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Crime Diet The Macrobiotic Approach Di Michio Kushi PDF
Crime Diet The Macrobiotic Approach Di Michio Kushi PDF
AND ASSOCIATES
CRIME
&DIET
The Macrobiotic Approach
J a p a n Publications, Inc.
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Foreword
I wish this book had been available years agoI needed it, as I believe
many others do today. I can remember sitting in the forensic unit oncall at the state hospital during my residency in psychiatry wondering,
"What else can I do, something is missing here." This in response to
reviewing one more case of the criminally insane and being asked as
a new doctor for some new ideas to help relieve the psychotic suffering
of this killer who sat in front of me. He had heard everything I had to
say before, he knew the medications as well as I, he was taking more
now than ever before and still the angry voices persecuted him. He
opened another can of cola and glared at me: "You're no better than
all the other shrinks, what good are you anyhow."
Somewhere deep inside of me I knew he spoke the truth despite my
self assuring state-of-the-art training program at an Ivy League medical
school. Too bad I hadn't questioned his one more can of cola, or the
rest of his diet, or his spiritual well being. Too bad, when years later,
as medical director of the same state hospital, I labored with my same
frustration while desperately wanting to have a positive impact on the
psychosis the patients endured, that I didn't have this book to open
my eyes and heart to more than just state-of-the-art medical practice.
This book is full of caring people, projects, resources, and lives filled
with struggle which now have a new hope. A premise this book puts
forward includes, "Mental illness is rooted in daily diet and way of
life .. . food and environment are primary in determining behavior."
These ideas could put the book in the center of ongoing controversy on
diet and behavior. I believe this can be avoided. T h e controversy involves traditional medicine's objection to any hypothesis that food contributes to criminal behavior, much less mental illness. In the "Position
Paper of the American Dietetic Association on Diet and Criminal Behavior," published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association
(March, 1985), the Association reports "a causal relationship between
6
diet and crime has not been demonstrated, and diet is not an important
determinant in the incidence of violent behavior." In the Dairy Council
Digest (July-August 1985) a self-described "interpretive review of
recent nutrition research," results of a conference on diet and behavior
were reported. The sponsors, the American Medical Association, the
International Life Science Institute, and the Nutrition Foundation
Expert Panel found that "the increasing widespread misconception
that diet is responsible for criminal behavior has lead to concern on
the part of health professionals that food faddism is becoming the
official policy of correctional facilities." The report does admit,
"recent studies suggest that diet or the composition of a meal influences
the synthesis of brain neurotransmitters which are involved in a variety
of behaviors such as sleep, mood and depression."
According to this book, macrobiotics "is not, as is commonly
thought, one among other alternative dietary approaches, it is a way
of life, and harmony is the underlying principle of this way of life."
The authors are careful to point out, "Foods don't commit certain
actions, people do."
The medical literature has needed to keep up with the advances of
macrobiotics. Many health professionals equate macrobiotics to the
practices of Zen Macrobiotics. Here there are ten levels of diet. They
begin with a liberal and diverse diet but progress to a diet of whole
grains only. Doctors have been quick to write about the danger of
pursuing a fasting regime such as this for more than a short time.
In the British Medical Journal (November 9, 1985) Dr. Truswell
wrote an article entitled "Other Nutritional Deficiencies in Affluent
Communities." In the article he warned that the "Zen Macrobiotic
diets have led to scurvy and/or impaired renal function, anemia,
hypocalcemia and emaciation. In some cases there have been fatalities."
An editorial by the AMA Council on Foods and Nutrition, Journal of
the American Medical Association (October 18, 1971) states, "the concapts proposed in Zen Macrobiotics constitute major public health problem and are dangerous to its adherents. Individuals who persist in
following the more rigid diets of Zen Macrobiotics stand in great
danger of incurring serious nutritional deficiencies." Articles such as
these have little to do with the macrobiotic way advocated in this book.
This diet is modern and broad.
7
These types of articles probably caused my wife's doctor to be
skeptical at her desire to try macrobiotics to assist her recovery from
an autoimmune form of thyroiditis. This was two years ago. Following
both of our personal interviews at the Kushi Institute we have begun
to live in the macrobiotic way. I have changed from a two-burgersand-fries luncher to a brown-rice-and-vegetables person, thanks to
my wife's dedication to cooking macrobiotically. Today she no longer
produces antibodies which were attacking her own thyroid. Both our
lives have moved towards harmony with nature and greater spirituality.
Even my professional life has changed. Just recently, in my psychiatric practice with the chronically mentally ill, I had occasion to
treat two patients with hypoglycemia. The first, a thirty-eight-year-old
woman with a history of depression, had been admitted two years ago
to the state hospital. Upon discharge the treatment summary noted she
had a very low blood sugar level and she probably suffered from hypoglycemia. No follow-up was recommended. My department supervised
a five hour glucose tolerance test at the local medical center. The
results confirmed a hypoglycemic condition.
The second case involves a forty-four-year-old woman diagnosed as
manic depressive. She complained that her family was angry since she
was unable to lose weight. Her surgeon had threatened to order diet
pills since she seemed to have no will power of her own. She complained to me that she would experience panic attacks and feel driven
to eat a candy bar. She thought she was losing her mind. She was not.
Her glucose tolerance test again revealed hypoglycemia. During the
test, at the exact time her blood sugar had fallen to its lowest level she
experienced her typical panic attack and went to the hospital gift shop
in search of a candy bar. She was relieved to learn she was not losing
her mind and could be treated by diet.
Too bad my only resource for these two women on subsistence level
incomes was to refer them to the nutritional counselors at the medical
centerthis was better than nothing, better than more pills, but I
believe the macrobiotic way would eventually lead to the amelioration
of mental symptoms and the cessation of the need for medication.
What a joy it would be if over time I could help my hundreds of
seriously mentally ill patients to learn the macrobiotic way. Up until
now I have been caught up in the usual doctors' dilemma: being faced
8
with patients saying "See me, fix me, yesterday!" Perhaps yesterday
truly is the place to start. Today we suffer illness resulting from what
we did to ourselves in our yesterdays. As a physician I am constantly
asked to react to extremes: "I thought this would go away doctor, so
I waited but I can't stand it any longer, do something." Frequently
the something done is as extreme as the problem, be it new or higher
doses of medication or exploratory surgery.
Life needs balance, the elimination of extremes, especially in the
diet. I used to wonder why I have patients in the waiting room drinking down quart bottles of cola. When I look at their diets, their medications, their lifestyles I no longer wonder. T h e cola is just the current
extreme trying to balance the others, for a moment at least. The
macrobiotic way teaches balance. No abrupt cessation of medication
is advocated, just careful deliberate and knowledgeable response to
the needs of one's body with a diet in harmony with the environment.
After reading this book I wondered if some of the people in prison were
freer than we on the outsidefreer to take the time to look at their
lives and begin to do something about it, as opposed to the rest of us
who are so busy being free we may never bother looking at our lives
at all.
This book will touch many people in many waysthis is as it should
be. The macrobiotic way has touched the lives of my wife and me in
a gentle and positive way. Not knowing it when I began, I would now
say it has something to do with faith, in myself, my family and my
life. As Michio Kushi elegantly puts it in the opening chapter:
"The standard macrobiotic way of eating is not designed for any
particular person nor for a particular condition. It is designed for the
purpose of maintaining physical and phycological health, and for the
well-being of society in general. It further serves in many instances to
prevent degenerative diseases and promote possible recovery."
Peace and good health.
STEPHEN HARNISH, M . D .
Preface
10
II
KUSHI
Becket, Massachusetts
Winter Solstice, IQ86
THE KUSHI FOUNDATION: Information on continuing Kushi
Foundation projects to offer macrobiotic literature, education, and balanced
natural foods to people in prison can be obtained from: The Kushi
Foundation, 17 Station Street, Brookline, Massachusetts 02147, (617)
738-0045.
Charitable contributions from concerned individuals help in funding
these activities. We encourage everyone who wishes to support these and
other humanitarian projects through a tax deductible contribution to contact
the Kushi Foundation at the above address. Thank you.
Contents
kUUUUUUUUUUilUltiUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMUiUUrJMUUUUUUUUUUMiUUUUUUUUUUUAiMlfWAUUUU
5.
6.
i6
behavioral disturbances. The goal of macrobiotics is a peaceful and
healthy society, and for this to be realized, problems such as crime,
juvenile delinquency, family violence and decomposition, drug and
alcohol abuse, mental disorders, and other destructive social trends
must be reversed.
A Portrait of Decline
We can begin our review of modern social problems with a look at
what has happened to the most basic unit of society: the family.
The decomposition of the family has become a fact of modern life.
Divorce is far more common now than it was at the turn of the century
or even twenty years ago. It was so infrequent in early America that
records were not kept until the Civil War. In 1867, the first year that
divorce statistics were published, there were only ten thousand in the
entire country, or about 0.3 per thousand population. By the turn of
the century, the number had risen to more than fifty-five thousand, or
about 0.7 per thousand. There were approximately 1,187,000 divorces
in the United States in 1985, a rate of about 5.0 for every thousand
people. There were about 2.4 million marriages in the United States
that year; a ratio of about one divorce for every two marriages. The
divorce rate has increased more than seven-fold since the turn of the
century.
The increasing instability of marriage has had a profound effect on
parents and children. More than 55 percent of the divorces in the
United States involve children. Over one million children are involved
in divorce every year. As many as 40 percent of the children born in
America during the 1970s will experience the separation of their
parents before the age of 18, with divorce accounting for between onehalf to two-thirds of these separations.
The increasing instability of marriage has changed the profile of
family life. As many as fourteen million children in the United States
under the age of 18 now live with only one parent. Although the
majority of divorced persons eventually remarry, an increasing number are delaying remarriage or deciding to raise their children alone.
At the same time, an increasing number of women are having chil-
17
i8
many social problems directly related to family violence. Studies of
prison populations have shown that a substantial majority claim to
have been abused as children. Child abuse and neglect result in
enormous losses to society, in terms of physical and emotional suffering, ruined lives, and future crimes. While people under the age of
25 currently comprise about 40 percent of the population of the United
States, it is estimated that they commit at least three-quarters of the
violent crimes. Teenagers under the age of 18 also make up the majority
of persons arrested for vandalism, arson, auto theft, and violation of
alcohol and drug laws. Many of the burglaries and a sizable portion
of the muggings in the United States are committed by young people.
(Arrest rate per 100,000 inhabitants)
Source: U. S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 1983 (Washington, D. C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1984), p. 346
Fig. 1
Many studies have concentrated on the role of the family in delinquent behavior. Most show a high incidence of broken homes among
delinquents. The absence of one or both parents frequently leads to
a condition in which a child experiences a lack of love, guidance, and
proper care. The emotional climate and level of tension in the family
is also acknowledged as an important factor in delinquency. Writing
20
(Number of suicides per 100,000 teens ages 15-19)
Nationally, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers and
young adults. The rate of suicide in that age group has almost tripled in the
last three decades.
Source:
Fig. 2
Over the last 30 years, as everyone knows, there has been a tremendous increase in the problem of drug abuse. The abuse of drugs and
alcohol have grown to become major social problems in the United
States. Both are directly related to crime. In an editorial on the drug
crisis entitled, The Plague Among Us, Newsweek (June 16, 1986) stated:
"An epidemic is abroad in America, as pervasive and dangerous
in its way as the plagues of medieval times. Its source is the large
and growing traffic in illegal drugs, a whole pharmacopeia of
poisons hiding behind street names as innocent as grass, snow,
speed, horse, and angel dust. It has taken lives, wrecked careers,
broken homes, invaded schools, incited crimes, tainted businesses,
toppled heroes, corrupted policemen and politicians, bled billions from the economy, and in some measure, infected every
corner of our public and private lives. It is a national scandal,
and if we seem powerless to stop it, it is because so many of us are
willing to spend the money and break the law to sustain what has
become, by government estimate, a $110 billion-a-year drug habit.
We have met the enemy, and he is us."
21
Young Adults
Cocaine
23
Hallucinogens
Source:
24
Note: Violent crimes are offenses of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and
aggravated assault. Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny-theft,
and motor vehicle theft. For definitions
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States (Washington, D. C.: U.S. Government Printing Office). 1984 Source Book of Criminal Justice Statistics,
U.S. Department of Justice
Fig. 6
25
26
trend toward biological and social decline leading? The problem of
A I D S may give us a clue. Although the focus of this book is on biosocial problems like crime, drug abuse, and mental illness, let us digress
for a moment and consider the possible future implications of AIDS.
The spread of A I D S has been rapid and dramatic. By 1985, two million
people in America were thought to be carrying the H T L V - 3 virus.
It is estimated that the number of people carrying the virus could
double every year.
If the A I D S virus does indeed spread this rapidly, the number of
people carrying the virus could increase as follows:
Year
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
million
million
million
million
million
million
million
million
27
When the A I D S virus was isolated several years ago, researchers were
more optimistic. They believed that within two to five years they would
discover a solution. But, as the nature of the virus became better understood, its complexity and changeability forced a reassessment of these
expectations. Many researchers are wondering whether a solution will
be found before the year 2000.
It is quite possible that within ten years a majority of Americans
will be harboring the AIDS virus. T h e problem of A I D S is not limited
to America, but is global in scope. In Central Africa, for example, it
is estimated that as many as 10 million people are carrying the AIDS
virus. Assuming the number of people with the virus doubles every
year, the virus could spread across the planet as follows:
Year
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
Potential N u m b e r of People
Worldwide with A I D S Virus
10 million in Central Africa plus
about 10 million elsewhere worldwide
40 million
80 million
160 million
320 million
640 million
1,280 million
2,560 million
1994
*5,i20 million
*Note: The world population is now estimated at 5 billion.
AIDS has the potential to destroy a majority of the world's population, even if it spreads more slowly than indicated above. In a short
time, every American family could be affected by AIDS. T h e A I D S
virus has the very real potential to cripple the nation's medical,
insurance, governmental, and economic systems. It could cause the
collapse of modern civilization. In this emergency, the only solution
is to protect ourselves. We cannot depend on government or medicine
for solutions. We have to protect ourselves by improving our day to
day lifestyle and behavior. Furthermore, our blood has to become the
strongest and soundest possible. For that, the macrobiotic approach,
or dietary change in the direction of macrobiotics, is essential. Even-
28
tually, everyone, as soon as possible, must go toward macrobiotics.
Otherwise, sooner or later, every family will be affected by AIDS.
Over the past several years, an increasing number of people with
AIDS, ARC, Kaposi's sarcoma, and related conditions have turned to
macrobiotics. The results of these experiences are encouraging, and
offer hope that an answer to these problems can be found in the
practice of a more naturally balanced diet and way of life.
Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine, and
the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, have been following
a group of men with A I D S in the New York area since May, 1984.
In a July, 1985 letter to the British medical journal, Lancet, entitled,
"Patients with Kaposi's Sarcoma Who Opt for No Treatment," the
research team reported on the study:
"At the International A I D S Conference in Atlanta last April
someone asked if it would be ethical to include a control or placebo
group in drug trials in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). T h e implication
was that the lack of treatment would reduce survival. This does
not seem to be so. Since May, 1984, we have been studying immune function in a group which includes ten men with KS who
have chosen not to enter conventional treatment protocols. Eight
are still alive an average of 21.5 months after diagnosis (range
1337 months). One person died 11 and another 20 months after
diagnosis. Two of the men had opportunistic infections (01) 18
and 21 months after diagnosis. Three of the men have had localised
radiation therapy for their KS 5, 18 (one of the men who had an
01 and died), and 29 months after diagnosis. The others have not
received medical treatment for their KS, nor have they been
inpatients since the diagnosis. Most are still working.
"These men seem to be surviving at least as well as patients
who have been treated. The average survival rate for men with KS
alone in New York is 29 months. T h e average survival for men
with KS and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or other 01 is about
14 months.
"These men in our study may not be representative of KS
patients in general. Their choice to forgo conventional medical
therapy may indicate a strong, independent p sychological makeup
29
3
As we can see, the scope of the modern crisis is enormous, and many
of the approaches being offered do not seem to be working. The manifestations of the modern crisis are interrelated; for example, the use of
drugs weakens the body's natural immunity and provides a fertile
ground for the A I D S virus, while the connection between crime and
drug abuse is well established. At the same time, the problem of A I D S
is causing a crisis in many correctional institutions. It is clear that
symptomatic approaches are not enough to reverse our modern spiral
of personal and social decay. What is needed is an understanding of
the most basic and fundamental causes of this decline and a practical
method to reverse it. In this search, we are inevitably led to the all
important role of diet in determining the health and well-being of
individuals and society.
3i
32
Source:
Fig. 8
Year
Source:
Fig. 9
Year
Source:
USDA/ERS, 1975
staples in most of the industrialized world. Through breeding, artificial insemination, and growth hormones, the cattle population of the
nation doubled. Today, there is a cow for every two Americans. In
the 1950s and 1960s fast food became a way of life. The temples of
these Golden CalvesMcDonald's, Burger King, Dairy Queen
dotted the landscape.
Before the Second World War, only 35 chemicals and additives
were being added to the food supply. After the war, their use proliferated. Today, there are more than 4,000 preservatives, chemicals,
33
and additives added to foods. During the 1950s synthetic estrogen,
as DES, began to be widely used in cattle and other meat animals to
promote growth, and a variety of antibiotics were also added to animal
feed for a similar purpose. Since 1950, more than 100 billion head of
livestock and poultry in the United States and Canada have been given
feed laced with penicillin, tetracycline, and other antibiotics.
Meanwhile, massive advertising budgets were mobilized to sell this
new way of eating. By 1986, for example, the three leading fast food
chains were spending more than a half-billion dollars in order to
capture larger shares of the $47 billion fast food market. A large percentage of these budgets were directed at children and young people,
so that the post-war "baby boom" generation became the first to be
nurtured almost entirely on this new way of eating. For the post-war
generation, eating out became a way of life; families now eat together
less often than ever before. Americans eat nearly one meal in two away
from home, according to recent surveys.
