The Macrobiotic Way: The Complete Macrobiotic Lifestyle Book

Rating:
Summary: Not recommended as a first macrobiotic book
Review: Michio Kushi is considered one of the fathers of the macrobiotic philosophy to life. This is a valuable book because it includes much information about the rationale of the eating philosophy. It does have recipes, but is more of a philosophy of eating and cooking book. I would recommend purchasing a cook book by Christina Pirello ("Cook Your Way to the Life you Want" or Cooking the Wholefoods Way") or Kristina Turner's "Self-healing Cookbook," in order to have access to a wider range of recipes that include more easily found ingredients, to complement "The Macrobiotic Way."

The Macrobiotic Way also includes guidelines to implementing macrobiotic living in other areas of life, such as reducing your exposure to electromagnetic forces, the importance of cooking with gas, water temperature for bathing, and exercises (stretches and yoga-like poses) that improve circulation to the meridians (such movements are best incorporated in Bikram's yoga series, and some vinyasa forms of the sun salutation; methods of exercises that I prefer to Kushi's static approach, but macrobiotics is finding what works best to meet your body's needs). In the realm of exercise he also highlights the benefits of walking.

This is a good reference because it has a wide range of information about the philosophy behind the macrobiotic eating system and the exercises are not often well described elsewhere. However, it was the first macrobiotic book I purchased, and when I first read it, the impression I had was macrobiotics was a very complicated approach to food, that encompassed mostly special ingredients that I could not find and that it required many special appliances and tools to start the program. I also thought that the dry writing style made it difficult to retain the information. It was not until I read Jessica Porter's "Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics," that I felt macrobiotics was accessible to every one anywhere, that I was able to return to Kushi and better understand the material. It is a good reference for some one has started macrobiotics and wants to know more, but if you are looking for a book to explain macrobiotics to the uninitiated and make them feel enthusiastic about the possibilities of the life style to empower their lives, I think Porter, Pirello, or Turner's books (in that order) are better gifts.