Atlanta Macrobiotics

Cooler weather’s started, and we’re amidst Fall’s colorful leaf serenade! Warren Kramer, Macrobiotic Senior Counselor, once again on the Atlanta scene, lecturing, counseling and presenting his always informative, entertaining and delicious cooking classes for this very season, carrying us into winter!

Hurry to book your private consultation: 90 minutes for your first appointment, and 60 minutes for follow-up! And if you follow Alicia Silverstone’s website, The Kind Life, after reading her book, The Kind Diet, you’ll recognize Warren Kramer is her counselor!  Warren’s the one she recommends you to see if he’s coming to your city! We are sooooo lucky having this great counselor, Michio Kushi’s private assistant for about 12 years, travelin’ to Atlanta 4 times a year!

If you are newly practicing Macrobiotics, this is a wonderful place to start, like Julie Andrew sings, Let’s start from the very beginning! You will meet like-minded, lovely participants with wonderfully encouraging stories and helpful hints to share with you ~ and great confidence builders! As well as others pretty new to macro-land, and very willing to share the pointers that helped them start in the most recent months.

How Warren develops these amazing new topics just floors me. We are so much looking forward to Warren’s new topics. Check out the descriptions in the following brochure. Please just click on this link to visit the page with a link  to the PDF, named Warren Kramer November Web. Clicking on that text opens the flyer we’ve prepared for you with dates, prices, discounts & and location for the numerous events Warren will be presenting.

Have any questions? And to RSVP: please email marsharueff@mac.com or call Marsha Rueff at home: 770 . 396 . 9413 or cell: 678 . 643 . 5662. Your check reserves your appointment with Warren, and your place in the lecture and cooking classes. Events will be held in Dunwoody: 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338. Easy access to Georgia 400. Soon as you contact us, we’ll email you directions! Hope to see you soon!

Let me tell you about our daughter Karyn. When our granddaughter, Brittany, was 18 months old, Karyn called me saying, I just gave Brittany her first macrobiotic cooking lesson! She cut the vegetables, stirred the food, measured the water, added the rice, and made gomashio!

Music to my ears. With all the love we have for our children and grandchildren, it’s so gratifying to know they are choosing healthy foods and lifestyle. And even teaching the next generation when kids adore playing in the kitchen with mommy! When it’s fun!

Karyn’s pantry and fridge contains all the foods on a macrobiotic diet, plus some traditional items for company. And her children know the difference. When Brittany was about 2 she declared in a children’s music group her favorite food was TOFU! All the other children claimed french fries, chicken wings or pizza. Macrobiotic food, as you learn in macrobiotic cooking classes, is very tasty, and kids love that genuine taste and aroma. It smells so good is a familiar comment in a macrobiotic kitchen.

Brittany and her sister Alyssa often participate in meal preparation, and even help select recipes, browsing macrobiotic cookbooks for some new, yummy dish. They have taken many Whole Foods cooking classes for kids, even the week-long summer camp. They assisted in these classes as well. At age 10 Brittany and Alyssa have each assisted during Warren Kramer’s cooking classes at our home, truly contributing. Kids love to help, and teaching them cooking skills while they are young and helping is fun for them is the key!

So what macrobiotic dishes are perfect kid-starters? Scrambled tofu – you get to scrunch up the tofu in your hands, and chop the veggies. Mochi waffles with Suzanne’s Maple Rice Syrup. Tempeh and seitan, deep-fried! Pasta salads with pickles and olives, blanched veggies, and yummy dressing. Kanten fruit desserts blended into a strawberry mousse or orange soufflé. Creamy pureed vegetable soups without the cream. Nori rolls with almond butter, cucumbers and whatever else your kids like. Fried fish, hummus dip and crunchy veggies. Tempura everything! Parsley’s the best, broccoli and other greens, even nori rolls. Kids love stirring the batters, and let them be inventive! Even if you are on a stricter diet, they might add coconut or healthy rice crispies to roll the battered seitan and what a treat you have!