In 1977 testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition
and Human Needs, Dr. Carolyn Brown, director of a school for learning disabled children in Berkeley, California, pointed to the social
effects of changes in diet and way of life since World War I I :
" L e t us look for a moment at a few interesting health and social
statistics. The members of this committee know well the evidence
of the increase in synthetic foods, and other nutritional changes.
" T h e same twenty-five years saw a substantial increase in radiation exposure, through nuclear testing, diagnostic tools, and
energy production. There was also a dramatic change in our
biological as well as psychological experience introduced by television, which entered 96 percent of American homes in the same
quarter century, and in front of which little children now sit for
an average of 3.4 hours a day.
"What do we know about what has happened to the children
that grew up during these twenty-five years ? We know that there
was a six-fold increase in arrests of children under 15 suspected
of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, aggravated assault and
rape. T h e factor increase was three for 15 to 17 year olds, two
for 18 to 25 year olds. We know that "accidents" resulting in
34
death rose dramatically among the young, that divorce rates have
continued to increase, that suicides have been rising among young
people in comparison to the rest of the population. And we know
that there has been an unprecedented 14 year decline in the scores
of our most gifted children on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests,
a decline from 478 to 429 average on the verbal SAT, from 502 to
470 on the math SAT, with a decline in half in the number of
SAT's over 700 since 1967.
"During the eight years from 1958 to 1966, children under 17
with chronic health problems increased from 18.8 to 24.6 percent.
Those from 17 to 24 showed an increase from 39 to 44.4 percent.
In the whole population, people reporting no health problems
decreased from 58.6 to 50.9 percentsix percent in eight years.
"As a non-scientist, I would like to ask you senators, when we
know what has happened during the past twenty-five years in
terms of the increase in non-nutritious foods, radiation exposure,
television exposure, and exposure to environmental toxinsand
when we know that children born during that period show a
dramatic increase in juvenile delinquency, arrest for serious
crimes, chronic health problems, and low scores on Scholastic
Aptitude Testsis it not at least a fair question whether we are
exposing our children on the whole to an increasingly powerful
set of environmental stressors that is producing a broad range of
forms of biosocial decline?"
Ten years ago, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and
Human Needs published a landmark report entitled, Dietary Goals
for the United States. T h e report implicated the modern diet in the
incidence of six of the ten leading causes of death in the United States,
including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It went on to recommend sweeping dietary changesin the general direction of macrobioticsfor the purpose of preventing these illnesses.
In 1977, the year that Dietary Goals was published, the Select
Committee held hearings on the relationship of diet to mental health.
Testimony from those hearings was compiled in a report entitled,
Nutrition and Mental Health, published in 1977 and updated in 1980.
In the introduction to that report, senator George McGovern, the
35
chairman of the Committee, commented on the need for further study
on the relationship between diet, mental health, and problems such
as crime:
"This morning's diet and health hearing marks the first time that
the committee has investigated the impact of nutrition on mental
health and development.
" I n recent years we have begun to obtain some insights into
how undernutrition during pregnancy and in the early years of
life can cause lifelong mental impairment. However, mental
development is only one part of the larger mental health picture
that we will be looking at in these hearings.
"Today's hearing which examines such topics as early mental
development, hyperactivity in children, juvenile delinquency,
criminal behavior in adults, and schizophrenia, will demonstrate
that the axiom "you are what you eat" applies to both our physical
and our mental condition.
"Of all the areas of promising nutrition research and knowledge,
the relationship between nutrition and mental health and development is the least funded and probably the least well understood.
One sign that this is beginning to change is two articles directly
concerned with the effects of food on mental health and one's
behavior. One article titled "Can Chocolate T u r n You Into a
Criminal ?" notes that the link between food and crime is attracting more attention from law enforcement officials. Two of our
witnesses will speak to this very issue and their respective experience in working with juvenile and adult offenders.
"Achieving recognition of the relationship between nutrition
and mental health is still very much a struggle. Established
scientific thinking remains weighted against those few scientists
and practitioners who are striving to understand the complex
links between the food we consume and how we think and behave
as individuals.
"According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 6.4
million Americans are under some form of mental health care
and an estimated 10 percent of all Americans are in need of such
care. That translates into over 20 million people, and if further
36
research is undertaken along a nutritional line we could find that
a significant number of mental health problems could be cured
or prevented by better nutrition."
As we can see, America and the rest of the modern world is caught
in an accelerating spiral of decline. This spiral has been gaining momentum for the past several centuries, especially since the Industrial
Revolution, and has accelerated rapidly in the last 40 years. What is
needed now is a change in direction toward an opposite spiral of social
reconstruction and recovery. Dietary change toward macrobiotics,
together with a reorientation in our view of life, is the most fundamental way of effecting this transformation. These issues are the subjects of the sections that follow.
37
energy. There is nothing solid at all. In other words, matter becomes
nonmatter.
When we think about our body in these terms, we see that it too is
nothing but a mass of vibrations or energy that is constantly moving
and changing, and that it is not static. It conforms to the explanation
of matter by modern atomic science: Matter appears from time to time
from space like a ghost. It appears and disappears. That is the most
advanced modern conception of matter. In a similar way, the body is
nothing but a mass of vibrations and energies that appear from time
to time on this planet, and its essence is nothing but the movement of
energy. We cannot hold on to it.
Thoughts are the same: Vibrations, energy, and waves. Think about
a television receiver. When we turn the television on, waves are picked
up and translated into images, sounds, and colors. In the same way,
the essence of the mind is nothing but waves. Similarly, the body is
nothing but waves. So the body and the mind are one. The difference
is that the body is a more dense mass, while the mind is more dispersed or diffused.
This understanding was expressed by Shakespeare in The Tempest,
when Prospero explains a demonstration of spirits to the young lovers,
Ferdinand and Miranda:
"These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted
into air, into thin air: And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn
temples, the great globe itself, yea, all of which it inherit shall
dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack
behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little
life is rounded with a sleep."
When the body becomes sick, which means that its energy flow is
either stagnating or charging extremely actively, then naturally the
mind also changes. So, when I look at a problem such as depression,
I do not seek the cause in environmental factors or the type of relationships a person has with his parents or children. Instead I see what
kind of physical health the person has. That is the way to understand
the cause of the problem and find a solution. For example, if someone
38
has a problem with their husband or wife, it is easy to blame the
husband, wife, or someone else while overlooking the individual's
own condition. Why do we think this way? Because we lack the ability
of self-examination or self-review. This problem is apparent when
we consider our view of AIDS and other illnesses. The A I D S virus
may be coming from outside, but when it enters the body, if we are
healthy, our immune ability will immediately react and neutralize it.
But if our natural immunity has been weakened because of our diet
and way of life, the virus will take root and spread. It is also possible
that the AIDS virus is being created internally by the decomposition
of cells, especially white blood cells. We may be creating the virus
ourselves through our day to day lifestyle and eating. We may have
weakened ourselves to the extent that self decomposition is taking
place. Instead of reflecting on our own condition, however, we very
easily accuse the virus as the cause of the condition, and so no definite
solution is found. As long as we deal with the virus only, we overlook
the importance of changing ourselves in order to become stronger.
A similar situation has occurred with cancer research, which began
about ioo years ago. At that time, like AIDS, cancer was thought to be
infectious. Now, a hundred years later, we still do not have a definite
solution, except for symptomatic approaches such as chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, and others. Meanwhile, we have not been able to prevent
cancer, so it continues increasing. Soon, one out of three Americans
will develop it, and it is beginning to affect every family.
One hundred years ago, the incidence of cancer was very small.
Billions of dollars have been spent on research so far, and efforts have
focused microscopically on trying to understand more about cancer
cells. For example, finding out whether they are caused by cell mutation, hereditary influences, or environmental factors. We have been
looking at cancer cells without self-reflecting on the kinds of foods we
are eating or the kind of lifestyle we are leading so as to discover what
it is that makes these cells turn cancerous. We have not examined that
aspect thoroughly enough. In other words, we tend to put ourselves
aside and see our problems as separate, isolated factors, and as things
that "happen" to us rather than as things we ourselves create. So there
are no solutions. Problems such as crime, drug abuse, and mental
illness also cannot be isolated from our physical condition and daily
39
way of life. Only by understanding the interconnectedness between
body, mind, and behavior can we begin to solve these and other social
problems.
Behavioral Disorders
Once the unity between mind and body, or physical condition and
mental health is understood, the underlying cause of mental illness
becomes clear. As with conditions such as heart disease and cancer,
mental illness is rooted in daily diet and way of life.
The incidence of mental disorders is increasing, as has the amount
of money spent each year on mental health. Officially, 15 percent of
the American population suffers from mental disorders at any given
time, a figure equal to about 32 million people. However, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services has stated that this figure
is probably conservative: a more realistic number of mentally disturbed
persons is closer to 20 percent of the population. In one study of New
York City residents, 25 percent were found to be suffering from
disorders such as depression, anxiety, phobias, and other mental
problems.
Each year, Americans spend more than $40 billion in an effort to
recover or maintain their mental health. T h e number of people seeking
psychological help has increased tremendously in the last 30 years. In
1955, there were 380,000 people in psychoanalysis: there were 4.6
million by 1977. In the same year, two million Americans were admitted into mental institutions, while many more sought psychological
help in private hospitals, community health centers, and nursing
homes. The number of psychologists and psychiatrists has also increased in order to meet the growing demand. In 1950, there were
about 12,000 psychologists and psychiatrists; by 1980, the number
had grown to more than 50,000. As we can see, modern psychology,
with its elaborate theories and thousands of trained specialists, has not
been able to stem the tide of increasing mental disorders.
In the following sections, we introduce the macrobiotic view of
behavioral problems; a view based on the unity between mind and
4o
body, and the role that diet and environment play in determining the
health of both.
T h e macrobiotic view is based on understanding the order of the
universe, or laws of nature. These eternal laws function everywhere.
Understanding them can help us find a lasting solution to individual
physical and mental disorders.
Yin and yang are the traditional terms we use to describe the
rhythmic movement of life. Yin represents centrifugal, expanding, or
upward movement, and yang represents centripetal, contracting, or
downward movement. Since everything is continually in motion, yin
and yang are present in everything; however, some things have a
relatively more yin tendency, and others, relatively more yang. All
things come and go, appear and disappear, move and change because
of the interaction of these two primary forces.
4i
erally more expanded, they exert a more relaxing effect on the body
and mind, and are rich in chlorophyll, water, and potassium. They
are, therefore, more yin. Among vegetable quality foods, those growing
in the tropics are more extremely yin than those grown in temperate
climates: mangoes, oranges, and bananas, for example, are much more
yin than apples or pears. Leafy expanded vegetables, such as lettuce,
Chinese cabbage, and bok choy are more yin than compact root
vegetables such as carrots or burdock root. Refined sugar, extracted
from tropical sugarcane, is extremely yin in comparison to sweeteners
derived from the complex carbohydrates in grains such as rice or barley.
The foods that form the basis of the standard macrobiotic diet
whole grains, beans and their products, fresh local vegetables, sea
vegetables, and othersare more centrally balanced than are extremes
such as meat, eggs, or refined sugar. This more centrally balanced
way of eating formed the basis of traditional diets for centuries, and
protected our ancestors from epidemic rates of cancer, heart disease,
diabetes, and other degenerative conditions.
As we saw earlier, the modern diet has become increasingly extreme.
Rather than more balanced complex carbohydrates, such as those in
whole grains and vegetables, the modern diet relies heavily on more
extremely yin simple sugars, including refined sugar, corn syrup, and
fructose. In place of the more balanced proteins contained in whole
grains and beans, our modern way of eating emphasizes more extreme
animal proteins, including meat, eggs, and poultry.
Like the opposite poles of a magnet, yin and yang attract one
another. The more extreme the diet becomes at one end, the more we
require opposite extremes to make balance. From this point of view,
the underlying cause of biosocial concerns such as alcoholism and drug
abuse becomes clear. Rising intakes of meat and poultry, for example,
have required increasingly powerful forms of yin to make balance.
Sugar, chocolate, and spices are commonly used. But, beyond these,
many people turn to the frequent consumption of alcohol, or to drugs,
which are even more extreme, in an attempt to make balance.
Yin and yang are also used in macrobiotic thinking to clarify the
dynamic functioning of the body and mind. In the bloodstream, for
example, there are two types of cells: more yang and compacted red
blood cells, and more yin or expanded white blood cells. These cells
42
Fig. 12
43
Fig. 13
T h e most yang part of the neuron, the nucleus of the cell body,
attracts impulses from other nerve cells, and discharges them through
the more yin axon. The nervous system as a whole functions in a similar
way. Incoming impulses are conveyed by the network of nerve cells to
the central midbrain. From here, the appropriate signals are dispatched
back out to the body. The entire nervous system functions as the result
44
of an incredibly high speed balance that exists between positive and
negative charges, input and outflow, and excitation and inhibition.
The flow of impulses in the nervous system is regulated by two
complementary/antagonistic elements: more yin potassium, and more
yang sodium. In their resting state, neurons carry a negative charge
at the center and a positive charge on the surface, as the result of
routinely discharging positive sodium ions and admitting negative
potassium ions.
When the cell becomes excited, it will admit sodium ions, which
cause the inside to suddenly reverse and become positively charged.
This sudden reversal produces an electromagnetic charge that goes to
the next segment of the nerve cell, causing a reversal in its polarity,
and then to the next segment, and so on along the entire length of the
nerve fiber. It is this alternating, or yin and yang pulse, triggered biochemically by the interplay between sodium and potassium, that causes
the nerve cell to "fire" and impulses to be transmitted. T h e healthy
functioning of the nervous system depends, therefore, on the proper
balance of these and other important elements in the body.
Nerve impulses eventually arrive at the end point, or terminal, of the
axon, and travel across the synapse, or narrow space separating the
axons of nerve cells from the dendrites of others. When impulses arrive
at the cell terminal, they trigger the release of substances known as
neurotransmitters that affect the way that the "message" will influence
the neighboring cell. These substances, of which 30 to 40 have been
identified, can also be classified into two complementary groups: more
yang, or activating transmitters that cause nerve cells to become excited
and generate impulses at a higher rate; and more yin, inhibiting transmitters that prevent impulses from arising or reduce their rate. One
group of neurotransmitters, known as catecholamines, including dopamine and norepinephrine activate the nervous system, and act like
adrenalin in stimulating arousal and motor activity. On the other hand,
more yin transmitters, such as glycine, act to inhibit nervous activity.
Recently, a variety of theories have been put forward stating that
disturbances in th.e balance of neurotransmitters may be a factor in
a variety of behavioral disorders. T h e quality and function of neurotransmitters is in turn affected by diet. T h e major norepinephrine
containing nerve cells are located in the more yang midbrain. Nore-
45
pinephrine regulates many of the body's responses to the environment,
causing either an appropriate reaction, or an inappropriate over- or
under-reaction. The norepinephrine system has branches that are widely
distributed throughout the nervous system, and its function is counterbalanced by another important amine neurotransmitter system, the
serotonin system. (Most of the neurotransmitters are breakdown products of amino acids; the amine neurotransmitters share a distinctive
single amino group in their molecular structure.)
In many ways, serotonin, which is more inhibitory, acts as a balance
to norepinephrine, which is more activitating. In an N I H study of
patients suffering from depression, those with high levels of serotonin
tended to have lower levels of norepinephrine; and those with low
levels of serotonin had higher levels of norepinephrine. These and other
studies are beginning to reveal the complementary, or yin and yang,
function existing in the biochemistry of the brain and nervous system.
The endocrine system is also a masterpiece of balance, in which complementary hormones work together in harmony. In the female reproductive system, for example, estrogens secreted by the ovaries cause
female sexual characteristics to develop, and these are counterbalanced
by the androgens, including testosterone, secreted by the male reproductive organs. Estrogen is a more yin hormone, while testosterone is
more yang. Both hormones affect behavior, and the secretion of both
is in turn affected by diet.
If men eat plenty of sugar, tropical fruits, ice cream, heavily chemicalized, or other more extreme yin foods, their production of testosterone can easily by inhibited. (Foods such as these also inhibit sperm
production.) Conversely, the overintake of more extreme yang foods
such as meat, eggs, poultry, and hard cheeses can cause an excess of
testosterone to be secreted, while overconsumption of these foods
normally inhibits estrogen production in women, except in cases where
chickens or livestock have been fed synthetic estrogen.
Researchers have noted that boys who do not secrete proper amounts
of testosterone are often shy and withdrawn. When they are given more
yang masculinizing hormones, their behavior becomes more aggressive
and rambunctious. On the other hand, men with an oversupply of
testosterone often behave in an aggressive or hostile manner, and may
suffer from uncontrollable or violent urges. When given a more yin
46
Hyperactivity
Food and environment are primary in determining behavior. Both
influence a person long before conception. They determine the quality
of the parental reproductive cells and the genetic information they
contain. They also determine the general pattern of culture or type of
society a person is born into, which in turn will influence how he or
she will think and act. A person's constitution and condition are a product of diet and environment. Behavior is simply the expression of
each person's constitution and daily condition.
Today, many people have problems with learning, perception, and
behavior. Among children, many have trouble learning basic reading,
writing, spelling, and arithmetic. Some are consistently erratic in
behavior. They cannot pay attention, are extreme in their emotions,
and are unable to sit still. These children are often labeled as hyperactive or hyperkinetic. They may or may not have specific learning
disabilities, although many children who are considered hyperactive
47
are actually quite bright. Hyperactivity is a comprehensive term that
usually includes these and other traits.
However, it is important to remember that children and teenagers
are normally active and energetic. They do not behave like adults, nor
should they be expected to. It is necessary to be careful before labeling
someone hyperactive, hyperkinetic, or learning disabled. All people
learn at different rates. The important thing is not test scores, but
whether each person puts forth his or her best efforts.
