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 The Macrobiotic Way: The Complete Macrobiotic Diet and Exercise Book
ASIN: 0895295245
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Perfect
Comments: Explains which foods can be eaten and how often as well as giving recipes
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 Cooking the Whole Foods Way: Your Complete, Everyday Guide to Healthy, Delicious Eating With 500 Recipes, Menus, Techniques, Meal Planning, Buying Tips, Wit and Wisdom
ASIN: 1557882622
Customer's Rating: 4
Summary: This book has some wonderful recipes...
Comments: I'm transitioning into a macrobiotic lifestyle and this book looked interesting to me, so I bought it. I really like each recipe I've tried.
However, even though the author opens her book with a chapter entitled, "What is macrobiotics?" this book is not pure macrobiotics. Many recipes call for ingredients which should probably be avoided by newcomers to the practice. On the flip side, this book does seem like a good transitional book for those desiring to try a more macrobiotic diet while still eating many foods which are familiar.
To the author's credit, the word "macrobiotic" doesn't appear on either the front or back cover, so obviously she isn't making a claim to be die-hard macrobiotic. While some recipes are 100% macrobiotic, some others which are not may be altered to make them so, if desired.
The beginning of the book describes many of the unusual and unfamiliar ingredients needed, items like kuzu, agar-agar, arame, hiziki, mochi, and shoyu, among others. Menu and shopping suggestions are given as well.
I'm not vegetarian but I imagine this book being a valuable addition to a vegetarian's cookbook library. Just skip the chapter on fish.
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 Aveline Kushi's Complete Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking
ASIN: 0446386340
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent
Comments: Proper macrobiotic cooking unlike some other books which mix the pure foods with junk food. So many recipes...very thorough
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 Making the Transition to a Macrobiotic Diet
ASIN: 0895293633
Customer's Rating: 3
Summary: Common sense written down.
Comments: This book was informative, but it really didn't go into much detail. I was looking for specifics. I didn't learn any thing I couldn't find out on the internet or with common sense.
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 The Quick and Natural Macrobiotic Cookbook
ASIN: 0809244365
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Great Cook Book
Comments: While some of the meals take more than an hour there are some that take as little as 20 min. I like the variety of the recipes and helpful hints and instructions with pictures. I would highly recommend this book.
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 The Self-Healing Cookbook: A Macrobiotic Primer for Healing Body, Mind and Moods With Whole Natural Foods
ASIN: 0945668155
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Everyone should own a copy of this book
Comments: I was introduced to this book approximately 3 years ago and I believe it has since changed my life, along with affecting the lives of some friends and family members. I read The Self-Healing Cookbook cover to cover but it contains so much useful information that I am constantly referring back to it. I have used many of the recipes and have shared the creations with others. We've all really enjoyed the flavors and more importantly, loved the way we felt after consumption. The Self-Healing Cookbook thoroughly covers the essential foundation of a healthy and balanced diet, based on Macrobiotic principles. Furthermore, it details the beneficial properties of many different foods, contains suggestions on how to prepare them, and even explores the seasons in which we should focus on different foods for specific reasons. And then there is the personal touch to it which of course makes this book all the more appealing. It is for that reason that I've felt compelled to gift it with so many friends (including my mother) for whom I felt would share my enthusiasm on this wonderfully fulfilling topic, SELF HEALING WITH FOOD.
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 Pocket Guide to Macrobiotics (The Crossing Press Pocket Series)
ASIN: 0895948486
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent
Comments: Don't miss this small, pocket-sized volume if you need a thorough introduction to the principles and philosophy of macrobiotics. Without including any recipes, author Carl Ferre has done an excellent job condensing the most important aspects of macrobiotics into this handy book. An easy read, keep it in your purse or jacket pocket to peruse when you have a few spare minutes.
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 The Changing Seasons Macrobiotic Cookbook
ASIN: 0895292327
Customer's Rating: 4
Summary: Great everyday guide
Comments: This is a very practical book that gives recipes for a realistic macrobiotic regime, linked to the seasons. When you follow this diet, you feel very good.
The book lacks a discussion, however, about how to fine-tune the diet to signs or symptoms you may experience in your body or mindset. I think anyone seriously following a macrobiotic diet should use this book in conjunction with The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner. Together they give you a full picture of herbal dietary therapy and how it can be utilized on a daily basis. Together they give you enough useful recipes to keep yourself happy and your taste buds from getting bored.
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 American Macrobiotic Cuisine
ASIN: 0895297116
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Great information and recipes
Comments: This book is a great introduction to the various foods that are eaten according to Macrobiotic principles, in plain English. Each of the basic foods is described, along with handling and preparation information. I am looking forward to trying some of the desserts! I was worried that this style of eating would be very limiting and dull but this book dispels that idea with the variety of meals it presents.
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 The Cancer Prevention Diet: Michio Kushi's Macrobiotic Blueprint for the Prevention and Relief of Disease
ASIN: 0312112459
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: The most thorough treatise on the subject
Comments: This book does an excellent job of summarizing and organizing all of the work done by Michio Kushi and others over the span of decades working with cancer patients. Though Macrobiotics is based on much Japanese culture, this book is geared to the westernized/American reader so there is very little in the way of cultural chasm to jump over.
