○Food Culture in a Monetary Society
In a monetary society, it is common to buy food from supermarkets and convenience stores. As a result, consuming vegetables, meat, and processed foods that contain pesticides, food additives, and refined sugar has become the norm.
Food additives include ingredients such as yeast extract, shortening (vegetable oil), gelling agents, flavorings, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, leavening agents, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives, thickeners, stabilizers, antioxidants, and antifoaming agents. These additives are used to make the food look more appetizing, extend its shelf life, and enhance its taste. Their purpose is to attract consumers, drive purchases, and generate profits.
Refined sugar is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream after a meal, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. Repeated consumption of refined sugar can lead to a decrease in insulin secretion, which is necessary to lower blood sugar levels, and increase the risk of developing diabetes.
If one were to cultivate pesticide-free vegetables in a nearby garden and consume them immediately after harvesting, it would be the simplest, fastest, and least burdensome way of eating. However, in a monetary society where mass production, long-distance transportation, long-term storage, and consumer acquisition are prioritized, the ingredients deviate from their natural state and become altered with the addition of pesticides, food additives, and sugar. Combined with factors such as stress, overeating, unhealthy dietary habits, lack of exercise, overwork, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, this contributes to the prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and stroke.
○Insights from Fasting
When it comes to the quantity of food consumed, everyone has experienced overeating at restaurants, feeling tired from eating too much, and reluctantly leaving the establishment with a heavy stomach. On the other hand, when consuming dishes that use minimal amounts of oil and eating a moderate portion, one can feel satisfied without experiencing indigestion, allowing for comfortable post-meal activities. Comparing the post-meal conditions between a heavy and light meal, it becomes intuitively clear which one is healthier.
Now, let's consider what happens when one refrains from eating altogether. From this perspective, one notable point becomes apparent. Many people suffer from hay fever, but by fasting for just one day, the symptoms of hay fever can be alleviated the following day. However, when one resumes eating, symptoms such as nasal congestion and itchy eyes reappear. If one were to engage in a week-long fasting period, hay fever symptoms would subside during that time, blemishes would disappear, and a mere 3 hours of sleep would be sufficient. However, during this period, one's physical strength for exercise would diminish, limiting the ability to engage in vigorous activities. Once eating is resumed, the skin becomes consistently smooth and healthy for a certain period.
From these results, it becomes evident that meals have a significant impact on the body, revealing the relationship between food ingredients and illnesses.
○The Way of Food
Next, let's explore the concept of macrobiotics, a particular approach to food. The distinctive features of macrobiotics include utilizing ingredients in their entirety without discarding skins or roots, prioritizing locally sourced produce that aligns with the seasons, avoiding the use of food additives and pesticides, minimal preprocessing during cooking, and employing traditional Japanese seasonings and cooking methods such as miso, soy sauce, and salt. The basic proportions of a macrobiotic meal are as follows:
・Grains (staple food): 40% - 60%
・Vegetables: 20% - 30%
・Legumes and seaweed: 5% - 10%
・Miso soup and others: 5% - 10%
Furthermore, individuals who completely abstain from consuming animal-derived foods and wearing animal-based clothing are referred to as vegans. Vegans exclusively consume grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and seaweed, while refraining from animal meats such as pork, beef, and poultry, as well as seafood, eggs, dairy products, and honey. Vegans live a lifestyle devoid of all animal-derived items, be it for food, clothing, or any other purposes, without causing harm or suffering to animals.
There are various other approaches to food around the world. These include vegetarians who abstain from meat and focus on grains and vegetables, natural hygiene that emphasizes consuming food enzymes and avoids excessive cooking, raw foodism, Ayurveda (a vegetarian-based traditional Indian medicine that also incorporates cooking methods), Chinese traditional medicine's medicinal cuisine (utilizing wild vegetables and herbs like pine nuts and mugwort), fruitarians who primarily consume fruits as their staple, and liquidarians who obtain nutrition solely from liquids such as water and fruit juices.