Some experts question whether or not "hyperactivity" actually
exists, or whether it is simply a more extreme form of normal behavior. Others maintain that hyperactive children behave in a way
that constantly interferes with day to day living and normal learning.
Behavior and learning problems are related to the modern highly
processed, artificial diet and to an increasingly unnatural lifestyle
including the use of synthetic materials in the home and at school.
An extreme diet can interfere with the normal processes of learning
and of normal or balanced behavior. An excessive intake of more extreme yang foodssuch as meat, eggs, poultry, or refined saltcan
produce excessive emotional characteristics like overly aggressive
behavior, extreme stubbornness, or an overly self-centered attitude.
These items tend to narrow a person's scope of vision and reduce
patience, endurance, and sociability. The body and mind become less
flexible when more yang extremes are overconsumed.
The excessive intake of yin extremes also contributes to behavioral
and learning disabilities. Refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, milk, ice
cream, refined flour, chocolate, and additives and preservatives (more
than 4,000 additives have been used in foods over the last twenty years)
can cause more yin disintegrative symptoms such as inability to focus
on visual images, sounds, or thoughts, poor memory, a poor sense of
balance, and lack of self-discipline.
In general, the symptoms of hyperactivity can be classified into two
general categories, according to the primary foods that promote them.
These include (i) symptoms influenced primarily by the overconsumption of more yang extremes; and (2) those which are influenced primarily by the overintake of more yin extremes. The most common
symptoms of hyperactivity are classified below:
48
49
plenty of sugar, tropical fruit, chemicals, and refined and processed
foods on the other. Their actions and behavior therefore tend to swing
unpredictably back and forth between both extremes. Underlying both
extremes is often the excessive overconsumption of milk and other
dairy products.
When someone has a tendency toward hyperactivity, artificial substances in the environment can often trigger symptoms. They frequently react to products ranging from chemicalized toothpaste to
felt-tipped markers. A list of substances that can trigger extreme reactions in persons with hyperactivity is presented in our book, Macrobiotic Child Care and Family Health.
As will be seen in the way of life recommendations that follow this
section, macrobiotics recommends using more natural materials in the
home, school, and workplace. Clothing, home fixtures, toys, soap,
carpets, furniture, shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergents, and
kitchen utensils made from natural materials are preferred over those
made from synthetic substances. Contact with nature is encouraged as
much as possible.
Current approaches to hyperactivity include nutritional management, behavior modification, counseling, special education programs,
and drug therapy. The management of hyperactivity through diet
includes a variety of approaches, most notably that developed by the
late Dr. Ben Feingold. Dr. Feingold reported success in reducing
hyperactivity in about 50 percent of the cases under his care. T h e
Feingold Diet involves primarily reducing or eliminating the intake of
more extremely yin items, including preservatives such as B H T and
BHA, refined sugar, and chemical additives, including artificial flavors
and colors. Things such as aspirin, bell peppers, chili powder, coffee,
oranges, spearmint and peppermint, commercial tea, and tomatoes,
all of which contain salicylatesacidic compounds found in fruits and
other more yin foodshave also been associated with hyperactive
reactions and are often eliminated from the diet.
The avoidance of more yin foods and other substances would lessen
the more yin symptoms of hyperactivity. However, at least 50 percent
of hyperactive patients do not respond to this approach, an indication
that many cases of hyperactivity result from the overconsumption of
more extremely yang foods, or from the combined effect of both
So
extremes. A dietary approach that takes both aspects into consideration
is therefore necessary.
The other common approach to hyperactivity involves giving
patients, who are often children, amphetamine drugs such as Dexedrine
and Ritalin. Like coffee, these drugs are often used as mental stimulants. When taken regularly, they weaken the motion centers of the
brain, and eventually cause individuals to become less hyperactive.
These substances cause the more yin, front portions of the brain to
become very active, and the person's thinking seems to be more
"focused."
For the most part, drugs are an unsatisfactory response to mental
and behavioral disturbances. They are purely symptomatic, and do not
address nor change the underlying causes of the problem. There have
been no long-term studies of the side effects of the psychoactive drugs
given for hyperactivity. In the macrobiotic view, drugs are classified
as extremely yin. Being extreme, they weaken the nervous system and
internal organs. The long-term effects of chronic drug use include:
(1)
SI
It simultaneously relays information outward to appropriate
parts of the body in the form of various responses such as
speech, decisions to act, and so on.
In hyperactivity, "gatekeepers" which control input to
the midbrain do not function properly. Information comes
in without being properly ordered. The relay of information
from the midbrain to the various parts of the body is also
disrupted. Instead of a more orderly or controlled relay of
information, the brain of the hyperactive person sends a
variety of poorly coordinated, uncontrolled, and contradictory signals to the various parts of the body.
In order for this key function to operate well, the innermost orbit of the nervous system, which is situated at the
midbrain, must be tightly coiled and highly energized, with
its cells compact. T h e habitual expansion produced by drugs
has a damaging effect on mental clarity after a period of time,
although the initial impression may be one of relaxation and
heightened clarity.
(4) Weakening of internal organs: Certain of our internal organs
rely primarily on contraction for their normal activity, and
others depend more on relaxation, although both tendencies
exist in each organ. Like the midbrain and the motion centers
of the brain, the major relatively more yang organs tend to
be weakened by habitual use of drugs. They include the
spleen, pancreas, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Which of
these are affected to a noticeable extent depends on a number
of individual considerations, including constitution, previous
illnesses, former diet, and so on.
(5) Decline of reproductive ability:
Giving drugs during childhood could impair future reproductive abilities. The reproductive organsthe ovaries and testesare more yang and
compact. They are easily debilitated by the intake of extremely yin substances. Infertility and reproductive disorders
are practically epidemic in modern society: Approximately
20 percent of married couples are unable to conceive. Many
of these problems can be traced to the use of drugs or
medications during childhood or adolescence.
Continual drug use creates imbalances in the quantity and
quality of hormone secretion, such as testosterone, from abnormal stimulation of adrenal, gonadal, and pituitary glands.
This imbalance in the hormone system, when combined with
general weakening of the nervous system, leads to debility
and irregular functioning of the reproductive system. The
debilitating effects of drugs are particularly acute during
puberty and adolescence when the hormonal functions connected with sexual maturation become operative.
(6) Degeneration of blood quality and weakening of natural immunity : Drugs such as those given for hyperactivity tend
to destroy the intestinal flora which are essential for smooth
absorption of food into the bloodstream. The liver, spleen,
and bone marrow, involved in the continued regeneration
of red blood cells, are adversely affected by prolonged drug
use. Therefore, people who already suffer from mild forms
of illnesses associated with lowered blood quality such as
leukemia, anemia, diabetes, asthma, allergies, and skin
disorders, could experience a worsening of their condition
after prolonged drug use.
Drugs also weaken the body's autoimmune system. Functions such as the ability of the liver to detoxify poisons and
the ability of specialized cells in the lymphatic and bloodstreams to identify and ingest foreign substances are
especially weakened. T h e cooperative functioning of T-cells
and B-cells as part of the body's immune response is disrupted by the intake of drugs. Drug use is a contributive
factor in many cases of A I D S and other immune deficiency
disorders.
(7)
Psychological and social impairment: These various manifestations of lessened physical and mental vitality combine
to impede the individual and social development of the
people burdened with them. People who are given drugs
for hyperactivity could easily develop psychological dependence on artificial or superficial methods of dealing with problems. The widespread use of drugs in treating hyperactivity
and other behavioral problems is a factor in the increase of
drug abuse in society.
53
Aside from these possible long-term consequences, there are many
documented short-term side effects associated with the drugs given
for hyperactivity.
Ritalin, for example, has the potential to produce such immediate
side effects as skin rash, fever, scaling or itching of the skin, blood
clotting disorders, nausea, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, drowsiness,
headache, loss of appetite, stunting of growth, and others.
An approach that carries the risk of potentially damaging side
effectsboth short and long termwhile ignoring the underlying
cause of hyperactivity is obviously unsatisfactory. Many parents are
justifiably distrustful of the use of behavior modifying drugs to control
hyperactivity. Most tend to favor nutritional approaches to behavioral
problems.
Similiar long-term effects apply to the use of drugs in general,
including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other illicit drugs, and to
drugs such as lithium and others used to treat depression, anxiety,
and other mental disturbances. Effects such as these can also result
from chronic alcohol abuse, although usually to a lesser extent than
those resulting from drugs.
A more holistic approach to hyperactivity involves changing the
underlying causes. Parents with hyperactive children need to reflect
on their way of eating and on the way of eating of the family as a whole,
together with their overall manner of living and relating to each other.
Hyperactivity is the product of the lifestyle of the family as a whole,
including daily dietary practice. Approaches that isolate the hyperactive
child without considering other members of the family are at best
partial and cannot be thought of as solutions.
As a first step toward overcoming hyperactivity, therefore, we
recommend that all members of the patient's family change their way
of eating toward the standard macrobiotic diet described later in this
chapter. Appropriate modifications are of course required for each
person. The daily life recommendations presented later in this chapter
can also be applied, especially the substitution of more natural products
for more artificial ones in the home, school, or workplace.
In cases where patients have not been placed on medication, the
transition to a macrobiotic diet can proceed in a more smooth and
straightforward manner. As the family as a whole changes its diet, the
54
hyperactive patient can begin to eat according to general macrobiotic
guidelines appropriate for age, condition, and activity.
Persons who have been placed on medication need a more gradual
period of moderate transition. An overly rapid or inflexible approach
to adopting macrobiotics is not recommended. The following general
guidelines may be applied in these circumstances.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
55
(8)
56
Duration of daily
medication
Period of recovery
from effects*
1 - 4 weeks
1 - 3 months
4 - 6 months
6 m o n t h s - i year
1 - 2 years
3-5 years
4 months
1 year
2 years
3 years
4-5 years
6 - 7 years
*Note: The times presented above also apply to recovery from the effects of
marijuana. Stronger drugs such as heroin or cocaine generally require
a longer time for recovery.
57
who were placed on drugs or who chose to take them may experience
any of these symptoms.
When people experience behavioral problems, and while they are
recovering a more natural balance, parents, teachers, and others involved in daily care need to devote time and energy into creating a
loving, patient, and supportive atmosphere.
The macrobiotic dietary approach, when combined with a loving,
warm, and understanding attitude, offers a sane and humane approach
to hyperactivity and other behavioral disorders. It offers people with
these problems an opportunity to become healthy and productive
members of society and to realize their fullest potential, free from
artificial dependence.
Depression
Depression, like its opposite condition, mania, is classified as an affective
disorder, in which the main problem involves mood. Like other
disorders of body and mind, these conditions can be understood more
clearly when we see them in terms of yin and yang.
Modern psychology recognizes the polar, or yin and yang nature
of these disorders. Depression often occurs in cyclesepisodes may
last for one or two days or for several months or moreand researchers
have begun to correlate these with natural rhythms such as the 24-hour
daily cycle, the changing of the seasons, and the body's internal
biological clocks.
In the unipolar form of the condition, episodes of depression alternate with periods of more normal mood. In the bipolar form, periods
of depression alternate with opposite periods of frantic activity known
as mania, and the patient experiences drastic swings between both
extremes. The bipolar form of the condition is also called manicdepressive psychosis.
According to the National Institutes of Health, about five percent
of the American population suffers from major depressive illness.
Milder forms of depression are far more common. Suicide, often the
59
are common in diets today. These foods are high in saturated fats, and
when eaten excessively, cause hard fats to accumulate in the pancreas,
making the organ become hard and tight.
In this condition the pancreas it cannot secrete anti-insulin properly; yet insulin keeps being secreted. This causes the level of sugar
in the blood to become chronically low. To compensate for that,
a person seeks sweets in an attempt to bring the sugar level back to
normal. And that is when they reach for a soda, a chocolate bar, or a
sugary dessert, or add plenty of sugar to their coffee or tea.
Simple sugars (also known as mono- or disaccharides) have a simpler
structure than do complex carbohydrates, such as those in whole grains,
beans, and vegetables. These more complex carbohydrates are also
known as polysaccharides. When we eat whole grains and vegetables,
we get plenty of carbohydrates, but these are of the complex variety.
These carbohydrates release their energy more slowly and steadily,
resulting in a more even balance in the level of blood sugar. However,
when the carbohydrate source is chocolate, sugar, or honey, sugar is
quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and burns very quickly. The
sugar level rapidly goes up, and the person temporarily feels comfortable, happy, and sociable. If it stays elevated beyond normal levels,
he may begin to experience mania. But since the sugar burns so
fast, the level again becomes low, and the person starts to feel
depressed and anxious. This is especially true when atmospheric conditions are more heavy and downward moving, as they are during gray,
rainy days. On days like that a person feels the effects of low blood
sugar more acutely, and can experience more severe depression,
anxiety, and insecurity.
If we compare the atmosphere in the morning to that in the afternoon, we see that in the morning atmospheric conditions are lighter
and more upward moving. We tend to feel more optimistic and positive
as the sun comes up. But in the afternoon, the atmosphere becomes
more quiet and downward moving, and, if the blood sugar level goes
down as well, a person can become depressed, irritable, fearful, and
experience strong cravings for sweets. At night, when the atmosphere
is dark and quiet, someone with low blood sugar may feel cold, especially in the hands and feet, and may start to feel they are sinking.
6o
They often cling to their husband or wife while sleeping, or if they
are alone, to their pillow, because they feel fearful and insecure.
2 PM
12 PM
Fig. 15
When the sugar level dips below normal, a person will crave sweets,
alcohol, or experience the sensation of hunger. They seek food in order
to bring the sugar level back to normal. If an individual receives
criticism while he is experiencing low blood sugar, or if people around
him say something unpleasant, the person can easily become irritated,
tense, and upset, and an argument or fight may start. These arguments
usually do not happen after a big meal or when someone eats plenty of
sugar. They normally happen after a person's blood sugar level becomes low. This condition frequently underlies family arguments,
including spouse and child abuse.
Many crimes fit the profile of blood sugar imbalance presented
above. In many cases, persons with chronic low blood sugar will turn
to alcohol to try to relieve depression and raise their blood sugar level.
As we saw above, blood sugar tends to become lower in the afternoon
and evening. In the evening, many people with severe hypoglycemia
feel depressed, anxious, and seek alcohol to relieve their condition.
6i
They may go to a bar or a nightclub and begin drinking. Feelings of
fear and insecurity, which hypoglycemic persons experience at night,
can easily lead to offensive or overly-protective behavior. Fights, or
spontaneous explosions of violent behavior, can easily occur late in
the evening or in the early morning hours among persons with this
condition. The over-consumption of alcohol, as a result of hypoglycemia, is also a major cause of traffic accidents, and the large number
of injuries and deaths that result.
The problem of alcohol abuse is considered by many to be the
number one drug problem in the United States; a condition associated
with many other social problems. It is estimated that at least 60 percent
of violent homicides involve consumption of alcohol prior to the
attack. In about 40 percent of male rapes of adult women, the offender
was found to be intoxicated. About one in four people in mental institutions is or has been alcoholic, while alcohol abuse is directly
involved in half of all the traffic deaths each year in the United States.
Writing in his book, Diet, Crime, and Delinquency, Alexander Schauss
states that "There is a vast medical literature suggesting the role blood
sugar disorders can play in antisocial behavior." He also states that
" T h e role blood sugar imbalances play in behavior has also received
wide-spread attention." Researchers have begun to link hypoglycemia
with depression, hyperactivity, and antisocial behavior. Prison populations have been found to contain many people with hypoglycemia
as many as 80 to 85 percent according to some studies.
In a classic study on the dietary habits of people in prison, conducted
at the Morristown, New Jersey, Rehabilitation Center in 1975, it was
discovered that inmates consumed huge quantities of sugar, much more
than average amounts eaten by the population in general. Many inmates
were found to be sugar addicts; they ate large amounts of candy, drank
plenty of coffee sweetened with sugar, and frequently added sugar to
foods at the table. The Morristown study went on to suggest that
"Diet changes to treat existing hypoglycemia and diet education
should be implemented immediately in jails and prisons."
One of the pioneer studies in modifying the behavior of an inmate
population through dietary change was initiated by Frank Kern, a
graduate of the Kushi Institute, who is the assistant director of the
Tidewater Detention Homes in Virginia. The Tidewater research pro-
62
ject was conducted by Stephen Schoenthaler, a criminologist and
researcher at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mr. Schoenthaler
described the results of the project in a letter to Frank Kern:
"When you requested that my associates and I revise your institutional diet and measure the impact the change would have upon
the incarcerated juveniles, I admit I was somewhat skeptical.
Many theoretically sound programs in corrections have failed
when carefully evaluated. Nevertheless, as an objective social
scientist, I attempted to develop a valid unbiased research design
which would be capable of measuring the impact of the dietary
change. I have had the research design reviewed by several of
my colleagues at Virginia Wesleyan College as well as peers in
colleges and universities in Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina,
and Louisiana. There is a consensus that the design is not
flawed.
"As you recall, the primary goal was to modify the children's
diet in such a manner that it would be (i) politically noncontroversial by being consistent with accepted medical standards,
(2) financially practical, (3) easy to implement in other institutions,
and (4) capable of being scientifically evaluated. Using these
guidelines, a simple reduction in sucrose seemed to be the best
initial project. The literature on sugar strongly suggests that
a reduction in sugar consumption has no adverse effects and is
associated with the elimination or reduction of several negative
behavioral characteristics such as hyperactivity, violent behavior,
and delinquency.
" T h e results of the study are truly amazing. The incidence of
misbehavior resulting in institutional discipline has dropped 45
percent. It is important to state that the success of the project
depended upon keeping the nine staff members who ultimately
made the decisions to formally discipline the children unaware
of the research. If they knew that the project was being done,
they might have become more lenient and thereby made the
project invalid. Therefore, keeping the staff in a state of ignorance
was absolutely necessary.
"Statistically, the likelihood of the results having been due to
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64
more dramatic and long-lasting results. James Dupree, a corrections
administrator in Alabama has had several years of experience in reducing sugar intake in juvenile institutions, with remarkable results.