You’ll want to buy the tiny iwachu iron pot for the deep frying, and sometimes we just keep ours on the stove. You can order this pot from Essene in Philadelphia by calling:  215 . 922 . 1146.  Sometimes you may have to describe the pot: it’s round with an iron handle, and wood lid, costing approximately $49 plus shipping. You definitely want the small size which allows you to use less oil.

Kid’s school lunches! Let ‘em look like everyone else. Sandwich, fruit, noodles, hummus and blanched veg, nori roll if they are comfortable with it. With all the sushi and nori rolls prepared at the grocers today, this macrobiotic favorite way of carrying rice and veggies might be the in thing.  And when they get home have a hearty dish to tide them over for dinner. Leftover warm soup & steamed sourdough bread may be very welcome on a cold afternoon. Or if you drive them directly to an activity, bring a favorite dish in the car. Pasta and sauce, fried tofu, warm apple juice, fried seitan, thermos of warm bancha tea. Let them request!

And making meals easier for your new attendees! Sometimes your youngsters get inquistive, asking what’s for dinner? I always just answer dinner. Especially if your kids show any resistance. Learn their favorites, and include them often!

Relax, have fun with the macrobiotic foods and let your kids have a fun ride on your new regime for health. Everyone benefits in the long run, and what wonderful peace of mind, knowing your children have the best quality food, and healthy horizons ahead! That’s Everything!

Great macrobiotic books for families with kids:

The Macrobiotic Community Cookbook, by Andrea Bliss Lerman features kids favorites made in the macrobiotic cooking style: pizza, stoganoff, lasagne, burrito, millet-cauliflower mashed potatoes that make perfect potato pancakes, without any potatoes at all. And lots more.

Sweet and Natural, by Meredith McCarty features 120 desserts without sugar, eggs, butter, cream and yeast. Pies, tarts, cakes, cookies – everyone delights in these recipes.

Grains and Greens from the Deep Blue Sea, by Mark Hanna and Sandy Purkel features recipes from the Macrobiotic Cruise. Each one becomes your new favorite! So get ready to try them all! The Millet Croquets taste just like tuna fish, and the tartar sauce is amazing! The desserts are wow! Can this really be good for us! Yes indeedy!

Cooklets by Melanie Waxman. All Melanie’s recipes are terrific, and you might want to get the complete bound issue. Having seven children of her own, Melanie has excellent recipes for children in Cooking for Children section, and throughout all the cooklets! Try the Soba Knots in Oodles of Noodles! With 7 children of her own, Melanie is the expert  keeping kids interested in their health eats!

Cooking the Whole Foods Way, by Christina Pirello. Delish cuisine, kids will enjoy & request their favorites!

Cook Your Food to the Life You Want, by Christina Pirello. Christina Pirello’s recipe books are quite excellent, as she has taken traditional European recipes and perfected the macrobiotic conversion for you.  Amazing variety to delight all your family!

In every macrobiotic cooking class when kids are still within the home, my clients ask, what do I feed my children? It’s a huge concern. Young women diagnosed with breast and other cancers, and researching alternative cancer treatments, invariably worry this dilemma. Realizing they want to change their eating, but not wanting to make waves within their home. Not wanting to impose their needs on their husband and not wanting to worry their children or make any noticeable fuss at home. In fact, Warren Kramer, our Senior Macrobiotic Counselor says one of the reasons young mothers get sick, and often develop breast cancer is they don’t take the time to take care of themselves; they are so busy taking care of everyone else.

I always encourage my clients to cook one way. Let the family eat macro too. Kids adore this food. It’s nothing new under the sun. The macrobiotic diet goes way back to eating a more natural, common sense cooking style, like our great, great, great grandparents. Before packaged food. Before frozen foods. Before microwave and health bars. True food, cooked well, but not overcooked. Actually it’s exquisitely prepared cuisine.