Many of the reviews up here are rather ill-informed. Though Macro has been around for decades, most of modern medicine now accepts its precepts, including the AMA, WHO, National Institute of Cancer Research and others. Most of the major natural lifestyle books that have been published in the last 30 years acknowledge learning much from Michio--some are direct carbon copies of Michio's works!
In any case, I have used it and seen first hand my family members recover directly from changing the diet and lifestyle. The changes to body and health happen within a few weeks. My family and I looked and felt better within 6-8 weeks, and the member that had been diagnosed with cancer and given 6 months to live, had the cancer go into remission and lived a number of years longer--and did not die from cancer. I make no claim it will work in every case, but it is a tremendous aid in re-establishing ones good health. If I were to come down with cancer or other serious illness I would go strict Macro. It not only effects your chronic health, but your more general weight and energy levels as well. It is a bit hard to stay on for the long haul with our modern lifestyles, but you do the best you can--and you do it seriously if you are sick.
There has NEVER been any serious and backed up accusation that anything on the diet is in any way dangerous to your health, so there is zero downside to trying it.
As to the sad passing of members of Michio's family from cancer, what can one say. There appears to be a weakness in their genetic make-up that allows this. Nobody knows if they would have died at a much earlier age, and for all we know Michio was attracted to the study of health and cancer due to this family predilection. This is a common reason people get into the study of health.
I am forever grateful for the work this man has done and shared with us.
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 The Macrobiotic Approach to Cancer: Towards Preventing and Controlling Cancer With Diet and Lifestyle
ASIN: 0895294869
Customer's Rating: 1
Summary: A bit of honesty, please...
Comments: Sadly, both Michio Kushi's wife and one daughter have died of cancer. Being that they were Japanese, the healthiest and longest lived people in the world, this doesn't really speak well for the diet.
However, it does seem that macrobiotics, when taken with common sense, have been known to help cancer patients, some say to the extent of "curing" them. It's easy to find examples to prove everything and the contrary (and no one mentions the ones that have died of the various deficiencies that easily befall macrobiotics followers).
Follow your own instincts... and keep in touch with a trusted doctor!
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 Zen MacRobiotics: The Art of Rejuvenation and Longevity
ASIN: 0918860547
Customer's Rating: 2
Summary: More dietary advice, less philosophy
Comments: Always be wary of anyone who discourses on a past history of a region that is for all intents and purposes "Mythical", you know, the good 'ole days when everyone was well fed, happy and lived to 105. This Reactionary thinking in combination with a healthy dose of Western Civilization bashing takes away from a potentially positive dietary concept.
I have always considered white rice to be the "Junk Food" of Pan Asian societies. When I first heard of Mr. Ohsawa's advocacy of Brown Rice I was interested to read this book. But for a person who claims to have an understanding of Infinite Universal Law, yet doesn't know why human's catch colds and birds and bugs don't(his explanation is not even worth repeating). This and other forgettable insights, led me to conclude that his understanding of a great many things is... by an ethnocentric mindset, a fair amount of philosophical hallucination, and just plain bad deductive reasoning. This endless editorializing completely overpowered the fundamental message of the book. This is disapointing, given Mr. Oshawa's reputation and the positive outcomes I've heard from people who have followed elements of his dietary concepts.
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 Macrobiotic Diet
ASIN: 087040878X
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Larger than Life
Comments: Macrobiotics first had its roots in America when Michio and his wife, Avelin came to this country in the 1950's with a vision that was "larger than life". Macro-bio-tics is exactly that. And the Macrobiotic Diet, as described in this book (among the many that exist today) is one that doesn't just center around the do's and don'ts of proper eating. It is a lifestyle; it is a way to think about one's body, mind, and soul. When the macrobiotic principles of balance and nutrition are combined with yoga practice and meditation, the result is unity and wholeness. The circle is complete. Michio Kushi does not attempt to burden the reader with instructions on what is good and what is bad. Although some novices to this practice may run into the mistake of treating his "prescriptions" as limits in themselves, the book is meant to describe additions that can be made to one's already existing diet, instead of just pointing out that dairy and meat are "no no's". Though the macrobiotic approach may intimidate or seem too strict at first, it is actually very flexible and open. Otherwise, how can one expect to develop an open mind by following a diet that is limiting and rigid? The other critical point I'd like to note is, however comprehensive the text, passive reading will never substitute for the magic and connection of actually PRACTICING macrobiotics with close friends and family members, or other people familiar with the approach that would be willing to serve as a guide. Never think that you must walk this road alone. The energy you get from macrobiotic cooking should be a source of personal freedom and inspiration that carries you forward and brings you closer to people. One of the principle underlying ideas of macrobiotics is that the food you eat partially determines who you are--thus, in offering explanations for some of the ways to observe the macrobiotic diet, Michio talks about the chemistry behind the kinds of foods you would eat and how, depending on how yin or yang they are, that may affect your behavior and even personality. Thus, my advise is to use macrobiotics to heal yourself of any tensions, stresses, or aggressivity (if you feel them) by "linking" yourself with others who follow this practice in hopes of speaking the same language and leading a more peaceful life.
thank you very much for this opportunity to share,
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 The Macrobiotic Brown Rice Cookbook: Delicious and Wholesome Grain-Based Dishes
ASIN: 0892814470
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: I love their recipes!