Dupree reports "substantial improvements, not only in the types of
antisocial behavior, but also in the frequency." The results were especially dramatic in the maximum security facility.
However, Dupree told East West Journal that "cutting down on
sugar seems to work with some, but not with others." These results,
although encouraging in many cases, are similar to those of the
Feingold approach to hyperactivity, in which about half of the children
who are placed on the diet experience improvement. A dietary approach
that recognizes the dynamic balance between yin and yang, and the
role that extremes of either one play in bahavior, therefore, is required
for the optimum result.
As long as someone with hypoglycemia keeps eating chicken, eggs,
or cheese, they will continue to crave sugar, chocolate, or ice cream,
or have problems with alcohol or drugs. Their problem will get worse
in time. T h e most fundamental solution is to restore normal functioning in the pancreas by basing the diet around the complex carbohydrates in whole grains and vegetables, while avoiding extremes such
as excessive animal food consumption and the overintake of refined
and other simple sugars.
Over the last several decades, many people have become aware that
heart disease is caused primarily by the heavy consumption of foods
high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Because of this awareness, many
people eliminated or reduced the intake of red meat, and started to
eat chicken, eggs, and cheese instead. As a result, the rates of heart
disease have degun to drop, but, the incidence of hypoglycemia has
been increasing, along with depression and other emotional problems
that are related to the condition of the pancreas. In some cases, the
pancreas becomes so tight and hard that tumors begin to develop
within it. T h e resulting cancer of the pancreas is very difficult to treat,
and medical approaches offer persons with this condition very little
hope. However, it can be prevented by changing our way of eating,
and several people with this condition have experienced improvement
after starting the macrobiotic diet.
T h e principle of yin and yang can help clarify the biochemistry of
65
depression and other mood disorders, and point the way toward a more
natural dietary approach to these conditions. When blood sugar becomes elevated, this creates a more yin condition. To balance, the
pancreas secretes insulin, and within the brain, the production of more
yang neurotransmittersthose involved in arousal and motor activity
is stepped up. Conversely, when blood sugar becomes depressed, a
more yang condition, a variety of balancing mechanisms are called into
play. T h e pancreas reduces the output of insulin, while stepping up
production of anti-insulin. In the brain, the production of activating
neurotransmitters is curtailed, in many cases to the point of undersupply. The resulting shortage can lead to depression.
The most fundamental way to correct imbalances in the internal
chemistry of the body is through a naturally balanced diet. Hypoglycemia, together with related conditions such as depression, fear,
anxiety, and antisocial behavior are all correctable through the practice
of the macrobiotic diet and way of life.
Schizophrenia
Over the past 60 years, as we have seen, the consumption of more
centrally balanced, traditional foods, such as whole grains, fresh local
vegetables, and beans, went down, while refined and more extremely
balanced foods became popular. Together with the shift to the modern
diet, heart attacks, cancer, mental illness, and social disharmony have
increased. Within this overall pattern, individual differences are created
by the way that each person or family chooses to eat. One person may
eat more steak but fewer eggs, another, more fried chicken, and
another, more fish or seafood. Someone may like ice cream, but dislike
cake, and someone else may drink cola every day.
No two people eat in exactly the same way, and individual differences
always exist. Because of that, each person's physical and mental condition is different. No two people are exactly the same, although similar
tendencies do exist. For example, when a person consumes plenty of
extreme yin foods, such as sugar, tropical fruits, alcohol, or spices,
his or her mind becomes dispersed, unsettled, and hyperactive. The
66
energy produced by these foods has a more upward and activating
tendency. A person who eats plenty of these foods can have trouble
keeping their thoughts focused or together, and at the extreme, may
start to suffer from schizophrenia.
If, on the other hand, someone eats plenty of meat, chicken, or salty
cheese, their thinking can become more rigid, tight, and concentrated.
They may stick to one thing only, and become stubborn and narrow
minded. At the extreme, they may develop paranoia. T h e degree of
schizophrenia or paranoia varies from person to person, and depends
on the volume and kind of food consumed.
T h e word "schizophrenia" comes from the greek schizo, "split"
and phrene, "mind." It was first used in the early part of this century
by Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist. The condition is quite prevalent in modern society: about 400,000 people in America are currently hospitalized with severe schizophrenia.
A review of the major symptoms of schizophrenia confirms the
primarily more yin nature of the condition. The most prevalent systems
include:
Fig. 16
67
Thought disturbances, including difficulty in maintaining one
guiding or unified thought, with the tendency to skip from one
unconnected idea to the next.
Problems in focusing attention, including the tendency to be
frequently distracted by irrelevant thoughts and by stimulation
from the environment.
Withdrawal from society and retreat into a private delusional
world, in some cases, leading to the condition known as autism, in
which the patient cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Problems with communication, in which others have difficulty
in understanding the patient.
Hallucinations, including "seeing" imaginary persons or things,
or "hearing" nonexistent voices.
Lack of motivation, such as when patients become indifferent to
their own fate or that of others, with such behavior as staring
vacantly into space or speaking in a flat and toneless voice.
Inappropriate emotional responses, for example, responding
with laughter to news of a relative's death, or becoming angry
when someone says hello.
Behavioral disturbances, including bizarre mannerisms such
as grimacing, or making odd repetitive movements, or remaining
practically motionless for long periods of time, often in some
unusual posture.
In one type of schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia, the overintake
of more yin and yang extremes combine to produce symptoms. T h e
overintake of meat, poultry, eggs, and cheese combines with the overconsumption of sugar, tropical fruit, spices, chemicals, and other more
extreme yin items to create a set of delusions that are often organized
into a very elaborate system. Paranoid schizophrenics are often tense
and suspicious, and often believe that external events have some special
significance for them, personally. For example, the patient may observe strangers talking and believe they are talking about him, or may
hear someone on the radio and believe the announcer is trying to convey
some type of secret message. Many paranoid schizophrenics develop
a delusion of persecution, in which they believe that some outside
group or organization is spying on them, or plotting against them.
Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common form of the disorder.
68
As with depression, blood sugar imbalances also play an important
role in schizophrenia. Chronic low blood sugar, caused by overconsumption of poultry, cheese, eggs, and other more yang foods,
leads to overintake of sugar, tropical fruits, and other more concentrated forms of yin. The chronic overconsumption of sugar and
other more extreme yin items causes the cells in the brain and nervous
system to become chronically weak and overexpanded, producing an
eventual deterioration in mental functions.
When the brain cells become overly yin, or expanded, they easily
become oversensitive to more yang stimuli, including more activating
neurotransmitters such as dopamine. According to the dopamine
hypothesis, an oversensitivity to this neurotransmitter produces a
chronic overstimulation in the brain. T h e patient becomes hypersensitive to more immediate sensory messages in the environment and loses
touch with more yin shorter wave vibrations coming from greater
distances. This leads to a cognitive overload and a decline in more
refined thinking abilities.
Many people with schizophrenia show symptoms of excess sugar
consumption. This overconsumption disrupts the balance of vitamins
and minerals in the body. Our blood normally maintains a weak
alkaline condition, and when sugar, which is strongly alkaline, is introduced, an "acid reaction" takes place in order to make balance. Regular
consumption causes the bloodstream to become overly acidic, and to
compensate, internal reserves of minerals are mobilized to maintain
proper blood pH. The minerals in daily foods and in the bloodstream
are usually enough to meet this situation if it occurs occasionally.
However, persons who consume plenty of sugar every day must depend
on minerals stored deeper in the body, particularly on calcium stored
in the bones and teeth. If this continues long enough, calcium depletion can result in weakening of the bones and in tooth decay.
A common symptom of schizophrenia is numerous white spots on
the fingernails. This is a sign of mineral deficiency resulting from the
overconsumption of simple sugars and other yin foods, including
refined sugar, honey, and corn syrup. Many schizophrenics also have
a sweet odor on their breath, also the result of overconsuming sugar.
A variety of mineral deficiencies and imbalances are also common,
especially deficiencies in zinc, manganese, magnesium, and sodium.
69
The overconsumption of sugar also robs the body of the B-complex
vitamins necessary for the synthesis of glutamic acid in the brain.
The function of our judgment is to decide, in any situation, whether
we proceed (go ahead) or control (stop). A key to this ability is glutamic
acid, a vital compound found in many vegetables. When we taste the
sweetness in cooked carrots and onions, for example, we are detecting
glutamic acid. This substance divides into two complementary yet
antagonistic compounds. One produces a "proceed" reaction, the other
a "control" response. The B-vitamins play a very important part in
this process.
Whole grains are rich in B-vitamins. These vitamins are also produced by symbiotic bacteria in the intestines. When someone eats
plenty of sugar, every day, these bacteria die, and the stock of the Bvitamins becomes very low. The result is often cloudy thinking, loss
of memory, and a loss of control over one's actions.
Nearly 50 years ago, it was discovered that B-vitamin deficiencies
were related to mental illness. About ten percent of the people who
were diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to mental hospitals
in the South were found to be suffering from pellegra, a vitamin-B
deficiency. When they were placed on corrective diets, their previously
diagnosed "schizophrenia" cleared up, and their behavior returned
to normal.
The overconsumption of alcohol also robs the body of vitamins and
minerals, including those in the vitamin-B group. Alcohol, which is
more extremely yin, neutralizes more yang antidiuretic hormones.
The person then urinates more frequently, causing the loss of water
soluble vitamins and minerals. T h e relationship between alcohol
abuse and crime is well documented, as we have seen. The National
Institute of Alcohol Abuse estimates that as many as 40 percent of all
deaths from accidents, homicides, and suicides are related to alcohol
abuse, and that many young people who commit crimes do so under
the influence of alcohol.
The continual intake of an excessively unbalanced diet including
high amounts of sugar, chemicalized foods, meat and other animal
proteins, and milk and other dairy products overburdens and eventually
weakens the body's organs of discharge including the intestines, lungs,
kidneys, and skin. The body's ability to discharge toxins is correspond-
7o
7i
were found to drink an average of 64 ounces of milk a day compared
to an average of 30 ounces of milk a day for the others. Two of the
delinquent boys drank as many as 14 glasses of milk per day.
Studies conducted by the San Luis Obispo County Probation
Department found that young offenders frequently had intolerances
and allergic reactions to milk. The medical records of nearly 90 percent
of the young people studied revealed a history of these problems, and
tests conducted by the Probation Department confirmed that 88 percent still had these conditions upon being tested.
Overconsumption of dairy products leads to the formation of fat
and mucus throughout the body. Since more oxygen is needed to carry
hemoglobin to cells enveloped with mucus, the amount of oxygen
available to the brain decreases, and dairy food contributes to uneven
thinking, dulled reactions, and emotional dependency. Some of the
findings linking excessive dairy food consumption with a wide variety
of sicknesses including cramps and diarrhea, multiple forms of allergy,
iron deficiency anemia in infants and children, aggressive and antisocial
behavior, atherosclerosis and heart attacks, arthritis, and several forms
of cancer are reported in Don't Drink Your Milk by Frank A. Oski,
M.D. and John Bell.
As we can see in the examples presented above, daily food is a
primary factor in thinking, mood, and behavior. Dreams that occur
during sleep also reveal the influence of diet. Horrible dreams, such
as those of monsters such as Frankenstein or Dracula, are caused by
the overconsumption of animal foods, especially hamburger, steak,
and the like. Foods such as these can produce terrible, bloody nightmares. To cure nightmares, we must stop eating these foods. After
a week or two there will be no more violent dreams. Dreams in which
one is falling from a high place and screaming are caused by overconsumption of fruit and juices. The overintake of fruit and fruit
juice causes the heart to become overly expanded and beat irregularly,
as it does in cases of a heart murmur. During sleep, at the moment
when the heart skips a beat, the sensation of falling is experienced.
Minimizing the intake of fruit, especially raw fruit and juice, causes the
heart to return to a more normal condition, and as a result, these dreams
disappear. Dreaming of fire indicates the consumption of too many
spicy foods such as mustard, pepper, curry, ginger, and others, together
72
73
while their children eat with their friends at coffee shops, pizzerias, or
at school. So, of course, parents and children cannot share the same
mind or way of thinking.
In order to have a happy family life and restore togetherness, the
most important condition is to restore good family cooking. If the
members of a family live separately, they can at least share a similar
way of eating. But if that way of eating is based on foods such as steak,
hamburger, eggs, and cheese, then the members of the family risk the
development of cancer, heart disease, or some other degenerative
condition, or of seeing one or more family members suffer from depression. If their way of eating includes plenty of honey, ice cream,
sugar, and tropical fruits, they risk developing conditions such as
breast or skin cancer, schizophrenia, hyperactivity, herpes, or even
AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 30 and
100 million people in the United States already have herpes. As we
saw earlier, if the number of people with AIDS continues to expand
geometrically, within five years, this disease could affect every family.
It is already causing a crisis in the nation's jails and prisons.
Many of the people who developed A I D S had particular habits in
the past, including the use of drugs, as well as the overintake of sweets
and sugar, milk, butter, cheese and other dairy foods, and tropical
fruits such as bananas, papayas, mangoes, and orange juice. Many
AIDS patients also consumed plenty of oily and greasy foods. This
type of eating weakens the blood condition. When a person takes drugs,
which are very yin, and consumes plenty of extreme yin foods such
as sugar, chocolate, and tropical fruits (all of which are very juicy,
sweet, and expanded, and decompose very rapidly), and uses a lot of
more yin oils, their body cells, including those in the immune system,
gradually become very weak. As a result, immune ability diminishes.
If the A I D S virus is introduced, it can easily take root and become
active. A I D S Related Complex (ARC) leading to full blown A I D S is
the natural result of this condition.
The extreme overconsumption of more yin foods and beverages
causes the white blood cells to begin decomposing, while the body's
tissues, which are also made up of cells, also start to decay. Meanwhile,
the body tries to discharge toxins, including excess fat and sugar, in
order to continue functioning. These toxins either discharge toward
74
the surface of the body, for example, through the skin, or toward those
internal organs, such as lungs or intestines, that present a pathway to
the outside. These discharges can result in conditions such as Kaposi's
sarcoma, the type of cancer that many people with A I D S develop.
As A I D S progresses, the entire body begins to decay, and this is
simply the decomposition of foods such as chocolate, sugar, soft drinks,
and oily and greasy items, as well as drugs, including those taken in
the past in the form of medication.
A variety of modern practices weaken immune response and can
contribute to the development of immune deficiencies. They also
affect our mental and emotional health. T h e tonsils and adenoids are
very important to the normal functioning of the immune system.
Removing them weakens a person's natural immunity. Today, many
babies are not breast-fed, and are instead given cow's milk formulas.
After delivery, and for several days before mother's milk comes in,
the breasts secrete a yellowish liquid called colostrum. Colostrum
contains antibodies that convey natural immunity. When babies do
not receive colostrum, their future immune abilities are weakened,
and especially so if the mother took plenty of sugar, soda, alcohol,
or chemicalized food during pregnancy.
The declining quality of modern foods also contributes to a reduction in immune power. If we look at commercial vegetables, for example, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, carrots, and others, we
see their quality is different than it was 25 years ago. Vegetables are
now bigger, more "beautiful," and more expanded as the result of
increasing use of chemicals and fertilizers. Our parents and grandparents ate much smaller carrots, apples, oranges, and beans. The eggs
they consumed were often from organically fed, fertilized hens. If you
place eggs such as these in a warm place, they will hatch into baby
chicks. If you do the same with commercial eggs, they will decay.
Besides, as we saw, chickens, beef cattle, pigs, and egg laying hens
are given chemicalized feed, antibiotics, and more yin hormones
which make them become bigger and fatter more quickly.
People are also consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
that are imported from tropical climates, including New Zealand and
other places in the southern hemisphere. As reported in Time (August,
1986), fruits and vegetables such as cherimoya, jicama, loquat, malanga,
tamarillo, ceriman, carambola, chayote, pomelo, kiwi, kiwano, and
75
others from tropical regions of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean
have become fashionable in the United States. Consumption of these
more extreme yin products weakens our adaptability to the climate
in North America, and contributes to a lessening of natural immunity.
Vegetables, grains, and fruits have also become more yin as the
result of modern agricultural practices. Add to that the enormous consumption of sugar, plus other more extreme yin products such as
chocolate, alcohol, drugs, and medications, and we can see why,
compared to several generations ago, people have become much weaker,
both physically and mentally. Several generations ago people were
generally shorter and sturdier. They had endurance and were hard
workers. Now, people can't carry on. They are also taller, on average.
Nowadays, many people cannot stand cold weather and move to
Florida, California, or some other hot place. Few people move to
Nova Scotia or Canada. On the whole, modern people are much
weaker, and so naturally, we see the rapid spread of AIDS, herpes,
and cancer, as well as schizophrenia and mental illness. T h e cause of
these problems is modern civilization itself. But we accept and approve
of it, and we enjoy its benefits. Therefore, these problems are the result
of our own thinking and behavior. The most sure way to correct them
is to self-reflect on our mistakes and resolve to change for the better.
76
This way of eating, with the necessary modifications for each individual, can serve as the basis for the recovery from various mental
disorders, as well as for an effective approach to social rehabilitation.
T h e standard macrobiotic diet has been practiced widely throughout
history in every major culture. In modern times it has often been
misunderstood due to a lack of information and understanding of the
dietary practices of traditional cultures.
Macrobiotic eating is very broad. Dietary practices such as those
presented below have been observed by hundreds of thousands of
people, especially in the last 15 yearspeople wishing to attain better
health and create well-being within their families and society. The
macrobiotic approach has also been adopted by a variety of institutions
such as prisons, hospitals, and correctional facilities, with positive
and encouraging results.
However, macrobiotics offers more than just an orderly way of
eating. It encompasses a whole lifestyle that respects human tradition
and the order of nature, with the spirit of fostering personal and social
well-being and creating a healthy and peaceful world.
