I am trying macrobiotic. Not in the traditional sense of the word. The standard macrobiotic diet – with its prescription for brown rice, seaweed and not much else – left me shaky and starving the one time I tried it.

But, as it turns out, there is more to macrobiotic than just vegan Japanese food. The word macrobiotic is based on the Greek words for “large life,” and it is much more concerned with planetary health than it is with supplying Hollywood starlets with a restrictive eating plan.

Based on the concepts of yin and yang, macrobiotics is about balance. A primary way to achieve nutritional balance is to eat locally and seasonally, two words that are all about delicious.

Unfortunately, these concepts have been all but lost in our mighty-marketing world of convenience and indulgence. We can have anything we want, whenever we want it. So, despite everything we tell our kids, we go ahead and have everything – right now!

Strawberries and asparagus at Christmas; rock-hard apricots in February; and square, mealy tomatoes and limp, watery cucumbers all year round. It doesn’t matter that none of these off-season items taste good. Is it any wonder children don’t want to eat fruits and vegetables? [source: BA Parent]