Have you ever heard the person wearing the apron strings in the home controls the health of the family? That’s the ticket! While your children are still living at home, you get the perfect chance to influence and improve their health. What better gift for your spouse and children than to effectuate the way they eat. You’ll get to influence your kids’ food choices for all the times in their lives away from home –  school, camp, college, and restaurants just to name a few.

As you experience macrobiotic diet benefits firsthand, you will learn even more reasons to feed your family the same balanced meals you eat. Letting your kids assist you in the kitchen truly lets them participate in your healing process in a very personal and special way. They will feel better too. Skin problems, fatigue, easier concentration at school, improved athletic performance are just a few of the benefits they will enjoy right away. I always say, as you see them improve, you’ll know you are on the right track too.

And your spouse. Well, some of my clients say, my husband is wonderful and supportive, but he’s a meat and potato man. Okay, but he’s your biggest cheerleader too, your partner, so invite him to participate. When you set up your kitchen, set up two complete workstations: 2 wood cutting boards and 2 chef’s knives. And double some of the other kitchen gadgets you learn to use in our macrobiotic cooking classes. And voila, you immediately have a partner in the kitchen! What I call romancing the stone after Michael Douglas’s films. Our CD’s are nearby, and we always have a favorite song we are dancing to. Kids enjoy this too. I always say our kitchen is really a wonderful dance floor that just happens to have a stove in the middle of it!

Just have a taste, or try this, honey, it’s so delicious. New phrases for introducing dishes to your family. One of my clients had a everyone has to taste everything on the plate rule. When they did, a quarter went into this huge jar. When the jar filled they went on a trip somewhere. Or did something special. You should have heard her sons urging each other to try the food! And some 14 years later her health has improved, and all three sons & their wives eat very healthy. And their own children. You can snowball this very same effect.

What a wonderful legacy to give your family! I think it’s the best information we’ve given our own children, and set the pace for future generations. And it’s been very empowering when health issues arise to be able to reach for The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health, by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack, and tell our daughters what page a specific home remedy is on. If a situation is new to me, I suggest a call to Warren Kramer for his advice. Because we’ve established that direct tie with our children and Warren too. I’ve gotta say strengthening the bond with your kids & your Macrobiotic Counselor has to be one of the most satisfying moments of all! And one of the greatest benefits of our being on a Macrobiotic Diet! Getting our kids on it too! This is the one of the greatest gifts you can give your children: their ability to choose a healthy lifestyle.

Books with wonderful recipes for families

• The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health, Michio Kushi and Alex Jack
• Sweet and Natural, Meredith McCarthy
• The Macrobiotic Community Cookbook, Andre Bliss Lerman
  
• Grains and Greens from the Deep Blue Sea, Mark Hanna & Sandy Pukel

Doesn’t everyone take their copy of the newest macrobiotic diet book to their cardiologist’s visit? Or do you just take the coumadin they suggest, and be done with it?

Last month once again my husband and I were ever so grateful for our knowledge and 17 year-long practice of following the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. Fred had open-heart surgery June, 1992 – actually on our anniversary, and we promised each other we would find a way to avoid multilple surgeries the education nurses at St. Joseph Hospital said likely occur within the next 5 years. Our research led us to Dean Ornish’s program, and then the Macrobiotic Diet, which we learned Dean actually followed himself. With eating a macrobiotic diet, Fred was only on medication 6 months following the initial surgery, which was quite an accomplishment. Why? Because the medication usually recommended following heart surgery actually weakens the heart, contributing to additional surgeries.

Fred experienced two instances of TIA during the last year – and never mentioned it to me – but casually told our opthamologist who adamantly urged see your cardiologist immediately. The initial cardiologist’s sonogram showed mitral valve regurgitation for which he strongly recommended Coumadin. So picture this: we‘re sitting in the office of a leading Atlanta cardiologist, who is respectful of our  following the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. And we are very grateful for his expertise, listening skill and kindness to fully explain Fred’s condition. But he is actually apologizing that Coumadin is the best he has to offer because of the harmful side effects. And because of the danger of its usage, he explains they actually have a person in the office designated to monitoring patients on coumadin. He then ushered in perky Miss Coumadin Girl, and left the office.

