.

But is possible to happen mismatches and then problems. Possible imbalances are: excess yin, excess yang, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, continual fluctuation between the two extremes.
An unbalanced diet consisting of too much food or belonging to an extreme mix of foods from both ends can lead to major problems in our bodies, that give then start to depression, anxiety, lack of concentration ... At worst paranoia, aggression, 'inability' to cope with life every day, and worse.

At a physical level, the food makes the blood and the blood nourishes the organs.
In particular the brain, that is largest consumer of it. Imagine your brain to get weighed down by a blood full in fats and low in oxygen, however hard you try the brain functions will be slowed down and blurred.
It is worth noting that the emotions go in depth over the time and become part of our character and our being, and for this important not to overlook the way to feed ourselves.