In contrast to modern dietary habits, macrobiotic eating is based
on the following nutritional considerations:
1) More complex carbohydrates and fewer simple sugars;
2) More vegetable quality protein and less protein from animal
sources;
3) Less overall consumption of fatmore unsaturated fat and
less saturated fat;
4) Adequate consideration of the ideal balance between vitamins,
minerals, and other nutritional factors;
5) Use of more organically grown natural quality food and fewer
chemically sprayed or fertilized items;
6) Use of more traditionally processed foods and fewer artificially
and chemically processed foods;
7) A larger intake of foods in their whole form and less intake of
refined and partial foods; and
8) More consumption of foods rich in natural fiber rather than
foods that have been devitalized.
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The macrobiotic way of eating is similar in orientation to dietary
guidelines issued by the following public health agencies:
1) The United States Congress, Senate Select Committee on
Nutrition and Human Needs' publication, Dietary Goals For
the United States (1976);
2) The U.S. Surgeon General's report, Healthy People: Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention (1979);
3) Dietary guidelines issued by the American Heart Association,
The American Diabetes Association, The American Society
for Clinical Nutrition, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture;
4) A 1981 report by a panel of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science;
5) The dietary guidelines for cancer prevention issued by the
National Academy of Sciences in the 1982 report, Diet,
Nutrition, and Cancer; and
6) Dietary guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society
(1984).
The standard macrobiotic way of eating is not designed for any
particular person nor for a particular condition. It is designed for the
purpose of maintaining physical and psychological health, and for the
well-being of society in general. It further serves in many instances to
prevent degenerative diseases and promote possible recovery.
These basic guidelines have been practiced daily for more than
20 years by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world,
including many families. Furthermore, the same or similar dietary
practice has been observed traditionally among many cultures for
thousands of years. A number of institutions, including prisons and
hospitals have begun to incorporate macrobiotic principles in their
food selection and meal preparation. T h e articles in the following
chapters detail several of these experiences.
The guidelines presented below are designed particularly for people
who live in a temperate climate. Modifications are required for people
in a tropical and subtropical climate, as well as those in polar and semipolar regions.
78
Beans and
Sea Vegetables
5-10%
Plus Supplementary Foods
Fig. 17
79
WHOLE GRAINS:
Within the standard macrobiotic way of eating
and especially in a temperate climate, whole grains are an essential
part of the daily diet. They comprise 40 to 60 percent (average 50 percent) of the daily intake of food.
Kinds of Whole Grains and Grain Products:
Brown Rice
Brown riceshort, medium, and long grain
Genuine brown rice cream
Puffed brown rice
Brown rice flour products
Brown rice flakes
Sweet Brown Rice
Sweet brown rice grain
Mochi (pounded sweet brown rice)
Sweet brown rice flour products
Wild Rice
Wild rice grain
Whole Wheat
Whole wheat berries
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat chapatis
Whole wheat noodles and pasta
Whole wheat flakes
Whole wheat flour products, such as crackers, matzos,
muffins, and others
Couscous
Bulgur
Fu (baked puffed wheat gluten)
Seitan (wheat gluten)
Barley
Barley grain
Pearl barley
Pearled barley
Puffed barley
Barley flour products
Rye
Rye grain
Rye bread
Rye flakes
Rye flour products
Millet
Millet grain
Millet flour products
Puffed millet
Oats
Whole oats
Steel cut oats
Rolled oats
Oatmeal
Oat flakes
Oat flour products and puffed oats
Corn
Corn on the cob
Corn grits
Corn meal
Arepas
Corn flour products such as corn bread, muffins, etc.
Puffed corn
Popped corn
Buckwheat
Buckwheat groats
Buckwheat noodles and pasta
Buckwheat flour products, such as pancakes, etc.
Other Traditional Grains, such as triticale, etc.
Cooking Styles for Whole Grains
Pressure-cooking
Boiling
Steaming
Baking
Frying, such as fried rice or noodles
Roasting
8i
Other traditionally practiced and commonly used cooking
styles
Cooking Varieties for Whole Grains
Cook with a pinch of sea salt
Occasionally cook with vegetables
Occasionally cook with beans
Occasionally cook with other grains
Occasionally cook with sea vegetables
Occasionally cook with fish or seafood (paella)
Occasionally cook in soup with vegetables and sea vegetables
Cook as a breakfast porridge
Other traditionally practiced and commonly used methods
of cooking
Seasonings That can be Used When Cooking Whole Grains:
Season with or without a pinch of sea salt
Season with or without a touch of tamari soy sauce (fermented soybean and grain soy sauce)
Season with or without miso (fermented soybean and grain
paste)
Season with sea vegetables
Season with pickled umeboshi plum
Other traditionally practiced and commonly used seasonings
SO UP: T h e macrobiotic way of eating recommends, under normal
circumstances, an average consumption of one or two cups or bowls
of soup each day.
Kinds of Soup:
Light broth for noodles or pasta
Vegetable soup
Vegetable and sea vegetable (usually wakame or kombu) soup
Bean and vegetable soup
Grain and vegetable soup
Fish and vegetable soup
Fish, vegetable, and sea vegetable soup
Noodle vegetable soup
Millet
Couscous
Barley
Mochi
Oats
Other traditionally used and
commonly consumed grains
Buckwheat
Whole wheat noodles
and pasta
Kinds of Beans Usually Used in Soup:
Lentils
Azuki beans
Split peas
Black Beans
Other beans
Chick-peas
(garbanzo beans)
Kinds of Sea Vegetables Most Popularly Used in Soup:
Nori
Wakame
Kombu
Dulse
Other edible sea vegetables
Fish and Seafood Occasionally Used in Soup:
Carp
Herring
Cod
Scrod
Dried
fish
Snapper
Small dried
fish
Sole
(iriko)
Trout
Flounder
Other white-meat fish
Haddock
Less frequently used seafood:
Cherrystone clam
Littleneck clam
Clams
Crab
Lobster
Octopus
Oysters
Seasonings for Soup:
Miso
Tamari soy sauce
Sea salt
84
Sesame or corn oil (occasionally)
Other traditionally used and commonly
consumed condiments
Garnishes for Soup:
Grated ginger root (occasional use)
Nori sea vegetable
Parsley
Scallions
Others
VEGETABLES:
A wide selection of vegetable dishes prepared in
a variety of cooking styles may comprise approximately 30 percent of
daily food intake.
Kinds of Vegetables:
Acorn squash
Kale
Bok choy
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Leeks
Burdock root
Lotus root
Lambsquarter
Buttercup squash
Butternut squash
Mushrooms
Mustard greens
Cabbage
Celery
Onion
Celery root
Parsley
Parsnip
Carrots
Pumpkin
Carrot tops
Cauliflower
Patty pan squash
Chinese cabbage
Radish
Chives
Red cabbage
Collard greens
Romaine lettuce
Coltsfoot
Scallions
Cucumber
Shiitake mushrooms
Daikon
Snap beans
Daikon greens
Summer squash
Dandelion leaves
Turnip
Dandelion roots
Turnip greens
Endive
Watercress
Wax beans
Escarole
85
Winter melon
Green beans
Wild grasses that have
Green peas
been used widely
Hokkaido pumpkin
for centuries
Hubbard squash
Other vegetables that
Iceberg lettuce
have been traditionally used
Jinenjo
and commonly consumed
Jerusalem artichoke
Cooking Styles for Vegetables:
Raw salad
Pressed salad (salt and pressure added for a few hours to a
few days)
Boiled salad (adding vegetables to boiling water and cooking
for i to 3 minutes)
Boiling
Baking
Broiling
Steaming
Water sauteing
Oil sauteing (using a small volume of vegetable quality oil)
Waterless cooking (cooking with a small volume of water and
high steam until the water evaporates)
Deep-frying (usually with a batter made of whole wheat
unrefined flour)
Pickling
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced cooking
styles
Seasonings for Vegetable Dishes:
Miso
Tamari soy sauce
Sea salt
Mirin (fermented sweetener made of sweet brown rice)
Brown rice vinegar
Umeboshi plum (pickled plum) vinegar
Oil (sesame, corn, mustard seed, safflower, sunflower, or
olive)
Note:
Vegetables can be served in a variety of ways:
86
Cooked in soup
Cooked with grains
Cooked with beans
Cooked with sea vegetables
Used as an ingredient in sushi
Served with noodle or pasta dishes
Cooked and served with fish or seafood
Used as an ingredient in dessert dishes
BEANS:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating recommends
regular consumption of beans and bean products. Beans may comprise 5 to 10 percent of daily food intake.
Kinds of Beans:
Azuki beans
Navy beans
Black-eyed peas
Pinto beans
Black turtle beans
Soybeans
Black soybeans
Split peas
Chick-peas (garbanzo
Whole dried peas
Bean sprouts
beans)
Other beans which have
Great northern beans
been traditionally
Kidney beans
used
and commonly
Lentils
consumed
Lima beans
Mung beans
Kinds of Bean Products:
Dried tofu (soybean curd that has been dried)
Fresh tofu
Okara (residue in making tofu)
Natto (fermented soybeans)
Tempeh (fermented soybeans)
Cooking Styles for Beans:
Pressure-cooking
Boiling
Roasting
Baking
Fermenting
Steaming
8?
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced cooking
styles
Cooking Variations for Beans:
Cook beans with a pinch of sea salt or miso
Cook beans with sea vegetables, usually kombu sea vegetable
Cook with carrots or onions
Cook with acorn or buttercup squash
Cook with chestnuts
Cook with vegetables
Cook as dessert
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced cooking
varieties
Seasonings Generally Used in Cooking Beans:
Sea salt
Miso
Tamari soy sauce
Mirin
Barley malt
Rice malt
Oil (vegetable quality)
Garnishes Generally Used with Beans (depending upon the particular dish):
Grated ginger root
Sweet brown rice vinegar
Grated fresh daikon
Mustard
Grated fresh radish
Umeboshi vinegar
Grated fresh horseradish Other traditionally used and
Chopped fresh scallions
commonly consumed
Chopped fresh onions
garnishes
Brown rice vinegar
SEA VEGETABLES:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating
recommends that sea vegetables be consumed daily or frequently as
side dishes or in the preparation of other foods. Sea vegetables may
comprise a small percentage of daily intake.
Kinds of Sea Vegetables:
Arame
Nekombu (kombu root)
Agar-agar
Nori
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Wakame
Dulse
Other sea vegetables
Hijiki
that have been
Irish moss
traditionally used
(sea moss)
and commonly consumed
Kombu
Mekabu (wakame's flowering sprout)
Cooking Styles for Sea Vegetables:
Pickling
Boiling
Waterless
cooking
Steaming
Drying
Deep-frying
Roasting
Soaked and raw
Toasting
Cooking Variations for Sea Vegetables :
Cook sea vegetables alone
Cook with beans
Cook with grains
Cook in vegetable dishes
Cook as gelatin
Cook in sauces
Cook with fish or seafood
Cook in soup
Other
FISH AND SEAFOOD:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating
recommends fish and seafood as an occasional supplement to the above
categories of foodgrains, soups, vegetables, beans, and beverages.
T h e amount of fish or seafood can vary according to personal needs
and can range from once in a while to several times a week. The average, however, is twice or three times a weekwith the amount not
exceeding 20 percent of the total volume of food consumed that day.
The kinds of fish and seafood recommended are those with less saturated fat and those which are most easily digested.
Kinds of Fish and Seafood:
Carp
Herring
Cod
Scrod
Dried fish
Smelt
Small dried fish
Snapper
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Sole
(iriko)
Trout
Flounder
Other white-meat fish
Haddock
Halibut
Seafood Used Occasionally:
Octopus
Cherrystone clams
Oysters
Littleneck clams
Lobster
Clams
Shrimp
Crab
Infrequently Used Fish (not preferred for regular use):
Tuna
Bluefish
Other blue-skinned
Salmon
or red-meat fish
Sardines
Swordfish
Variety of Cooking Styles for Fish and Seafood:
Raw and fresh (sashimi and sushi)
Marinated
Steamed
Boiled
Baked
Broiled
Sauteed
Pan-fried
Deep-fried (tempura)
Dried and then boiled
Dried and then steamed
Dried and then baked
Fish flakes
Pickled
Smoked
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced cooking
styles
Cooking Variations for Fish and Seafood:
Cooked in soup
Cooked as a separate dish
Cooked in stew
Cooked with grains (paella)
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Apples
Plums
Apricots
Raisins
Blackberries
Raspberries
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Grapes
Tangerines
Grapefruit
Watermelon
Wild berries
Honeydew melon
Other fruits traditionally grown
Lemons
in a temperate climate
Mulberries
Oranges
Persimmon
Peaches
Variety of Serving Styles for Fruit:
Fresh and raw
Fresh, raw, and soaked in lightly salted water
Grated
Boiled
Baked
Steamed
Juice as a beverage or flavoring
Preserves
Spread on bread or other baked flour products
As an ingredient in stuffing
As a dessert
As an ingredient and flavoring in kuzu or agar-agar gelatin
Baked in bread
Dried fruit as a snack, garnish, or dessert
Pickled fruit
Deep-fried fruit (in a batter)
Served as a garnish
Fermented beverages
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed serving
styles
PICKLES:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating recommends
frequent use of pickles as a supplement to various main dishes and
for the purpose of stimulating appetite and encouraging digestion.
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Some pickles are available in natural food stores, while many can be
prepared at home. Some are ready in a few hours; others require more
timefrom a few days to a few seasons.
Kinds of Food Often Used in Making Pickles:
Anchovies
Olives
Apricots
Onions
Burdock root
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Radishes, red and white
Red cabbage
Cabbage
Scallions
Carrots
Squash
Cauliflower
Caviar
Turnips
Chinese cabbage
Salmon
Cucumbers
Sardines
Other traditionally used and
Daikon
commonly selected foods for
Herring
making pickles
Leeks
Lotus root
Mustard greens
Methods Used in Pickling:
Brine pickles
Bran pickles
Miso pickles
Pressed pickles
Salt and water pickles
Salt pickles
Sauerkraut
Takuan pickles (daikon pickled in rice bran and salt)
Tamari soy sauce pickles
Umeboshi pickles
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced pickling
methods
NUTS: The standard macrobiotic way of eating can include
occasional consumption of various kinds of nuts in the form of snacks,
garnishes, or as an ingredient in desserts.
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Kinds of Nuts:
Almonds
Pecans
Chestnuts
Pinenuts
Filberts
Small Spanish nuts
Peanuts
Walnuts
Less Frequently Used Nuts:
Brazil nuts
Other traditionally used and
Cashews
commonly consumed nuts
Macadamia nuts
Variety of Serving Styles for Nuts :
Roasted with sea salt
Roasted without sea salt
Roasted and sweetened with barley malt
Roasted and sweetened with rice malt
Roasted and seasoned with tamari soy sauce
Ground into nut butter
Shaved and served as a topping, garnish, or ingredient in
other dishes
Cooked in grain flour products, such as cookies, cakes,
muffins, pastries, pies, and other desserts and breads
Served with dried fruits as a snack
Other traditionally used and commonly practiced serving
methods
SEEDS:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes occasional
consumption of seeds prepared in a variety of ways.
Kinds of Seeds:
Sunflower seeds
Alfalfa seeds
Umeboshi plum seeds
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds
Plum seeds
Other traditionally used and
Poppy seeds
Pumpkin seeds
commonly consumed seeds
Squash seeds
Serving Styles for Seeds:
As Condiments:
Dried and ground
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Roasted and ground
Roasted and ground with sea salt
With umeboshi powder and sea salt
With miso
As Snacks:
Dried and served alone
Roasted and served alone
Baked with flour products such as cookies, crackers,
breads, cakes, and other baked flour products
As an ingredient in candies
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed
snacks
As Garnishessprinkled on various dishes such as:
Grains
Fish and seafood
Soups
Fruit
Vegetable dishes
Desserts
Beans
Seasonings Commonly Used with Seeds:
Sea salt
Tamari soy sauce
Miso
Barley malt
Rice malt
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed seasonings
SNACKS:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes daily
or occasional use of a variety of natural snacks consumed in moderate
amounts.
Kinds of Snacks:
Grain Based Snacks:
Cookies, crackers, wafers, pancakes, muffins, bread,
puffed brown rice, barley, oats, millet, corn, popcorn
Mochi
Noodles and pasta
Rice balls
Rice cakes
Homemade sushi
Roasted grains
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Other traditionally used and commonly consumed
natural snacks
Bean Based Snacks:
Roasted beans
Boiled beans
Nut Based Snacks:
Nuts roasted and seasoned with sea salt
Nuts roasted and seasoned with tamari soy sauce
Nuts roasted and seasoned with barley malt
Nuts roasted and seasoned with rice malt
Nuts used in cookies, crackers, and as an ingredient in
other baked flour products
CONDIMENTS:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes
a wide variety of condiments for daily, regular, or occasional use. They
are sprinkled on or added in small amounts to food to adjust taste and
nutritional value of food and to help stimulate appetite. Condiments
are commonly used for grains, soups, vegetable dishes, bean dishes,
and sometimes with desserts.
Kinds of Condiments:
Gomashio (roasted sesame seeds and sea salt)
Sea vegetable powder
Sea vegetable powder with roasted sesame seeds
Tekka (condiment made from soybean miso, sesame oil,
burdock, lotus root, carrots, and ginger root)
Umeboshi plum (pickled plum)
Umeboshi plum and raw scallions or onions
Shio kombu (kombu cooked with tamari soy sauce and water)
Chopped shiso leaves (pickled beefsteak plant leaves)
Roasted shiso leaves
Green nori
Yellow mustard (used mainly for fish and seafood)
Green mustard (used mainly for fish and seafood)
Cooked miso with scallions or onions
Cooked nori condiment
Roasted sesame seeds
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed
condiments
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SEASONINGS:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes
regular and occasional use of a variety of seasonings in cooking and
before serving. The seasonings are all vegetable quality and are
naturally processed. These seasonings have been used traditionally
throughout the world. The use of seasonings should be moderate and
adequate for personal needs.
