From salted potato chips to stingray drenched in sambal chilli, our tastebuds are accustomed to strong flavours which can be an assault on the senses.
A diet that eliminates processed foods, meat and dairy products, as well as familiar ingredients like chilli, may therefore seem bland, unappetising and altogether unappealing.
Not true, according to Ms Simone Vaz, a macrobiotics teacher and counsellor. The fact is, a range of alternative spices and condiments are used in macrobiotic cooking.
An example is gomashio, a blend of toasted sesame seeds and sea salt.
Mild vinegars from brown rice or umeboshi - a pickled sour plum known as 'sng buey' to the Chinese - are also common.
Although generic brands of soya sauce are out due to commercial brewing processes, organic alternatives like shoyu, a Japanese soya sauce, are available.
Sea salt is also allowed as it is not heavily processed, unlike refined salt.
Refined sugar, however, is strictly not allowed - and this includes cane sugar and brown sugar.
However, that does not mean that pastries and desserts, which typically contain processed sugar, will be a thing of the past.
Natural alternatives like maple syrup, barley malt syrup and brown rice syrup can do the job, said Ms Vaz, who includes pastries like muffins in her twice-monthly macrobiotic cooking classes.
The macrobiotic diet embraces organic foods. Whole grains typically make up about 60 per cent of the diet, vegetables 30 per cent and beans 10 per cent. Fish is sometimes included.
Boiling, steaming or sauteeing are the main cooking methods, with condiments used sparingly.
Macrobiotic means 'great life' in Greek, a term which founder George Ohsawa used in 1911 to describe his lifestyle philosophy, which centered on achieving physical and spiritual balance by following a healthy diet.
As the diet is high-fibre and low-fat, it may be beneficial for adults intending to lose weight or manage their cholesterol levels, said Ms Ann Selina Chang, a dietitian at The Nutrition Place.
Macrobiotic diets have been embraced by many as a wholesome alternative to most of today's diets. It is popular among film stars who want to stay slim, and also cancer patients, who feel that its focus on simply-cooked organic food is better for health.
However, not everyone will find a macrobiotic diet suitable, said Ms Chang.
For instance, the diet might not suit people on medical treatment, as certain nutrients from non-macrobiotic foods might be needed for a full recovery.
Also, the yin and yang philosophy of macrobiotic food may eliminate certain nutrients essential for health.
In this diet, foods on the extremes of the 'cooling' and 'heaty' spectrum are avoided. For example, fruits are considered 'yin' and are rarely eaten. Similarly, extremely 'yang' foods like red meats are avoided.
Ms Nedal Kamdar, a dietitian at Raffles Hospital, said the absence of fruits, meat and dairy in strict macrobiotic diets may result in deficiencies in antioxidants, protein, vitamin B12, calcium and folate.
Although the diet is generally healthy with lots of fibre from grains, Ms Nedal said it is not suitable for everyone.
'Children and pregnant women need calcium and folate from dairy products,' she said. 'People with intestinal problems may be sensitive to gluten, which is found in whole grains.'
While the diet is said to benefit people recovering from illnesses like cancer, the jury is still out on it.
According to Ms Gladys Wong, chief dietitian at Alexandra Hospital, it is difficult to attribute anti-cancer claims solely on the diet as macrobiotic eaters usually consume less fat and sodium.
They also rarely smoke or drink alcohol, she added.