What these dietary approaches have in common is the notion that it is preferable to avoid meat, refined sugar, additives, and artificial foods, and instead consume natural foods free from pesticides and fertilizers. They also emphasize being mindful of digestion and enjoying a reasonable quantity of food that doesn't strain the body. Additionally, there is a relatively consistent recommendation to align one's meals with the body's 24-hour cycle.
• 4:00 am - 12:00 pm: Elimination Phase (suitable for excretion of bodily waste and food remnants)
• 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Intake and Digestion Phase (suitable for eating and digestion)
• 8:00 pm - 4:00 am: Absorption and Utilization Phase (suitable for nutrient assimilation in the body)
In macrobiotics, it is recommended to chew food around 100 times. Chewing thoroughly helps prevent overeating, activates the brain, improves gastrointestinal health, and promotes restful sleep. Abdominal pain, indigestion, constipation, and insomnia can occur due to insufficient chewing, so it is advised to continue chewing until the food naturally disappears without swallowing. By creating a porridge-like consistency in the mouth, the burden on the internal organs is reduced, leading to better nutrient absorption.
Taking these factors into consideration, Prout Village promotes a grain-based diet while not prohibiting meat consumption. Even with a healthy diet, there is still a possibility of falling ill, but maintaining a healthy diet is essential for enjoying activities one loves for a long time.
Regarding the daily consumption of sugar, salt, rice, and protein, from a perspective of consuming natural ingredients, it is advisable to opt for alternatives such as unrefined sugars like cane sugar, maple syrup made by boiling down sap from maple trees, or xylitol. These options have a lower impact on blood sugar levels, but it is still important to be mindful of overconsumption.
For salt, natural salts like seaweed salt that contains abundant minerals are recommended. As for rice, whole grain rice is preferable over white rice due to its higher nutritional content and beneficial effects on constipation, indicating a healthy intestinal environment that contributes to overall well-being. Protein can be obtained from sources such as soybeans as an alternative to meat.
○Cultivation Methods
Prout Village employs two cultivation methods: natural farming and hydroponics, working in parallel.
Natural farming is a method of cultivation that avoids the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers, and it is already practiced both domestically and internationally. Masanobu Fukuoka is the proponent of this approach, which emphasizes allowing various plants to flourish without human intervention. The philosophy of natural farming is rooted in the idea that land where diverse organisms such as insects coexist and various plants thrive naturally is fertile and produces nutrient-rich crops. Fukuoka's fields, for instance, have never been plowed in over thirty years, and no chemical fertilizers, compost, or disinfectants have been applied. He claimed to have achieved a harvest of approximately 10 koku (600 kg) of wheat or rice per roughly 33 square meters without any cultivation.
The depth humans can till using plows and hoes is about 10 to 20 centimeters. However, the roots of grass and green manure can penetrate the soil to a depth of 30 to 40 centimeters or more. When roots go deep into the soil, they facilitate the permeation of air and water into the ground. The death of these roots and microorganisms enriches and softens the soil. Over time, earthworm populations increase, and moles create tunnels within the soil. Through these natural processes, the environment becomes conducive to nutrient-rich cultivation, resulting in permanently fertile soil without elements that cause pollution. The principles of natural farming include no tillage, no fertilizers, no weeding, and no pesticides.
Indoors, hydroponics is practiced. This method involves growing plants without soil by immersing their roots in nutrient-enriched water, allowing them to absorb the necessary water, nutrients, and oxygen. Hydroponics prevents pests and enables the cultivation of healthy, pesticide-free plants regardless of the season. By vertically arranging plants, space is conserved, making it possible to cultivate a significant amount within residential areas.
Furthermore, harvested crops are used to collect seeds, which are then cleaned, dried, and stored in containers, such as refrigerators, for preservation.
By following these practices in each household, essential knowledge about food, necessary for survival, can be passed down to everyone, ensuring food safety and the preservation of food during times of disaster.
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