Perky Miss Coumadin Girl has a name – but I forgot it! She was so all about Coumadin, that for Fred and I she just may have been named Miss Coumadin Girl, or Miss Coumadin Cheerleader or the whole cheerleading squad. How could she be so exuberant about this drug while admitting it’s in rat poison? She proceeded telling us how Fred could not eat most green vegetables – staples on a macrobiotic diet – casually listing Coumadin’s adverse side effects on the liver, the kidneys, sleep and lack of energy. Green vegetables of course benefit all these organs, and contribute calcium. We voted for the greens!

I stopped her flat saying Fred is not taking Coumadin. What she blurted, he has no choice. Yes, I think he does. We’ll find the macrobiotic diet recommendation instead. We courteously thanked her and promised to be in touch, and Miss Coumadin Cheerleader slumped from the room as if her team had lost the world championships. Once again we were so grateful for every macrobiotic cooking class and lecture, summer conference and study to which we’ve been privileged. And all our macrobiotic teachers, for their research and shared knowledge which gave us the information to make this important choice.

On the drive home we called & updated our Macrobiotic Diet Senior Counselor, Warren Kramer. Warren said okay, this is do-able; take the Macrobiotic Diet Heart Drink daily for 3 weeks. It’s on page 470 in Michio Kushi and Alex Jack’s most recent book, Macrobiotic Path to Total Health.

Now one wonderful thing about these Macrobiotic Diet Home Remedies is you usually already have your kitchen set up to follow a macrobiotic diet. So, you already own the ingredients. And there is no huge expense to heal yourself, whereas some of the new medications are over the top. And the best part, and this is most important to all of us, there are no adverse side effects. Instead, the whole body benefits. Because truly everything, every organ has a connection within our body. And that is exactly what happened to my dear Fred.

So guess what the ingredients of this heart drink are? Just 5 ingredients from your fridge and pantry:

• Daikon tops & other hard leafy greens ( exactly what coumadin doesn’t allow!) 2 parts
• Dried shiitake mushroom (what Fred uses as a blood thinner instead of coumadin) 1 part
• Corn or corn product, as corn grits – 1 part
• Cabbage – 1 part
• Wakame (a sea vegetable, high in minerals) 1 part
• Water 4-5 times as much, cook 20 minutes, strain & drink.
• Note: one part is the size of 1 dried shiitake mushroom, which measures 1 Tablespoon

And that’s it folks! So, we are scheduled to revisit this esteemed cardiologist in 6 months, but already we have seen some dramatic changes that a macrobiotic counselor would notice using oriental diagnosis to examine the facial features. The nose shows the condition of the heart. And here’s what we notice about Fred’s nose: it looks smaller, and has more definition, as if someone has pinched the bridge of his nose. Could that signal the mitral valves have come together, and are not regurgitating as much as before?

Also, Fred had a space between his two front top teeth. Dentists have always said leave it alone because any change would create too much movement. I noticed the other day, 3 weeks after this drink the space was eliminated. The gap closed overnight. No way I thought. I looked at my book on Chinese meridians and saw at the very top point way up under the lip is a point for the Heart Governor, so maybe this too shows the valves are closing up.

I called Warren, and told him, and teased him about now doing orthodontia work. He laughed, and said it’s very possible. Hmmmm, macrobiotic diet side effects. Sure beats the worrisome list of the ones Miss Coumadin offered.

You’re in the dentist chair and your dentist starts asking do you have a heart condition or any implant surgery, and if you say yes, they will only proceed if you have taken antibiotics – or they may give you a high dosage of antibiotics right then so as not to lose chair time. What to do if you prefer avoiding pharmaceutical medicines and their side effects?

On a Macrobiotic Diet it’s so easy! Three simple, magical words: ume sho kuzu! What’s that? A very soothing drink, easily made, in about 7 minutes. Three ingredients plus water: umeboshi plum, shoyu – a special soy sauce, and kuzu – the harvested root of the kudzu plant.