Comments: This book is great! The miso soup recipe is wonderful, and I'm hooked on the Risi i Bisi! It was recommended to me by a friend who modified her diet after being diagnosed with cancer. Being vegetarian, I explored it myself and now it's a staple in my kitchen. Recipes are relatively easy and very tasty.
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 The Book of Macrobiotics: The Universal Way of Health, Happiness, and Peace
ASIN: 0870406671
Customer's Rating: 2
Summary: Confusing and Difficult to Read
Comments: Warning: This book simply may have not been for me, so take the star rating with a grain of salt.
I wanted to like this book, having heard a great many good things about the Macrobiotic diet. And I understand that to understand the dietary and health theories behind Macrobiotics, it's important to understand the philosophical basis. However, the way this book is structured, I found it quite frustrating to read, and I honestly failed to follow many of the connections that it was trying to make between the philosophical systems and eating issues.
I'm not giving up on the subject matter completely, but I suspect that this was not the place to begin. Great appendixes, on the other hand, and almost worth it just for them.
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 Macrobiotics and Oriental Medicine: An Introduction to Holistic Health
ASIN: 0870406590
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: Answers, answers, answers
Comments: The perfect blend of the spiritual and the practical, this book illuminates so many topics previously mysterious to me, such as traditional Oriental versus Western (Occidental) medicine; yin and yang (an incredibly comprehensive explanation of these concepts and why they should matter to every human being, no matter what their spiritual perspective); plus an array of what are unfortunately still considered "alternative" medical treatments, like acupuncture, palm healing, and shiatsu, and many simple self-treatments (sound therapy through the use of basic breathing/"chanting" techniques; stretches for stimulating stagnating organs). It's a whole body/mind/universe view that helps us understand the profound connectedness of "in here" and "out there" in terms of energy (ki, chi). A wonderful overview book to serve as a springboard for discovering topics for further exploration, but still full of immediately usable information without further reading.
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 The Practically Macrobiotic Cookbook: Preparation of More Than 200 Delicious Macrobiotic Recipes
ASIN: 0892812788
Customer's Rating: 5
Summary: A flexible macrobiotic cookbook covering a range of dishes
Comments: Macrobiotics is the logical extension of the current movement towards sustainable development - from the community and down to the level of the individual. In a word it represents a practical way to achieve individual sustainability in an increasingly dangerous world governed by degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease and the like many of which are induced by negative aspects of the degraded environment in which many of us currently live.
The philosophy behind macrobiotics is clearly presented and the argument for following the approach, already adopted by traditional populations to ensure freedom from such diseases, is presented in a compelling manner. Macrobiotics owes its core foundation to the dietary practices of traditional Japan but macro (great) biotic (life) diets can be linked to many traditional, grain-rich cuisines. The basic elements of the Japanese-based components of the diet are well described and illustrated in color. The resulting account is sufficient to enable a novice to start the diet and an old-hand will find endless enjoyment in the suggested dishes.
More to the point, the recipes are sophisticated and mouth-watering while at the same time complying with the essence of the macrobiotic philosophy which advises eating only whole foods (no refined products) and maintaining around 40%-50% intake of whole (or FRESHLY broken-down ie. flaked, kibbled etc.) grains.
The book represents an excellent introduction to the practicalities of a macrobiotic diet and only immediate tuition by a macrobiotic chef could improve on the presentation.
I recommend this book most highly to all those seeking to find their way towards living health on the macrobiotic path-way.
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 Macrobiotic Seminars of Michio Kushi: Classic Lectures on Health and Diet, Oriental Medicine and Self-Healing
ASIN: 1882984293
Customer's Rating: 4
Summary: Macrobiotic Musings
Comments: "Macrobiotic Seminars" is a collection of articles by Michio Kushi from over thirty five years of Macrobiotic theory and practice. Topics include self-diagnosis, diet and nutrition, love and marriage, ki and kitchens. Especially interesting is the connection drawn between sugar and mental illness. I like the emphasis given to quality whole foods as a pivotal factor of good health.
These lectures are part of the Kushi Collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,D.C. Kushi's work is included as a permanent collection documenting Macrobiotic influence on modern health and nutrition. This once alternative health movement seems to be going mainstream as people begin to realize that diet does, in fact, directly influence health and well being.
Those interested in the Macrobiotic diet for serious health reasons can read, "The Macrobiotic Approach to Cancer: Toward Preventing and Controlling Cancer with Diet and Lifestyle" or "Diet for a Strong Heart" among others.
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