Kinds of Seasonings:
Unrefined sea salt
Tamari soy sauce
Miso
Examples of miso:
Rice miso
Barley miso
Soybean miso
Sesame miso
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed misos
Rice vinegar
Lemon juice
Brown rice vinegar
Tangerine juice
Umeboshi vinegar
Orange juice
Sauerkraut brine
Red pepper
Barley malt
Green mustard paste
Rice malt
Yellow mustard paste
Grated ginger root
Sesame oil
Grated daikon
Corn oil
Grated radish
Safflower oil
Horseradish
Mustard seed oil
Umeboshi paste
Olive oil
Umeboshi plum
Seasonings Used Occasionally:
Mirin (fermented sweet brown rice sweetener)
Amazake (fermented sweet brown rice beverage)
Freshly ground black pepper
Sake lees (residue in making sake)
Sake (fermented rice wine)
Other natural seasonings which have been traditionally
used and commonly consumed
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GARNISHES:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating emphasizes
balance of qualities, tastes, nutritional factors, and energetic harmony.
For that purpose, garnishes are used in small amounts to balance some
dishes, especially for the purpose of creating easier digestion.
Kinds of Garnishes:
Grated daikonused mainly as a garnish for the following:
Fish and seafood
Mochi
Buckwheat noodles and pasta
Natto
Tempeh
Grated radishused mainly as a garnish for the following:
Same as above
Grated horseradishused mainly as a garnish for the
following:
Same as above
Chopped scallionsused mainly as a garnish for the
following:
Noodle and pasta dishes
Fish and seafood
Natto
Tempeh
T h e following:
Grated ginger
Freshly ground pepper
Green mustard paste
Lemon pieces
may be used mainly as a garnish for:
Soup
Noodle and pasta dishes
Fish and seafood
The following:
Red pepper
Freshly ground pepper
Green mustard paste
may be used mainly as a garnish for:
Soup
Noodle and pasta dishes
Fish and seafood
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Natto
Tempeh
DESSERTS:
T h e standard macrobiotic way of eating includes
frequent use of a variety of desserts usually served at the end of the
main meal.
Kinds of Desserts:
Azuki beans sweetened with barley malt or rice malt
Azuki beans cooked with chestnuts
Azuki beans cooked with squash
Kuzu sweetened with barley malt, rice malt, fresh fruit, or
dried fruit
Agar-agar cooked with barley malt, rice malt, fresh fruit, or
dried fruit
Cooked fruit
Dried fruit
Fruit pies including apple, peach, strawberry, berry, and
other temperate climate fruits
Fruit crunch including apple, peach, strawberry, berry, and
other temperate climate fruits
Grain desserts sweetened with dried fruits, barley malt, rice
malt, amazake, and fresh fruits
Examples of grain desserts: couscous cake, Indian pudding,
rice pudding, and other similar naturally sweetened desserts
Baked flour desserts such as cookies, cakes, pies, muffins,
breads, and others prepared with natural sweeteners including fruits and grain sweeteners
BEVERAGES:
The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes
a variety of beverages for daily, regular, or occasional consumption.
The amount of beverage intake varies according to individual needs
and climate change. Beverages comfortably satisfy the desire for liquid
in terms of kind, volume, and frequency of intake.
Kinds of Beverages:
Bancha twig tea
Bancha stem tea
Roasted rice with bancha twig tea
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Roasted barley with bancha twig tea
Kombu tea
Spring water
ioo percent cereal grain coffee
Amazake
Dandelion tea
Lotus root tea
Soybean milk
Burdock root tea
Mu tea
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed nonstimulating, nonaromatic natural herb teas (made from
seeds, leaves, stems, bark, or roots)
Alcoholic beverages:
Sake (fermented rice wine)more naturally fermented
quality
Beer of various kindsmore naturally fermented quality
Wines of various kindsmore naturally fermented quality
Other grain and fruit-based weak alcoholic beverages that
have been fermented naturally
Fruit juice:
Apple juice
Grape juice
Apricot juice
Cider
Vegetable juice:
Carrot juice
Celery juice
Juice from leafy green vegetables
Beet juice
Barley green juice
Other juices made from vegetables that have been traditionally grown in a temperate climate
ADDITIONAL FOODS:
In some instances, such as occasional
requirement for nutritional balance or special social events, the
standard macrobiotic way of eating can be temporarily modified to
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include some other foods such as salmon, tuna, other red-meat, blueskinned, and fatty fish, organic fertilized fowl's eggs, caviar and other
fish eggs, white-meat poultry, skim cow's milk or goat's milk, traditionally fermented cheese and yogurt, unrefined honey, maple syrup,
and beet sugar.
These modifications are made according to individual requirements
and necessity; though within the usual standard macrobiotic way of
eating, these foods are not regularly or commonly required to maintain
health and well-being.
THE MANNER OF EATING:
To establish well-being,
biotic eating includes the following daily practices:
macro-
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Macrobiotic Cooking
Macrobiotic cooking is actually very simple once the basic techniques
have been mastered. Before learning the basics, however, it is easy to
make mistakes. Recipes and cookbooks are of course helpful, but the
best way to learn is to participate in cooking classes. In this way, one
can actually see how the foods are prepared and can taste them.
Dinnerswhich many Macrobiotics International centers sponsor on
a weekly basisare also helpful, as they offer the chance to see and
taste a balanced meal and to talk with other people about their experiences with macrobiotics.
The Kushi Institute also has a staff of qualified cooking instructors
who are available to visit institutions such as prisons or hospitals to
present classes in macrobiotic cooking, or to guide the cooking staff
in institutions in the preparation of macrobiotic meals. Please contact
the Kushi Institute in Boston for information.
The present crisis of biological degeneration is directly related to
the decline of cooking. The preparation of food is basic to our ability
to survive and to be healthy on this earth. It is essential for everyone
to know the vital importance of selecting the highest quality foods and
practicing proper cooking for health and happiness.
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and can serve to guide everyone toward more satisfying and harmonious
living.
Live each day happily without being preoccupied with health,
and keep mentally and physically active.
Greet everyone and everything with gratitude, particularly
offering thanks before and after each meal.
Try to retire before midnight and get up early in the morning.
Avoid wearing synthetic clothing or woolen articles directly
against the skin. Wear cotton garments instead. Avoid excessive
metallic or plastic accessories and keep such ornaments simple
and graceful.
If strength permits, go outdoors in simple clothing. Keep every
corner of the home or living space in good order.
Maintain an active correspondenceextending best wishes to
parents, children, brothers and sisters, relatives, teachers, and
friends.
Avoid taking long hot baths or showers unless one has been
consuming too much salt or animal food.
Every morning or every night before retiring, scrub the entire
body with a hot, damp towel until the circulation becomes active.
If this is not convenient, at least scrub the hands, feet, fingers,
and toes.
Avoid chemically perfumed cosmetics, soaps, and shampoos.
Brush teeth with natural preparations or sea salt.
Keep as physically active as possible, including regular daily
exercise. Exercise includes scrubbing floors, cleaning windows,
washing clothes, gardening, and so on. One may also participate
in systematic exercise programs such as yoga, martial arts, aerobics, and sports.
Avoid or minimize watching television, especially color TV,
as it exposes the body to unnatural radiation. Try not to watch
TV during meals.
Avoid using electric devices, such as heating pads, electric
blankets, portable radios with earphones, and the like, next to the
body. Avoid the use of microwave ovens.
Include many large green plants in the living area to freshen and
enrich the oxygen content.
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Case Histories
Today, very few people have peaceful minds.
Because the modern diet is so extreme, many people have the tendency toward either schizophrenia or paranoia. However, these tendencies are reversible through a change in daily diet and way of life,
as the following cases illustrate.
Recently, I met a businessman whose schizophrenic daughter had
been confined in a mental institution in Boston. She was 23 years old
and had been in mental hospitals for several years. When her parents
came to see me, they both started to cry. They asked if macrobiotics
could possibly help her. As it was, she faced the possibility of spending her whole life in a mental hospital.
I asked to see her, and two days later, they brought her to see me.
She came in with a bottle of cola, and while we talked, she would occasionally take a sip from it. I told her parents that this was the cause
of her problem. Of course, together with soft drinks, other extreme
foods were also contributing. I recommended that they start gradually
changing her diet toward macrobiotics. Because she had consumed
a large volume of sugar and soft drinks for so many years, it was
necessary to use a more gradual approach, taking several months to
make the transition.
Her parents followed my recommendation. For the first two months
they took food to her in the hospital, and then were able to cook for
her in a private apartment. After several months, she became completely normal. Three months later she got a job. A year later she was
managing a store and had become very happy.
In another case, a 28-year-old man was paranoid and fearful of
everything. He felt as if he was always being threatened. His father
was a very successful businessman, and was very worried about him.
His parents had separated many years earlier. Finally, the father asked
for my help. After talking with him, I arranged for the son to stay for
a while in a macrobiotic student house in Boston. The son became
much better once he moved in and started to eat well.
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ting in the sunlight. I remembered reading about tamari in the macrobiotic cookbook, so I bought the bottle and a small bag of brown rice.
That night I cooked my first macrobiotic dinner. I'll never forget
the rice, a pathetic patch of undercooked kernels drowning in a brown
bog of tamari. I thought, "This is good?" The food tasted terrible,
but strangely, after that dinner, I became fascinated by macrobiotics
and continued to experiment with the limited variety of available
macrobiotic foods. It was there, in that bleak basement apartment on
a rusty two-burner hot plate, that I began the education that would
turn my life around. At the time I didn't know of the incredible healing qualities of macrobiotics, but I would learn.
I soon became bored with undercooked rice and tamari, however,
and I returned to my regular food. In May of 1972 I returned to my
parents' home in Kansas City. Bored, depressed, groggy with Thorazine, I sat in my room looking at my future like a blind man at a silent
movie. At night I wrote and rewrote suicide notes, and planned over
and over how to do myself in. Luckily I never put the plans into
action.
One day in June while glancing through the newspaper I noticed,
to my surprise, an ad for a local macrobiotic cooking class. Uncharacteristically, I called and registered for it. When I arrived at the location where the first class was to be held, I found myself overwhelmed
with anxiety. I got back in my car and left, but a voice inside said,
"Get back there! You must do it!" So I returned.
Patricia Atkins was an excellent teacher on that first day of class,
explaining everything so carefully. What she said about food and
health made sense. On that day I was served a delicious macrobiotic
meal, the result of the cooking class. Sitting there with the class
members, I felt very strange. It was the kind of moment that comes
only once in life. I thought, "This is what will change me. I don't
know why, but I have found it." I had never felt that way before. In
that moment I knew that simple and delicious food would be the key
to my recovery. I hadn't been looking for any kind of cure, I wasn't a
dabbler in health food routines, I was simply there at a cooking class
and the keys to my recovery were given to me without asking.
Over the years I have learned many lessons about macrobiotics,
and I made many mistakes at first. I tried to quit the Thorazine im-
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fight them. He went with the flow; a voice from deep inside was
telling him to surrender and everything would be all right. Once in
the hospital, he withdrew inside himself. Other than periodic injections of Stelazine, a major tranquilizer, he received no medication while
in the hospital.
Just after graduating from high school, Harris had read a book about
macrobiotics. The information stuck with him and now, in the hospital,
after the doctors had offered him the opportunity to cook for himself,
he began eating brown rice, vegetables, beans, and sea vegetables.
His mother brought him the necessary staples, and often she cooked
a macrobiotic meal for her son. "Slowly, I started to feel better,"
says Harris. "I began to feel stronger, more willing to be a part of the
outside world." It wasn't long after he had started macrobiotics that
Harris began to let down the walls that he had constructed around
him for protection from what seemed like an ever-intruding world.
After six months in the hospital he left and didn't go back. For the
past nine years, grains and vegetables have been his principal foods.
Today Harris is married and a father. He made peace with his
parents and many of his friends a long time ago. From a medical point
of view, Harris has been cured of schizophrenia for years. However,
"there's really no absolute level of mental health," he says. "You just
go about taking on bigger challenges in life."
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Here are the understanding, dreams, and images that each of us has as
a human being, and not as an office worker, student, or a housewife.
This consciousness is deeper than day to day, or surface consciousness,
and often appears during times of crisis. If, for example, someone is
told they have a terminal illness, and they face a life or death, or "to
be or not to be" situation, then a deeper mind starts to emerge. From
deep inside a person in this situation will start to think, "What shall
I do? Now I don't care about my office work or other superficial
things. What shall I do as a human being?"
This consciousness also tells us, as human beings, what kind of food
to eat, how to behave toward parents, how to approach friends, and
how to love and care for others. Beyond more superficial differences
in nationality, religion, race, or occupation, we all have this basic
consciousness as human beings on this planet.
Below basic human consciousness is again darkness, or unconsciousness, but if we go deeper, we reach another level of consciousness,
which is the consciousness of the universe. On that level, life and death
are no longer a problem, as we know that we are part of the whole
universe, and are constantly changing. We also know our life on earth
is only temporary, and that we have existed from the beginningless
beginning of the universe and will continue until the endless end of
the universe. We are aware of the endless cycle of life and of our place
within it.
Human life on this planet is only a small part of this larger picture.
We may refer to this awareness as "universal consciousness." Here
one sees the eternal laws that govern the universe, beyond time and
space. Questions such as, "How does everything change?" or "How
do opposites attract?" appear and are resolved as one comes to know
the order of the universe.
Furthermore, deeper inside, there is again darkness. And very deep
inside, there is emptiness or nothingness, like a blue sky with no
clouds. And then clouds appear and disappear, sometimes one, and
sometimes several. These clouds are like our images, imagination, or
dreams, and the blue sky is nothingness. On a blank white paper, we
can paint anything we want; the white color being a nonimage. Deep
inside, even the universe disappears, all phenomena disappear, even
the concept of infinity disappears.
Now we can see why problems such as crime, mental illness, AIDS,
no
and other degenerative sickness remain unsolved. Today, we tend to
deal only with our immediate social reality, or with day to day physical
or mental concerns. We often do not deal with the universe at all. So
when we act as a lawyer, a doctor, a school teacher, a wife or husband,
or a teenager, we do not act as a human being living in the universe.
However, day to day concerns are small and changeable when compared to our life as a human being on earth. We cannot solve problems
such as AIDS, cancer, crime, and mental illness if we stay at the
superficial level only. When we approach these or other problems, we
must use our genuine human consciousness. From there we can see
how to act as a human being, for example, by eating along the lines of
the standard macrobiotic diet, or by respecting parents, loving and
caring for children, and developing a spirit of brother- and sisterhood
toward all people. These considerations can guide our daily lives and
point the way toward a solution for individual and social problems.
When we view life from a broader perspective, many things will
appear strange, such as the modern practice of eating highly chemicalized foods. Avoiding foods that are heavily chemicalized or irradiated
is a matter of common sense. Because for thousands of generations
our ancestors did not expose their foods to potentially toxic chemicals.
Meanwhile, if food irradiation becomes widespread, what will the
result be? Radiation is extremely yin. If we eat grains, beans, vegetables, or other foods that have been irradiated, we will eventually lose
the ability to produce offspring. Foods that are exposed to radiation
stop growing. There is no more life in them, and it is as if they have
been frozen.
Another result will be a drastic reduction in immune ability that
will cause A I D S and similar conditions to spread more rapidly. The
irradiation of food will bring humanity closer to extinction. The atomic
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed many people at once, and
radiation caused many of the survivors to develop leukemia and other
forms of cancer. Leukemia results from an increase in the number of
white blood cells. An increase in white blood cells means that yin is
excessive, in this case, as a result of exposure to radiation.
Some people may think food irradiation will preserve food longer
and make it easier to transport foods and keep them fresh. However,
these considerations are superficial in comparison to the effects of
radiation on human health. We must see beyond short term considerations and act out of concern for humanity.
Intuition is the key to save the human race. Intuition does not mean
day to day consciousness or learned knowledge, which often obscure
deeper awareness. Everyone must reflect deeply in order to awaken
intuition. Many people are too caught up in daily life to realize they
are living in a delusional world. Some continue their entire lives
without waking up. Modern humanity must wake up, break free from
its delusions, and begin the journey of self discovery.
The first step in recovering intuition is to eat macrobiotically. In
ancient times, many people, including spiritual leaders, knew the importance of proper food in health and human development. Confucius
ate a macrobiotically balanced diet, and so did Lao Tzu and Moses.
The prophets of Israel ate foods such as dark bread, barley, chickpeas, and vegetables, and never imagined forty-eight flavors of ice
cream. Buddha never drank diet cola, nor did early Christians eat
frozen pizza. These and other spiritually developed people ate whole
grains and vegetables, and that tradition has continued until recently.
Even today, Taoist temples in China serve macrobiotic vegetarian
meals. The cooking at traditional Buddhist temples in Japan is still
called "cuisine for spiritual development." It includes brown rice and
other whole grains, miso soup, fresh garden vegetables, and other
whole natural foods. Meat, dairy products, sugar, and refined foods
are strictly avoided.
The second step toward recovering intuition is to reflect on how
you wish to spend the remaining years of your life. Ask yourself why
are you here. You may be a photographer, a lawyer, or a doctor, but
did you come to this earth for that purpose ? Real life may not be like
that at all. To be healthy, free, and happy, see your life as a manifestation of the infinite universe.
We need to clearly know whether we are living in a delusional world
or as real human beings. This self knowledge is essential to save
humanity in these critical times. If we live with lower consciousness,
we face the possibility of extinction within ten or twenty years. We can
survive only if we awaken our higher consciousness. The solution to
our modern crisis is actually simple, and can be found in balanced,
natural eating, and the spirit of gratitude and appreciation for the
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universe, nature, and other people. Life as a real human being begins
with these practices. Those who know and apply these basic truths can
escape from AIDS, mental illness, cancer, and other degenerative
conditions, and survive to build a healthy and peaceful world.