And the added benefit: it’s very soothing for your nerve endings, so you are more relaxed for that probing needle, good for the gums – which reflect the condition of our intestines. So we always take this drink before any dental cleansing or other appointments. It just eases our comfort level with the additional probing and vibrational sensations of the cleansing tools and uncomfortable pressure of x-ray filming.

I love teaching this drink in my macrobiotic cooking classes because it is helpful for so many health conditions. The recipe as found in Michio Kushi and Alex Jack’s book, The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health, page 505-506:

• Just dissolve 1 teaspoon of kuzu in 1 cup cold spring or filtered water.
• Bring to a boil, stirring continually to avoid lumping.
• Add one-third umeboshi plum
• Once the water becomes transparent, add 6 drops shoyu.

Drink while hot. Enjoy this drink daily two days before your appoinment, and the day of your appointment. If your dentist procedure involved novacaine, carbocaine or other numbing medication, use this drink the following two days.

Since this drink is considered the Macrobiotic Antibiotic we can answer yes to the above questions with confidence of protection, and knowing as well, there are no adverse side effects of our choice of this macrobiotic diet version of an antibiotic. In fact, since it’s good for so many conditions, we always feel better after taking it.

*Top quality ingredients can be ordered from Natural Import Company at 800 . 324 . 1878

• 89500 Sakurazawa Shoyu 5 oz.
• 89333 Mitoku Umeboshi Plum 6 oz
• 89408 Mitoku Kuzu 3 oz

For more information on the benefits of Ume Sho Kuzu, please check our website:  www.atlantamacrobiotics.com

You’re on a macrobiotic diet and you just ordered a beer? You’re having sake? But I thought you were on a macrobiotic diet? Did I see you having some wine, and you claim to eat so pure? Now I’m not going to believe anything you say about food anymore. Do you hear comments like these? I just did, and from a close family member.

A standard macrobiotic diet includes whole grain, beans, selected vegetables, soups, sea vegetables, sometimes recommended fish, seeds, nuts and fruit. And each category has special preparations. So why add alcoholic beverages to this healthy lifestyle? Is this hypocritical?

Not when we consider the yin and yang of it all, and how the macrobiotic diet is based on energetics – not calories, carbs, or weight. But how eating this food makes us feel. What is our energy like. Relaxing in this fast pace world is challenging, so we intentionally include relaxing foods and beverages.

Fruit kantens, pureed soups, warm fruit cooked in kuzu relax; try some warm apple juice, warm carrot juice and feel yourself relax deeper inside than biting into a cold apple. Sliced apples cooked in little apple juice is far sweeter and more relaxing too.

Sometimes a little stronger yin is called for, and that bit of warm sake relaxes our core being, or a glass of wine at your favorite Italian restaurant. Or, you’re out with friends at a local seafood restaurant – relax, enjoy a local beer with fish and chips. Why local beer? It aligns you with your environment. In fact, Warren Kramer suggests ordering local beer balances the yang of traveling. And it gets you in the groove of wherever you visit.

And when you want a milder yin? Adding apple juice to your bancha tea is very relaxing, or rice syrup. You can dilute the apple juice with water if you are limiting your fruit intake.

Sometimes try this special remedy drink, Ame Kuzu, which can actually be made three ways. Each achieves a stronger level of yin. The mildest is with rice syrup, a little stronger version uses barley malt, and the most yin is with apple juice. Warm and sweet, it relaxes your mind, settling down after a busy day, or having too much on your mind, and insures a good night sleep. Sometimes it’s an effective muscle relaxer.

The Ame Kuzu recipe is found in The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health, by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack, page 446.

• Dilute 1 teaspoon kuzu in 1 cup cold water
• Stir constantly over a medium flame, until the milky white liquid becomes transparent.
• Add 1-2 Tablespoons Suzanne’s Genmai Brown Rice Syrup
• Bring to a gentle boil*, and drink warm. *kuzu must boil to be effective.
• Or, the following:
• Prepare the Barley Malt version the same as above.
• Substitute Apple juice instead of water, or you can dilute with half juice, half water.

