{Macrobiotic March} Are Nut Butters Macrobiotic? | Say Yes to Salad (2024)

Happy March! Here in NYC we are starting to warm up… a little!

To jumpstart the month of macrobiotic posts, I have 2 things for you.

1) I made a Macrobiotics page for the blog. I went through ALL my posts and recipes and put links to the relevant ones there. Please check it out if you have time.

2) I wanted to answer a common question:

Is nut butter macrobiotic?

{Macrobiotic March} Are Nut Butters Macrobiotic? | Say Yes to Salad (1)

This is a toughie – the basic answer is YES, nut butters can be macrobiotic.

But the caveat is that nuts (and nut butters) should be eaten in moderation: maybe 2-3 times a week. The most specific measurement I found was no more than 1.5 cups of nuts in a week. I am not sure how much nut butter 1.5 cups of nuts would amount to. Probably 3/4 of a cup of nut butter? That is a little less than 2 tablespoons of nut butter a day.

Any nut butter with added sugar is not macrobiotic, so macrobiotic nut butters are the natural kind – nuts should be the only ingredient. No added sugars, no added oils.

Get freshly ground nut butter, if possible.

Some nuts are not macrobiotic: peanuts are not (much as I love them),pistachios, Brazil nuts, cashews (another love!), filberts (aka hazlenuts) and macadamia nuts – these are all not allowed.

Why are some nuts avoided on a macrobiotic diet?

The simple reason is that macrobiotics encourages eating in harmony with your climate. The disallowed nuts are likely not native and could not grow in the temperate climate where most of us live (I am in the northeast US). I think these nuts listed above are only found in tropical climates.

The other reason for avoiding certain foods, like these nuts, is that (according to macrobiotics) foods can have either yin (expansive, cooling, moist) or yang (contractive, warming, drying) energies. Likely these nuts to avoid are very yin or very yang (probably too yin). Macrobiotics tries to help you strike a balance, and it’s easiest to get this balance if you are not eating either of the extremes (far on the yin or yang side of the spectrum). But more on this later.

Note that peanuts are a different story – most peanuts and peanut butters have fungus on them/in them (yep, I know – sounds gross – they still taste great). The amount of fungus allowed in peanuts/peanut butter is small (15 or 25 parts per billion I believe) but that is too much for macrobiotics to be okay with.

However – don’t lose hope! There are lots of macrobiotic nuts and seeds: walnuts, sesame seeds (to make tahini or sesame butter),pumpkin and squash seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, coconuts, andchestnuts (are these really a nut?).

{Macrobiotic March} Are Nut Butters Macrobiotic? | Say Yes to Salad (2)

{Macrobiotic March} Are Nut Butters Macrobiotic? | Say Yes to Salad (3)

I like fresh almond butter, coconut butter, and I adore tahini and sesame seeds in general.

Another note – if you’re following a strict healing macrobiotic diet for a specific ailment, you’ll probably be avoiding all nuts + nut butters, at least until you are healed from whatever your illness is. Then you would slowly add nuts and nut butters back in, as your body allows.

I hope this answered any questions you might have about macrobiotics and nuts / nut butters.

What is your favorite nut? What’s your favorite nut butter? How much do you eat in a week?

  • My favorite nut is the cashew (not macrobiotic)
  • My favorite nut butter is tahini (macrobiotic) or peanut butter (not)
  • It depends on the week – some weeks I probably eat 2-3 cups of nuts; other weeks I don’t have any at all.
{Macrobiotic March} Are Nut Butters Macrobiotic? | Say Yes to Salad (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat nuts on a macrobiotic diet? ›

Soups and broths comprise 5 to 10% of food intake. Soups containing miso (soy bean paste), vegetables, and beans are acceptable. A few servings each week of nuts, seeds, and fresh fish (halibut, flounder, cod, or sole) are permissible.

Is peanut butter macrobiotic? ›

Is nut butter macrobiotic? This is a toughie – the basic answer is YES, nut butters can be macrobiotic.

What is healthier, nuts or nut butter? ›

Although most nuts have been found to promote heart health, adding salt can negate this benefit. However, Grassby says a small amount of added sugar isn't necessarily bad if it means people eat nut butters instead of sugary snacks. But nut butters with added ingredients might be healthier than no nuts at all.

Can you eat tomatoes on macrobiotic diet? ›

Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, asparagus, spinach, beets, zucchini, and avocados are examples of excluded vegetables.

Can you eat oatmeal on a macrobiotic diet? ›

A macrobiotic practitioner plans your diet by taking into consideration your age, sex, where you live and how much exercise you do. Generally, the diet is made up of: organic whole grains such as brown rice, barley, oats and buckwheat (half your food intake)

Which nut butter is anti-inflammatory? ›

"Of all the nut butters, walnut butter has the most omega-3 fatty acids," Andrea says. The healthful fat ratio helps lower LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.

What is the healthiest nut butter brand? ›

10 Great Nut and Seed Butters for Metabolic Health
  • Kirkland Signature Creamy Almond Butter.
  • Good & Gather Stir Crunchy Almond Butter.
  • Jiva Organics Raw Cashew Butter.
  • Artisana Organics Raw Organic Tahini.
  • Vor Walnut Butter.
  • Dastony Hemp Butter.
  • Nuttzo Chocolate Keto Crunchy.
Sep 29, 2022

What is the most fattening nut butter? ›

Macadamia butter also helps to reduce cholesterol and support heart health, she added. It does contain the highest amount of calories and fat per serving of all nut butter and typically costs more, Childress said.

Can you drink coffee on a macrobiotic diet? ›

All kinds of meat, dairy produce, spicy ingredients and fruit juices are forbidden. Coffee, soda, canned food, refined products (including sugar), eggs and all kinds of processed foods are not allowed.

What do you eat for breakfast on a macrobiotic diet? ›

We recommend that your macrobiotic breakfast has a grain-based dish with light vegetables on the side. For the basis of any breakfast dish, some great grains for breakfast include, but are not limited to: Brown rice. Steel-cut oats.

What is the main staple of macrobiotic diets? ›

The macrobiotic diet is based loosely on the traditional Japanese diet and it also supports a healthy lifestyle. Brown rice, vegetable soup, vegetables, beans, and sea vegetables are the staples of the diet.

Can you eat nuts on a plant based diet? ›

Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn't mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy.

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