1. FIND AND USE GOOD MACROBIOTICS COOK BOOKS. Recipes can help keep you on track with macrobiotics, especially when you are first starting out. Recipes will remind you about cooking techniques and portion sizes of ingredients.

2. GET ORGANIZED. Keep your macrobiotic cooking supplies together so you won’t have to hunt for them when you prepare a meal. Store all macrobiotic foods, including your grains, in clearly marked containers, and keep all your refrigerator items and seaweed foods together. It helps to organize your food preparation space as well.

3. CLEAR OUT THE JUNK. Get rid of everything in your cabinets and refrigerator that you no longer want to include in your diet, so you’ll be less tempted to turn to the wrong foods while you maintain a macrobiotics lifestyle. Don’t forget to empty out snack stores at your job and in your car. If you feel you must eat a “wrong” food, remember that your craving is likely based on your body’s former attraction to bad food, which is being broken. Try not to cheat on your macrobiotics food plans for the first three months. After that, if you have an occasional snack like sorbet, it won’t have such a negative effect on your progress.

4. KEEP TRACK OF FOOD. Create a calendar where you can note the macrobiotic meals you plan to eat every day for a week. Be sure you are balancing meals throughout the day. Try to incorporate variety into your macrobiotic meal planning; if you can see a whole week of meals at a glance, it will be easier to ensure your meals are balanced.

5. KEEP TRACK OF FEELINGS. If your body is full of toxins, it can take weeks or months of healthy macrobiotic eating to clear them out and feel the real benefits of eating a macrobiotic diet. In the meantime, you might feel worse than before as your body rids itself of the poisons from medications and bad food.  Keep a macrobiotics journal describing your feelings, so you can look back and see how much you have progressed.

6. PACK A LUNCH. Road cravings can be hard to deal with, especially when you are bombarded by temptations screaming "24 hour' or "drive though." By keeping macrobiotic food with you in a lunch bag, you can resist temptation and eat what you should.

7. EAT IN. You will soon discover that it can be hard to find the right macrobiotic food in restaurants. It’s even hard to determine what is IN the foods prepared in restaurants. Some places use oil, but others don't. Some places microwave, while others don't.  If you want to make sure you are really changing your diet for the good, skip the lunches with friends at restaurants. Invite everyone over and cook macrobiotic meals for them at your house.

8. SHARE YOUR JOURNEY WITH A FRIEND. If you know someone who is successfully maintaining a macrobiotic diet, or who wants to, join forces! It’s easier to change your lifestyle when you don’t have to do it alone. If you don’t know anyone else who wants to take this macrobiotics journey with you, post a notice at the local health food store or join a natural foods buying cooperative, where you’ll meet many people who are motivated to eat better. One of them might be a macrobiotics buddy! yoga classes are another good source for people living a macrobiotics lifestyle. Having a friend to share these dietary changes will help keep you both on track.

9. DO OTHER THINGS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH. Try yoga, tai chi or meditation. Consider colonic cleansing or Reiki healings. Whatever you can do to raise your vibrational level and stay calm and centered will also help you maintain a healthy macrobiotics food regime. When you are alone at home, do deep breathing exercises or start a gentle exercise program like walking, swimming, or bicycling that encourages you to breathe. Being mindful about your food also can help; instead of bolting down your macrobiotic meals, make the time to sit down and eat slowly and thoughtfully. Practice remembering to be grateful that you have the food you need. Remember the many hands involved in bringing food to your table, from the farmer to the trucker to the grocer.

10. STAY MOTIVATED. Plan a little reward for yourself for every week of successful macrobiotic food planning and for every week you stick to the plan. If you post a blog online in one of the macrobiotic online communities, others can post comments to encourage you.

You will find that macrobiotics is more a mindset and way of life than a diet. The rewards of living and eating this way go far beyond health.

Source: Melody Gardot, macrobiotics.co.uk with contributions by AltMeds.com editorial staff.