Whether you are newly researching the Macrobiotic Diet for yourself or a friend or loved one, and your questions start piling up, where do you go for your important answers???

Some just aren’t in the Macrobiotic Diet books, even though your queries have probably come up time and again. Just email your question to and I will answer you promptly!

Every question is important, and let me assure you, I always say if I could succeed with this Macrobiotic Diet, everyone else can too! No one could have been more overwhelmed in the beginning than I. And I had to learn quickly to help my husband recover from heart disease. Most importantly though, I wanted to learn this well, and continue being on the leading edge of this ever evolving way of life.

So, where have I learned these answers, if they aren’t even in the macrobiotic diet books?

From classes with very special senior macrobiotic counselors, study at the Kushi Institute, and the six years I conducted the group consultations for Michio Kushi at the Kushi Summer Conferences. All invaluable information. And researching for my own classes. And in bringing Warren Kramer, senior macrobiotic counselor to our home 4 times yearly for 10+ years. Warren’s the why-man in Macroland! He tells us why about everything, and I adore having this information to share. Knowing why makes the macrobiotic diet so easy, common sense, and fun! And if your question is new for me, I’ll find you the answer, or the best contact for you to call. We’ll learn it together.

Besides, my teaching background is the clue for your success. When I taught literature my students never earned below an A? When they did, I just had them rewrite their papers, retake their exams, reread the book, and they learned they could succeed. During the process they came to love the literature they were reading, but mostly they came to like themselves through the process. And the best part, so many more of my students furthered their education at the college level than ever before in this particular community.

So, how does this apply to Y-O-U, and your experience with the Macrobiotic Diet? Success! That’s the key, your success! Yep, if I could do this, and do it well, Y-O-U  C-A-N! Email where it’s all about you! And isn’t it fun to know you’re going to get an A in Macrobiotics!

Serves 4-5

Benefits: Daikon strongly dissolves fat, oil and discharges animal products from past eating habits.

The root is especially helpful for the intestines and the tops cleanse our lungs! A perfect combination in healing our bodies, ‘specially since ancient Chinese medicine sees these two organs as a special pair! There are additional recipes we cover in our macrobiotic cooking classes. This recipe below is inspired by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack in Healing Foods

• 2 cup daikon root, diced
• 3-4 cups daikon tops, diced
• Pinch of si salt
• Shoyu to taste, 8-10 drops

1. Place daikon root in enamel cast iron pot, add water to cover.
2. Place tops over roots, lightly sprinkle with si salt.
3. Simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add shoyu 3 minutes.more.
5. Remove from pot and serve for a nice surprise, maybe your new favorite green veggie!

Use within 10 days, then make fresh! Enjoy your own personal ratio! You will learn your ratio from your macrobiotic counselor, and it will be perfect for your own condition. Sometimes this will change on future appointments as your condition improves. Learning how to make gomashio in a macrobiotic cooking class is a must! You have to see it, feel it, crush the seeds throughout the process, and reach the incredible aroma in a hands-on macrobiotic cooking class so you know what you are wishing to achieve. Perfect gomashio is the best!

Benefits: this delicious condiment actually is a digestive aid. Sesame seeds are rich in protein, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Healing Foods, by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack

• 1 part si sea salt  to  16-22 parts sesame seeds, rinsed

1. Dry roast salt for 10 minutes til shiney and grind in a suribachi until fine.
2. Meanwhile, in another skillet, roast the rinsed, wet seeds for 5-10 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
3. Seeds are ready when they no longer stick to the wooden spoon, and you can easily crush them between the pinky and thumb of your less dominant hand.
4. Add seeds to ground salt, and crush seeds in a circular motion around the suribachi until all the seeds crush.
5. A special brush allows you to get the most crushed seeds from the suribachi grooves.
6. Let cool to room temperature before storing in the sealed non-transparent container.

Gomashio stays fresher away from sunlight.