Book excerpt: A macrobiotic diet is beneficial not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally. Consisting of nuts, grains, vegetables, and other foods that are primarily whole, living, and unprocessed, it combines foods in a way that balances the body’s energies. Modern-Day Macrobiotics is both a cookbook and a practical guide to understanding and adopting a macrobiotic lifestyle. Along with menus and complete eating plans – including a one-day tone-up, three-day detox, ten-day regeneration diet, and four-month healing diet – it helps readers tailor a diet to their specific needs. Nearly 80 recipes cover every meal of the day, including dessert, and are tagged with icons indicating what types of energy the dish imparts. Colorful reference charts help readers find useful information at a glance. Health benefits; buying and storing ingredients; shortcuts and ten-minute meals; and ordering in restaurants are also covered. Luscious, full-color photographs capture the vibrant flavors of this healthy, delicious diet.