Wu Wei: The macrobiotic way of eating for a longer, healthier life:
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My approach to eating for optimal health comes from the holistic insight that we consciously can strengthen our bond with the natural order around us by choosing the proper food.
This is based on both the analytical understanding of the body’s biochemical needs as well as the dynamic energy polarity of contraction and expansion that pulsates everywhere down to the deepest level throughout the earth.
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In traditional Chinese philosophy these polar opposites are called Yang and Yin, but we can call them Alpha and Omega to show the antagonistic relationship between the two. Together they make up the whole.
The most down-to-earth example of polarity is man and woman, the masculine and the feminine. Other polar opposites are the physical and the mental, light and dark as well as warm and cool.
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The Far Eastern Daoist philosophy explains mankind’s relationship to the order of nature (Dao). The Daoist term Wu Wei means literally ‘not doing’ or ‘without effort’. The true meaning is that man should do nothing to disturb the innate connection to the natural order around him. In other words 'go with the flow' of nature - rather than resist it. This is the spirit of Wu Wei.
To live according to Wu Wei, we need to understand better the recurring cycles of the natural order. Choosing whole food in balance with this order promotes intuition to follow the Wu Wei.
With both the scientific and intuitive perspective, Wu Wei offers a truly holistic way to understand the complex subject of food and health, both physical and mental.
A Western word that expresses this Daoist principle is macrobiotic, which stems from the Greek makro and bios - 'great’ and ‘life.' The macrobiotic way of eating has given me a ‘great life’ with many years of wellness without ever needing medical treatment.
Wu Wei thinking gives priority to eating well, which strengthens the nervous system and sharpens perception. I call this way of eating Wu Wei. It takes into account personal needs that otherwise often get overlooked with the common one-size-fits-all approach to food.
The book is entitled: 'Eating the Wu Way – for a longer, heathier life