According to some doctors, the leading health risks of a macrobiotic diet include the following:
1 Too many carbohydrates (provided by cereals and legumes) in your diet can lead to fat storage, especially triglycerides, which can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.
2 The lack of animal proteins can lead to malnutrition and muscle loss.
3 Low vitamin B12 (unless the person consumes more seafood). Risk of anemia in adults and stunted growth in children. Moreover, low iron (decrease in red blood cells in the blood) leads to severe fatigue and cardiac risk if untreated.
4 Insufficient calcium and vitamin D: risk of rickets in children (bone malformation) and osteoporosis in adults.
5 According to the American Cancer Society and the American Dietetic Association, there is no scientific evidence that the macrobiotic diet can prevent or treat cancer.
As for cardiovascular disease, no studies have evaluated the preventive effect of the macrobiotic diet. However, some studies have proved that a diet too rich in carbohydrates can increase blood triglyceride levels, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we can be concerned because the macrobiotic diet is rich in carbohydrates (about 65% of daily energy). According to the macrobiotic theory, a person with obesity should lose weight because they will eat the right foods. This idea has yet to be scientifically proven.
The macrobiotic diet is also known as a detox diet. There are many detox diets out there. They usually involve one or two days on an all-liquid diet, and another four or five days adding brown rice, fruit, and steamed vegetables (all organic). After a week of eating only these foods, gradually reintroduce other foods, except red meat, wheat, sugar, eggs, and all pre-packaged or junk foods, into your diet.