3
including war, crime, and biological degeneration. This view has
prevailed for many centuries, actually from the time of Greece, and
especially during the last several hundred years. In the twentieth
century, it has conquered the whole world.
There is, however, another way of life. It is not based on an egocentric view, in fapt, quite the opposite. In reality, the whole universe is
our origin. We exist within nature, and are a part of its changing order.
Health, peace, and freedom come from adapting to the changing
universe, and in living in harmony with nature. This way of life is
based on faith in the order of the universe, or in religious terms, faith
in God, and does not require struggle. Harmony is the underlying
principle of this way of life.
From an egocentric point of view, we see sickness as an enemy,
and think we are its victims. Yet, there is no sickness as such in the
universe at large. Sickness results from our ignorance and egocentricity,
and from the abuse of our free will. If we continue to apply egocentric
thinking in fields such as health technology, politics, and economics,
as we are now doing, humanity faces the possibility of extinction.
A revolution in consciousness is needed for human survival. We must
awaken from egocentric thinking and discover who we are.
Macrobiotics is the way of life guided by this more universal view.
It is not, as is commonly thought, one among other "alternative"
dietary approaches. It is the way of eating that mankind has practiced
for thousands of generations on this planet. If we ignore its principles,
we risk the loss of our human status, including our health and happiness. Macrobiotics cannot be compared to other dietary approaches.
Our ancestors developed culture and civilization as a result of eating
whole grains, beans, organic vegetables, and other natural foods for
thousands of years. Therefore, macrobiotic educators are not diet
therapists. The goal of macrobiotic education is to recover the human
life we forgot, including our lost way of eating.
Macrobiotic dietary guidelines accord with thousands of years of
dietary tradition. They are very flexible, and can be modified freely
according to climate, weather, and personal needs. For example, the
macrobiotic diet is not against meat eating. Meat is not recommended
as a main food in a temperate, or four season climate. However, animal
food is more necessary as we move further north to colder climates,
II4
such as those where the Eskimo live. The traditional diets of these
and other far Northern peoples included a larger volume of animal
food, and were macrobiotic in the sense of being in harmony with their
more extreme environment. People who live high in the mountains
need to eat differently than those on the plains or in valleys. People
who live by the sea need to cook and combine their foods differently
than those living inland. Adjustments such as these are what macrobiotic eating is all about.
In high school, we may have learned that our human ancestors were
hunter-gatherers; killing animals and eating them every day. However,
this is not so. Recent archeological discoveries have revealed that for
the most part, our ancestors were not hunters. They hunted only for
survival, in emergencies or in unusual circumstances. While hunting,
if an animal runs away, the whole day may be spent chasing it just to
get food. And if our ancestors continually ate plenty of saturated fat
and cholesterol, they would have died out long ago because of heart
disease. Of course, those in very cold climates, where grains and vegetables did not grow, were forced to hunt. But that was not very widespread. The majority of people lived in more temperate zones where
grains and vegetables were plentiful.
The diet of early man is also revealed in the structure of our teeth.
The teeth of lions, tigers, and other carnivorous animals are sharply
pointed for efficiently tearing animal flesh. But human teeth are not
like those of Dracula. We have 32 teeth, 20 of whichthe molars and
premolarsare grinding machines. (The word "molar" is a Latin
word for "millstone.") They are made for crushing grains, beans,
seeds, and tough vegetable fibers. T h e front eight teeth are vegetable
cutters (the word "incisor" means "to cut into"). Only the four
canines are somewhat pointed. This means that human beings evolved
on a mixed diet of approximately one part animal food to seven parts
vegetable food.
This overall pattern protected humanity from degenerative sickness
for countless generations. It was only after we veered from that pattern,
and began eating plenty of meat, sugar, and chemicalized foodsfoods
of which our ancestors could never have dreamed ofthat heart
disease, cancer, mental illness, and other degenerative conditions
became pandemic.
5
Macrobiotics is a way of life for all humanity. For thousands of
years, our ancestors in Europe, Asia, Africa, and other parts of the
world practiced a similar way of eating.
Since we are a part of nature, we need to adapt to the changing
rhythm of the seasons, including changes in climate and temperature.
When the weather becomes cold, we naturally desire warm, strongly
cooked foods. During the hot summer, we seek more fresh, lightly
cooked foods, including salads. On sunny, dry days, we drink more,
and desire fewer liquids when the weather is damp. These adjustments
are intuitive: they do not require an understanding of theory. Everyone
has native intuition, and this is at the root of the macrobiotic way of
life. But in modern life, our environment and diet have become highly
artificial, and our intuition has become dull. Therefore, everyone must
start at the beginning, learning how to cook, how to chew, and how to
adapt to the environment.
At the same time, macrobiotics teaches the importance of taking
responsibility for our lives. As we have seen, daily food is a major
factor in behavior, influencing it either positively or negatively. However, this does not mean that food can be used as an excuse. Foods
do not commit certain actions, people do. We are the ones who select
daily foods and must take responsibility for the outcome of those
choices. Whether we become sick or healthy, peaceful or disturbed,
or well adjusted or antisocial is up to each person. Taking responsibility
for our life, our health, and our actions is the first step toward natural
happiness.
A Crime-Free World
The problem of crime is only one of countless manifestations of the
order of the universe. Only when we know the true cause of crime can
we develop solutions.
Numerous complementary tendencies can be found in criminal
behavior. For example, some crimes are cool and rational, and involve
study and planning, while others are impassioned or emotional. Some
crimes involve violence, while others deal with property or money.
1x6
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presented in high crime areas, for example, in the inner cities. Since
young people are involved in much of the crime in America, education
about a balanced, natural diet can begin in elementary and high schools.
This would contribute greatly to reducing rates of drug and alcohol
abuse, and juvenile delinquency. Ideally, public funds could be made
available for these and other community education projects. The results
in lower crime rates and family and social stability would be well worth
the investment. Macrobiotic principles can also be adapted by social
workers, family counselors, drug and alcohol abuse clinics, and other
professional counselors to maximize the results of their work.
The other approach involves providing macrobiotic education, along
with high quality natural food, in institutions such as prisons, juvenile
detention homes, mental institutions, and hospitals. T h e story of
Linho prison in Portugal offers one example of the positive results
that projects such as these can bring.
When I visited Linho, where a group of prisoners had begun the
macrobiotic diet, I was deeply touched and impressed with their
enthusiasm, energy, and spirit. When I lecture to a new audience, I am
often asked many questions about personal health. However, at Linho,
I was refreshed by the prisoners' challenging questions of a spiritual
and philosophical nature. My wife, Aveline, who accompanied me
on the visit, later told the East West Journal: "Before I went to Linho,
I was a little scared, as I have never been inside a prison. I thought
we would be there a short time, just to say hello. But once there, everyone was so eager to study, asking questions with shining eyes, we
couldn't leave. When I saw them, I thought, 'here are healthy people,'
and that made me very happy. They never asked about their individual
conditions."
Macrobiotic teachers who have lectured at prisons have had similar
impressions. In many cases, prisoners must cope with enormous
difficulties just to secure natural food. Cooking also presents many
problems. In the beginning, the Portuguese prisoners had to make do
without having knives to cut their vegetables. The macrobiotic
prisoners in Denmark had no access to a kitchen and so had to devise
recipes that could be prepared in their cells without cooking.
Out of the original group of macrobiotic prisoners at Linho, all
have now been released. One, Antonio Areal, or To Ze, as he is known
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II9
A p p e n d i x :
A Nutritional Overview
of the Macrobiotic Diet
Prepared for the House Subcommittee on Health
and Long Term Care of the Congress of the
United States, presented by Macrobiotics
International, December 19, 1983
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1. Each meal should consist primarily of vegetable-quality food.
2. The principal foods around which meals are designed should
be whole cereal grains, supplemented with legumes (beans).
3. Vegetables should be selected in harmony with the seasons
and the environment, and generally should be cooked.
4. Sea vegetables are another important food used on a daily
basis.
5. Fruit and nuts should also be chosen with seasonal and
environmental considerations, preferring those in season and
growing in a climate similar to that in which one lives.
6. Vegetable-quality oils and unrefined sea salt should be among
the primary seasonings.
7. Beverages, spices and herbs should be used only if grown in
a climate similar to that in which one lives.
To summarize the underlying principles, note the emphasis on
whole cereal grains which underscores the importance of consuming
foods which are as unrefined and unprocessed as possible. Also emphasized is the central role of vegetable-quality over animal-quality
foods.
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Academy of Science's explanation that the " R D A should not be
confused with requirements" and, " R D A are estimated to exceed the
requirements of most individuals, and thereby ensure that the needs
of nearly all are met" applies equally well to the FAO/WHO standards
for most of the world's population.
Based on the fallacy that the macrobiotic diet is an all-brown-rice
diet, some nutritionists have criticized the diet for being deficient in
protein, vitamins A, B12, and C, and other essential nutrients. These
criticisms would in fact be valid for an all-brown-rice diet; however,
applied to the Standard Macrobiotic Diet, they are not applicable,
since that is not what the Standard Macrobiotic Diet is.
In addressing the accusations of nutritional inadequacy of the
Standard Macrobiotic Diet, we deal with two questions:
1. How much of a given nutrient is required ?
2. Does the Standard Macrobiotic Diet provide at least that
amount?
Protein: It is a common misconception that predominantly vegetarian diets (such as the Standard Macrobiotic Diet) are protein deficient. This view arises from the belief that animal foods are
synonymous with protein in the diet. In the "four food groups," the
"protein" group emphasizes meat, poultry, and fish, and only begrudgingly acknowledges peanut butter and beans as sources. While this
idea is common, it is not necessarily correct. Indeed, the perception
that vegetarian diets are deficient in protein ignores the fact that
Americans often consume amounts of protein that are more than
twice the RDA for protein.
The RDAs state that the allowance for protein intake is approximately 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For
an average (65 kilogram) male, this means 52 grams per day, and for
an average (55 kilogram) female, this would be 44 grams. This figure
provides two safety measures: one to adjust for the variations in
protein quality (relative amounts of the various essential amino acids),
and the usual increase to cover the range of requirements encountered
among different individuals. Thus, in terms of the RDA, protein
quality and completeness are generally root issues for most diets.
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or exceeds the FAO/WHO standards (30 milligrams per day) and the
RDA (60 milligrams per day) for vitamin C. Clearly, the Standard
Macrobiotic Diet, which includes many other sources of vitamin C,
is not deficient in this nutrient. On the contrary, calculated intakes of
vitamin C from diet records of macrobiotic eaters generally exceed the
recommended allowances by 50 to 100 percent.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2):
Riboflavin is another nutrient erroneously considered lacking in a macrobiotic diet. This concern stems
from the fact that almost 40 percent of the riboflavin in most American diets comes from dairy foodrarely consumed on a macrobiotic
diet. Some researchers have asserted that riboflavin may be inadequate in macrobiotic diets.
Leafy green vegetables such as kale and mustard greens contain as
much riboflavin per average serving as dairy food. Whole grains and
beans are also good sources of riboflavin.
Adequacy of riboflavin intake is determined in terms of the total
number of calories consumed, since the standard is given as 0.57 milligrams per 1,000 calories. The seemingly inadequate riboflavin intake
calculated from the dietary records of macrobiotic persons was, in fact,
adequate. The relatively lower riboflavin intake observed among
macrobiotic people compared to the absolute amount suggested in the
RDA is a reflection of the lower caloric intakes of macrobiotic people
relative to the caloric intake suggested in the RDAs.
In fact, riboflavin is so ubiquitous in foods that frank riboflavin
deficiency has not easily been detected in free-living populations.
Indeed, it is unclear what the consequences of consuming inadequate
riboflavin might be. In any case, riboflavin intake on a Standard
Macrobiotic Diet easily meets the RDA and FAO/WHO standards
as expressed in milligrams per 1,000 calories.
Vitamin B12: Protein and vitamin B12 are the nutrients most often
perceived as being deficient in any predominantly vegetarian diet.
As such, the macrobiotic diet has been criticized for lacking vitamin
B12. This opinion ignores some basic aspects of vitamin B12 nutriture.
It is commonly taught and believed that animal food products are the
only dietary sources of vitamin B12. In fact, it is a required nutrient
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for virtually all animals. There are, however, many species of animals
that live entirely on vegetable-quality food. How is it that such vegetarian animal species have enough vitamin B12 for their physiological
needs ?
Although cows are a major portion of typical American diets, and
are considered to be good sources of vitamin B12 for humans, they
only eat vegetable-quality food. What is the source of their vitamin B12?
The missing link is fundamental to the understanding of what constitutes a good dietary source of vitamin B12. In fact, virtually all the
vitamin B12 available is originally synthesized by microorganisms such
as bacteria or mold. Cows get their vitamin B12 from bacteria residing
in their gastrointestinal tract. Interestingly, other animals (including
humans) may have substantial portions of their vitamin B12 requirement met through contamination of their food by bacteria, as when
dirty food is eaten. While the gastrointestinal bacteria in humans only
supplies negligible amounts of vitamin B12, foods which contain B12
producing microorganisms provide adequate amounts of vitamin B12.
The Standard Macrobiotic Diet does include several foods in this
category. Some of these foods have microorganisms attached to them
in their natural state, as is the case for sea vegetables; others may have
them as a result of fermentation. Primary examples of fermented foods
in the macrobiotic diet are the soybean products miso, natto, and
tempeh, traditional foods in the Far East. Because of the extremely
small requirements for vitamin B12 (the RDA and FAO/WHO standards are three and two micrograms, respectively, for adults), these
food sources evidently are adequate nutritionally.
Aside from including these sources of vitamin' B12, the Standard
Macrobiotic Diet does not prohibit the intake of animal foods. Because
vitamin B12 may be stored in the liver, consumption of fish from time
to time is all one needs to more than meet daily needs for vitamin B12.
Vitamin A (Retinol and Beta-Carotene):
Because of the lack of
vitamin A in brown rice, some nutritionists believe that a macrobiotic
diet is lacking in this vitamin. The Standard Macrobiotic Diet easily
meets recommended intake for this nutrient, the consumption of which
has been identified as an aid in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
People eating macrobiotically regularly consume vegetables with a
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high beta-carotene content. These include leafy green vegetables,
as well as yellowish-orange vegetables such as carrots or winter squash.
It is probably the case that beta-carotene intake on a macrobiotic diet
is greater than that on a typical American diet.
T h e RDA for vitamin A is 1,000 micrograms of retinol, 6,000
micrograms of beta-carotene, or some combination of the two. Similarly, the FAO/WHO standard is 750 micrograms of retinol or its
equivalent in beta-carotene. This amount is contained in one small
carrot, or in two thirds of a cup of cooked kale.
Vitamin D: The only group for which vitamin D deficiency might
be a problem is rapidly-growing children. For adolescents and adults,
more than enough vitamin D for metabolic needs is synthesized within
the body through the action of ultraviolet rays shining on the skin.
There have been scattered cases in which children whose parents
considered themselves to be eating macrobiotically, developed overt
signs of vitamin D deficiency. Such problems do not occur when one
keeps in mind the important macrobiotic principle of eating a wide
variety of foods. These parents seem to have neglected to include plenty
of fresh vegetables; furthermore, there was an overuse of salt and salty
condiments. To correct a case of severe vitamin D deficiency, it would
be necessary to complement the diet of the growing child with a good
source of this nutrient, such as cod or other fish liver oils, until the
proper dietary patterns are established.
A number of such cases also occurred following long periods of
minimal exposure to the sun, a condition easily enough remedied by
taking children outside on a regular basis.
In no case where the macrobiotic diet has been flexible and accurately applied has there been a report of rickets, a condition caused
by a lack of vitamin D.
Calcium: One reason for the idea that calcium intake may be a problem on the macrobiotic diet is the notion that dietary calcium must
come from dairy foods. This belief is largely a cultural phenomenon,
unique to the United States and a few other industrialized countries.
With few exceptions throughout the rest of the world, dairy food is
rarely consumed in the quantities thought necessary by most Ameri-
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It is evident that for most people on a macrobiotic diet, iron intake
is not a problem. Possible exceptions to this are pregnant and lactating
women, who have an increased iron need because of the growing fetus
or newborn. In these cases, to insure adequate iron intake, adjustment
of the Standard Macrobiotic Diet is made to include a larger proportion of sea vegetables and other iron-rich foods, and emphasis is placed
on the use of cast-iron cookware.
Summary:
The basis for much of the criticism of the macrobiotic
diet has been the misconception that it is a brown-rice-only diet.
The Standard Macrobiotic Diet, when examined for its nutritional
adequacy, is clearly an acceptable diet by any standard.
As long as the principles of macrobiotics are applied in choosing
one's diet, nutritional deficiencies will not be a problem. In fact, if
we define "good nutrition" to include not just the avoidance of deficiency diseases, but also the promotion of good health, malnutrition
("bad nutrition") probably occurs much less frequently in people
eating a Standard Macrobiotic Diet than in those who eat a typical
American diet. The reasons for this are more fully explained in the
following section.
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guide for changing the eating patterns of people in the United States
and other industrialized countries.
In looking at these suggestions, remember they are aimed at people
eating the standard American diet, characterized by high animal-food
and sugar consumption, low consumption of cereal grains, and an
abundance of highly processed and refined foods.
"Dietary Goals" lists seven suggestions, essentially increasing consumption of complex carbohydrates and fiber, while decreasing consumption of sugar, fats, and salt. The suggestions are:
1.
i3i
in the Standard Macrobiotic Diet are whole grains and beans, and
vegetable oils such as sesame, corn, or safflower oil used in sauteing.
These fat sources are predominantly polyunsaturated and their normal
use results in considerably lower consumption than found in a typical
American diet.
When animal food is consumed, the preferred form is fish, which
generally contains less fat, especially saturated fat, than other animal
foods (suggestion number four). Animal foods are the sole source of
dietary cholesterol, and since the Standard Macrobiotic Diet generally
has little animal food, it is consequently very low in cholesterol, implementing suggestion number six.
