About
This week's recipe
I became interested in macrobiotics at the age of 16, after witnessing the healing of a friend that used to go to the same squat house (a house squatted to organize activities for the local young people) that I used to. He had a serious kidney condition, and his physical activities had to always be limited for the sake of his health. He went to visit a macrobiotic counselor and in a couple of years time, he was the healthiest of all! It was amazing to see his recovery!
He brought the lady who was teaching him to the squat house to give a talk, and a lot of things that she was saying made perfect sense, and that's how I started trying this ancient philosophy. At the beginning I really struggled with pretty much everything, it was difficult to change from milk with cookies or breakfast cereal, to miso soup, porridge and blanched greens in the morning. I also found it so difficult to use all those new ingredients, grains, pulses, new range of vegetables that I wasn't eating before, and seaweed.
It took me a few years, but I still couldn't balance the food properly and couldn't follow the diet in a long term; that's when I decided to have some more "macro education". I went to the Kushi institute of Amsterdam, and did a few courses there (nine star Ki, art of life I, women’s health, art of cooking...), and then I started volunteering there as a student. I spent over half a year working in the kitchen there and going to spare lessons in my free time.
That was an amazing experience! I learnt a new way of eating! so accurate and special for my own condition! how to cook depending on the weather, the season, my mood, who I was cooking for...I was so pleased! I also learnt how to make delicious tempeh, nato and seitan, witch are so difficult to get fresh and of a good quality around here! Then I came back to London, and joined the Holistic Cooking School, nowadays known as the International macrobiotic school.
I enjoyed most of the subjects, but there was one thing that was putting me off so much, the emotional work we had to do, as part of the course. I couldn't stand this part, as I could not see any connection between macrobiotics and emotions, and found it really difficult at the beginning. Little by little, again, all started making perfect sense, and started to understand this very close link between food and emotions, witch is being the main subject helping me out on my own personal development. This is one of the subjects that makes this school so different as they are the only ones who teach this kind of subject In my long way (over 10 years) with macrobiotics, I have experienced different feelings, needs and thoughts, but I want to talk about what I have achieved with it: I have learnt how to cook delicious food, very healthy, nourishing, and adaptable to all kinds of conditions (cooking for women, men, weather, mood, anything!), and that is very satisfying but one of the greatest achievements is that I have been able to change my condition: I have lost a lot of weight, got rid of various allergies I got, learnt how to be a lot more balanced, got rid of my polycystic ovaries, and the greatest one, got over infertility problems, both, my partner's and mine.