Modern-Day Macrobiotics: Transform Your Diet and Feed Your Mind, Body and Spirit

by Simon G. Brown, Michio Kushi (Foreword by)

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.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Health, Bodies, Cooking, Food

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2005

About the author

From the authors website:

I studied macrobiotics in nineteen eighty in London and went to the USA to study with Michio Kushi, Aveline Kushi, Shizuko Yamamoto and Denny Waxman. Whilst there I ran the Macrobiotic Association of Philadelphia. Returning to London I became the director of London's Community Health Foundation, the leading macrobiotic centre in the UK, from 1986 to 1993. I co-authored ‘Against All Odds’ with Dr. Faulkner charting his macrobiotic recovery from Pancreatic cancer. I regularly hosted courses for Michio and Aveline Kushi and Shizuko Yamamoto.

Whilst at the Community Health Centre I ran the fist large feng shui courses in the UK with William Spear and Takashi Yoshikawa. I left the CHF in 1993 to persue a freelance career in feng shui, macrobiotics, face reading and shiatsu living in London and travelling thoughout the UK, Europe and USA.

Since 1993 I have worked as a macrobiotic consultant, macrobiotic teacher, feng shui teacher, feng shui consultant and shiatsu practitioner. I have written numerous books including ‘Practical Feng Shui’, ‘The Practical Art of Face Reading’, ‘The Chi Energy Workbook’, 'Modern Day Macrobiotics', 'The Feng Shui Bible' 'Astrology by Numbers' 'Practical Wabi Sabi' and ‘The Energy Booster Workout’. I am currently involved in the macrobiotic shop Luscious Organic in Kensington High Street with my wife Dragana.

I offer one to one training days in feng shui, macrobiotics and shiatsu. These are flexible and can be adapted to what ever you are looking for. I also provide consultations in feng shui, nine ki astrology and macrobiotics as well as shiatsu massage sessions in London. I also work as a feng shui expert, face reader and macrobiotic expert for the media.

My appraoch is friendly, open and positive. I take a non judgemental approach to my work with people and my emphasis is on empowering my clients in their lives rather than risk enslaving anyone to any doctrine.

I am a member of the Feng Shui Society of Great Britain, the Macrobiotic Association of Great Britain and the Shiatsu Society of Great Britain and abide by their proffessional ethics.

Reviews

[Merceditas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro de consulta permanente. No es que lo "terminás de leer" sino que lo seguís leyendo y consultando.

[Margaret Baratta · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only gripe with this book is the suggestions to eat fish....although there are many contradictions the author provides as to the dangers of eating fish he still highly recommends it. I suppose this author is along the lines of absolutely no supplementation whatsoever.

Although I would normally agree with this mindset, there are the vitamins D and B12 to consider. Since I am very pale skinned and live a good distance north of the equator the winter months don't allow me to fully absorb the vitamin D I need from the sun and need a slight bit of vitamin supplementation (D2 as D3 has animal product in it). Until human use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, our plants did naturally contain the amount of B12 that was necessary for healthy function (B12 is a vitamin derived from bacteria and humans have effectively destroyed all bacteria, even the healthy ones, from the soil), but since there is no longer this option vegans are left to supplement. Even though I normally preach against it, with the 2 exceptions of vitamins B12 and D I personally have to disagree with Brown and would recommend supplementation rather than eating seafood.

But other than that this was a very interesting read that not only focuses on the nutritional healing quality of foods but also the emotional and psychological effects that each can bring.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only the third book I've read on macrobiotics so far, but it has provided the best information so far on how a macrobiotic diet should look in practice. The Four-Month Healing Diet was particularly helpful. Even if you aren't looking for a healing diet, it gives a very nice template of what a macrobiotic menu might look like. It is not a particularly in-depth book, but it provides a very nice overview and has helped me make sense of some of the other things I'd read previously.

It has a relatively small selection of recipes, but it is a very helpful collection with lots of what will become your new basics if you choose to follow this diet. There is very little information about the other aspects of a macrobiotic lifestyle; the focus here is on food.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book on macrobiotics that made the subject at all understandable (but I've only read two or three others...) I am intrigued by the ideas of tapping in to the unique energies of the different foods but I am certainly not sold on the idea enough to be regimented about it. I found the early chapters to be best. The recipes were simple and did not inspire me.

[Anissa C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, concise book on the macrobiotic diet; well organized; easy to follow and reference for later use

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative, a good reference

[Marlies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I have the patience or stamina or whatever to "go macro" plus my husband would flip! But it's quite interesting to read about this diet. I've long been curious.

[Mrs. Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the point. Good recipes.