The recommendations outlined in Diet, Nutrition and Cancer
also point in the general direction of the Standard Macrobiotic Diet.
A brief summary of the Interim Dietary Guidelines set forth in this
publication, "consistent with good nutrition and likely to reduce the
risk of cancer" follows:
1. The consumption of both saturated and unsaturated fats
should be reduced in the average U.S. diet.
2. It is important to include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
in the daily diet. Various components of these foods including
some vitamins and other substances, have been shown to be
of potential benefit in the prevention of cancer. However,
the importance of these components does not justify the use
of supplements to increase their intake. Because of unknown
and potentially toxic effects of supplements, this recommendation applies to foods as sources of nutrientsnot to dietary
supplements of individual nutrients.
3. The consumption of salt-cured, salt-pickled, or smoked foods
should be minimized.
4. Alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation, if
they are consumed at all.
Two other recommendations concerning additives as potential
carcinogens and mutagens were also given by the Committee on Diet,
Nutrition and Cancer. These are aimed primarily at research scientists,
the food industry, and the government.
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Conclusion
Again, because the scrutiny, and criticism of macrobiotics revolve
around the nutritional adequacy or inadequacy of the diet, little or no
consideration has been given to the whole of the macrobiotic philosophy. Nevertheless, it is probably only a matter of time before it is
generally recognized that the Standard Macrobiotic Diet or a diet
similar to it is invaluable in the relief of and overall approach to degenerative illness.
Now is the time to resolve and leave behind the doubts in the minds
of health, medical, and civic leaders, and proceed to the essential task
of educating the general public as to the true nature of good health.
2. A Nutritional Approach
to Mental Health
by Tom Monte (reprinted from East West Journal)
America is a nation of declining mental health. The problems of mental
illness in this country are far deeper than official government statistics
would indicate or than most mental health professionals would have
you believe. Moreover, conventional medicine's treatments for mental
illness are frequently unsatisfactory. At the same time, holistic approaches and several scientific studies have demonstrated that the best
way to treat mental illness is to approach the mind and body as one.
After studying the relationship between diet and behavior for over
a decade, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology now
maintain that a high carbohydrate diet plays an important role in
relieving depression, improving sleep, and lowering blood pressure.
Moreover, across the country, scientists, psychiatrists, and probation
officers have discovered that a diet consisting of high quantities of
sugar, refined flour, artificial additives, and caffeine gives rise to such
mental disorders as depression, hyperactivity, aggression, and violent
behavior.
Dr. Jerome Frank, professor emeritus of psychiatry at John Hopkins
University School of Medicine, defines mental health as "a sense that
life has meaning, a feeling of personal security, the capacity to utilize
opportunities for enjoyment and to accept and surmount the inevitable
suffering life brings." Frank goes on to say that mental health includes
the capacity to establish and maintain mutually supportive relationships
with others and to adapt successfully to change without fear.
The problem with society today is that an ever increasing number
of us cannot be termed mentally healthy. T h e symptoms of this decline
in mental health are all too apparent within the United States. A major
crime, including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, is
performed every thirty seconds. In the past 25 years, there has been
a six-fold increase in arrests of children under the age of 15 suspected
of committing violent crime, including murder and . rape. Meanwhile,
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138
the family. " T h e American family and the American home are perhaps as or more violent than any other single American institution
or setting (with the exception of the military, and only then in time of
war)," the authors assert. After interviewing 2,143 families, Straus
and company concluded that a person runs the greatest risk of assault,
physical injury, and even murder in their own homes by members
of their own families.
T h e official crime statistics that estimate two million women and
children battered each year is a gross underestimate of the facts, according to the authors. Most family violence goes unreported, because
most police, neighbors, and even the family members themselves
believe that what happens behind one's door is one's own business
and not subject to the laws of the community.
Still, research presented in Behind Closed Doors throws new light
on what is certainly one of the greatest problems America faces today.
Some other findings:
Virtually every home in America is the scene of some family
violence at least once a year;
a member of about one out of three couples has committed
a violent act against their spouse;
one out of eight couples admitted to committing a violent act
against their spouse which could have caused serious injury;
two-thirds of all parents surveyed said they slap or spank their
children each year;
80 percent of those under thirty years of age said they viewed
hitting their children as good, normal, and necessary;
less than two-thirds of those over 50 years of age, however,
said they felt spanking a child was good or necessary.
This last finding is particularly interesting, since it shows that older
adults are less inclined to see hitting and spanking children as necessary
or beneficial. Straus and company also found that even among the
young, those who were parentsas opposed to those young couples
who did not yet have childrenbelieved less in hitting their children
than the rest of those surveyed.
Still, more children under the age of five died from blows delivered
39
Although in recent years the number of people treated for mental illness as
inpatients has leveled off, the number treated as outpatients is soaring off
the charts.
Source:
Fig. 18
Persons t r e a t e d f o r m e n t a l i l l n e s s i n t h e U n i t e d
States, 1955-1975
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and women, toohave lost their essential link with life around them.
Our modern society finds no trouble contemplating nuclear war,
killing of individuals or masses of people, destroying the environment,
or denying others simple human dignity. In short, the nonliving has
more value than the living.
Fromm illustrates the point by showing that a bomber pilot registers little or no emotion when he releases weapons which will surely
kill hundreds of thousands of men and women.
The bomber pilot's lack of emotion is not considered aberrant but
rather the norm. His divorce from humanity is so complete that he
feels nothing for the people he is killing.
In the same way, all of our other emotions are diminished. "Sexuality
becomes a technical skill (the 'love machine')," writes Fromm. "Feelings are flattened and sometimes substituted for by sentimentality;
joy, the expression of intense aliveness, is replaced by 'fun' or excitement; and whatever love and tenderness man has is directed toward
machines and gadgets."
" T h e world becomes the sum of lifeless artifacts," writes Fromm.
"From synthetic food to synthetic organs, the whole man becomes
part of the total machinery that he controls and is simultaneously controlled by."
Schizophrenia is therefore not a disease isolated to a handful of
today's population, but the dominant characteristic of a modern society,
the product of a culture that dehumanizes as it heads relentlessly
toward what it calls "progress."
The disease first manifests itself as a break with the family and the
loss of traditional values. T h e next break comes between individuals
and society, in which one views the world in such a way that people,
the society at large, and nature are objects to be conquered rather
than lived with in harmony. This, of course, is the basic dualism of
our society. A holistic view of anything is thought of as contrary to
science. Such a mentality can readily be seen in approaches that insist
on treating behavioral problems as sicknesses solely of the head; it
!s as if the body and brain were living apart from one another. Thus,
when someone comes seeking treatment for psychological problems,
they are often provided with counseling, drugs, and even electroconvulsive shock treatment.
More than five years ago, the Senate Finance Committee held hear-
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tremor throughout the person's body. Lesser stated that the disease
occurs in over 30 percent of those who take tranquilizers regularly and
is usually permanent.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),
about eight million Americans admit to currently taking tranquilizers
or say they have taken them in the past. Ten million people say they
have taken sedatives, while 13 million people say they have taken, or
are currently on, stimulants.
It is the schizophrenia of the modern technocrat that allows electroconvulsive shock treatment to be administered to human beings. Today
the shock is usually set at 125 to 130 volts, enough to burn away part
of the patient's brain.
In his introduction to The History of Shock Treatment (Leonard Roy
Frank; 1978), Dr. Lee Colman writes that "Electroshock works by
damaging the brain. Proponents insist that this damage is negligible
and transienta contention that is disputed by many who have been
subjected to this procedure. Furthermore, its advocates want to see
this damage as a "side effect." In fact, the changes one sees when
electroshock is administered are completely consistent with any acute
brain injury, such as a blow to the head with a hammer."
Coleman points out that this is exactly the purpose of shock treatment; to daze, confuse, disorient the person so thoroughly that he or
she cannot remember what their original problems were. Electroshock
kills memory. Many of those who have been shocked have reported
permanent loss of memory, while virtually all the others say they have
suffered at least temporary amnesia.
Although lobotomy has been mostly abandoned in the United States,
psychosurgeryremoving or destroying brain tissue in patients-is
still being performed. Estimates of the number of psychosurgery
operations performed in the United States range from 300 to 1,000
yearly.
Electroconvulsive shock and psychosurgery are examples of a
mentality that sees only symptoms taken to the extreme. Such a mentality maintains that if something isn't working quite right, cut it out
or burn it out. Causes are irrelevant.
Although conventional psychotherapy may have dropped in popularity, the growing need in people for answers to psychological prob-
144
lems was still going unmet. Out of this need sprang the human
potential movement.
Jungian analyst Dr. V. V. Alexander, who practices psychiatry in
London, believes that the popularity of the human potential movement is based on its ability to provide support and acceptance to the
present generation of people who failed to receive basic psychological
nurturing as infants because their mothers were out working. The
breakdown of the family began in the seventeenth century with the
Industrial Revolution that uprooted people from their ancestral lands
to make them wage-earning units in a mobile marketplace and which
has now destroyed the primary link between mother and child.
According to Mendelsohn, the seeds of mental illness are planted
at birth. Mendelsohn says that a child's first experience with life beyond the womb is often harsh, insensitive, and psychologically damaging. Mendelsohn goes on to say that some modern methods for delivering babies even cause brain damage.
" T h e recipe for mental illness begins during prenatal life," states
Mendelsohn. " T h e first thing you do is feed the pregnant woman poor
nutrition and plenty of medicines. This will result in a premature
baby. There are lots of premature babies born these days and they
have a higher incidence of mental illness later in life."
At the time of delivery, mothers are often sedated, which Mendelsohn says also renders the child unconscious and often results in brain
damage to the infant as well.
" T h e next step is when the baby is born, wash it down with hexac'hloraphene soap," notes Mendelsohn. " T h i s poisons the baby's skin
and also causes brain damage." This, too, is a common practice in
some hospitals.
After the baby is born, it has been common practice over the past
three decades to feed the child cow's milk formula, which among many
other things has 200 times as much lead in it as mother's milk, according to Mendelsohn. Increased blood levels of lead has been associated
with a host of mental disorders, including various types of criminal
behavior. Moreover, mother's milk has vital nutrients that aid in the
development of the child's brain and in its ability to metabolize cholesterol, as well as many other important constituents necessary in the
healthy development of the child.
145
Finally, hospitals continue to take the baby away from its mother
after delivery and confine him or her to a maternity ward. The psychological ramifications of this are, of course, incalculable.
Social scientists also maintain that one of the reasons for various
mental troubles today is the increase in the amount of stress in today's
world.
"Unquestionably, there is more stress in today's society than ever
before," says Dr. Saul Miller, a psychologist at Mississippi State
University. "Today the mind has to process more bits of information
per second than it's ever had to deal with." Miller points out that one
need only drive a car down any thoroughfare in the nation to note the
pervasive number of signs, flashing lights, images, slogans, sounds,
and people the mind must deal with in any single instant. According
to Miller, the bombardment of this mass communication has the biological effect of stimulating the adrenal glands to secrete more insulin,
resulting in an increase in tension. " T h e person is suddenly in a flight
or fight condition," says Miller.
The key factor in handling stress is the health of the individual.
The healthy person has no problem processing stimuli; the unhealthy
person, however, can easily break down under the torrent of information blasted at him or her.
Unfortunately, modern society, particularly the United States, is
witnessing the rapid increase of many degenerative illnesses. Cardiovascular disease is the country's number one killer, claiming the lives
of almost one million Americans. Cancerstill increasing in the
number afflicted each yearfollows heart disease, killing 400,000
United States citizens. Other degenerative diseases, including diabetes,
hypertension, and obesity, remain elusive targets for modern medicine.
The increase in these and other illnesses has been linked to the
American diet, which has undergone dramatic changes since the turn
of the century.
Today, each American annually eats more than 160 pounds of red
meat, more than 135 pounds of sugar, and drinks about 300 twelveounce cans of soda pop. In the early 1900s, almost 40 percent of our
total calories came from grains, vegetables, and fruits; today, only
20 percent of calories come from these sources, and most often those
grains are refinedstripped of their natural nutrients and fiber. In
146
much the same way, vegetables are now frozen or canned, the fruit
eaten out of season and outside its natural climate.
In 1910, Americans ate under two pounds of ice cream a year; by
1975, that figure had risen to almost eight pounds of commercial ice
cream per person. On top of that, ice milk went from 1.2 pounds per
person in 1950 to 7.8 pounds by 1975. Today, the average American
eats more than 12 pounds of margarine and over four pounds of butter
each year. T h e Food and Drug Administration can't calculate the
number of pounds of artificial colors, flavorings, preservatives, and
other additives Americans take in from their daily food supply.
Such a huge body of evidence has emerged linking diet to degenerative illnessesincluding heart disease, cancer, hypertension, and
othersthat in 1979 the Surgeon General stated that in order to reduce
the chances of such diseases, Americans should cut back on the amount
of red meat they eat, as well as other forms of animal fat, cholesterol,
salt, and sugar. In addition, the Surgeon General urged Americans to
increase their intake of complex carbohydrates, including whole grains,
fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and poultry.
Not surprisingly, scientists are now saying that the food one eats
has a direct bearing on how one behaves.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr. John
Fernstrom, Dr. Richard Wurtman, and several other scientists have
discovered that the availability of certain nutrients in the food one eats
has the ability to affect the way the brain works. In an article published
in Nutrition Action magazine, Fernstrom wrote: " I t is becoming increasingly clear that brain chemistry and function can be influenced
by a single meal. That is, in well-nourished individuals consuming
normal amounts of food, short-term changes in food composition can
rapidly affect brain function."
According to Fernstrom, complex carbohydrates, found in whole
grains and vegetables, have the ability to increase the brain's uptake
of the amino acid tryptophan. Studies have shown that tryptophan
aids in relief of pain and in lowering blood pressure. Tryptophan has
also been shown to improve sleep and plays an important role in
improving the mood of people who are depressed.
In order for tryptophan to be taken up by the brain, it must pass
from the blood into the brain via a special transport system that also
147
carries other amino acids into the brain. Because all these amino acids
enter the brain by the same system, they compete with one another
for entry.
A meal made up of carbohydrates, according to the scientists, increases the amount of amino acids, including tryptophan, in the blood
only in moderate amounts. However, most of this tryptophan gets into
the brain because a carbohydrate meal does not increase the amount
of competing amino acids. Thus, relatively more tryptophan gets on
the transport system and into the brain.
On the other hand, a meal consisting of animal protein, steak, for
example, increases blood tryptophan levels dramatically; however, it
also increases the number of competing amino acids in the blood, thus
forcing tryptophan to compete with many other amino acids for uptake by the brain. T h e result is that in a high protein meal, lower levels
of tryptophan actually make it to the brain.
Fernstrom suggests that this "growing body of information now
points to new clinically useful applications of tryptophan and thus also
for the use of specific meals that would increase tryptophan l e v e l s . . . ."
Fernstrom goes on to say that the meals which promote the uptake of
tryptophan by the brain could play a role in the treatment of depression. Such meals would be high in complex carbohydrates and low in
animal protein, i.e., the traditional, rather than the modern, diet of
humanity.
In addition, physicians, scientists, and probation officers are now
saying that hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is the cause of many forms
of mental disorders, including depression, lethargy, severe mood
swings, angry and violent behavior, and even nervous tension.
These researchers maintain that hypoglycemia is largely due to the
vast amounts of refined white sugar people eat today. When the body
takes in sugar (sucrose), the pancreas secretes insulin to maintain
a balanced level of blood sugar (glucose). However, too much sugar
over time results in the overreaction of the pancreas, causing it to
secrete excessive amounts of insulin, thus bringing about a severe drop
in blood sugar. This drop in blood sugar levels is what is responsible
for the various symptoms, according to physicians.
Many other constituents in today's diet have been indicted as responsible for causing adverse changes in one's behavior. Fifteen years
148
I49
you change the internal chemistry of the body, you're changing the
mind as well."
In Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, probation officer Barbara Reed has been
treating ex-convicts with diet for more than ten years. More than
20 years ago, Reed said she was suffering from hypoglycemia; after
reading a book on the subject, she stopped eating white sugar and refined grain products. The hypoglycemia disappeared. After feeling
vastly improved by making this small change in her diet, Reed began
grains and vegetables, and strike from their diets completely all refined
sugar and flour products.
In her testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition
and Human Needs in 1977, Reed maintained that upon examining
318 probationers, 252 were found to have serious dietary deficiencies.
Reed got the group to reduce or eliminate red meat, eat more whole
grains and vegetables, and strike from their diets completely all
refined sugar and flour products.
Two and a half years after Reed had changed the probationers' diets,
not one who stuck with the program was in trouble with the law, she
told the Select Committee.
In a follow-up interview with East West Journal, Reed stated that
more than 1,000 ex-offenders have gone through her dietary program
and of those who remained on the diet, 89 percent have not been
rearrested over the past five years.
Alexander Schauss, director of the Institute for Biosocial Research
in Tacoma, Washington, has been one of this country's leading
proponents of using diet to treat and rehabilitate convicted criminals.
In his book, Diet, Crime and Delinquency (Parker House; 1980), Schauss
reports on a study done at the Morris County Jail Rehabilitation
Center in New Jersey in which an eight-week diet program was established for inmates. After improving the diets of the inmateswhich
had been composed of junk foodsthe results of the study were:
a reduction of inmates' voluntary sugar intake; improvement in morale,
mood, and self-motivation; and improvements in previously measured
impaired perceptions. As a result, the research team recommended
that all prisoners in jails nationwide be given nutritional education,
Particularly to treat low blood sugar.
3. Profiles
Virginia's Pioneering Prison Project
by
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153
I was born and raised in Brazil. Although I had heard about macrobiotics, I was not able to practice it correctly. Instead, I became involved with drugs, and, in 1984, was arrested in Denmark. Following
my arrest, I self-reflected and decided to change. I wanted to practice
macrobiotics and improve myself as much as possible.
One of the problems I faced was that the prison diet had been planned by a doctor. The prison offered a variety of dietsstandard,
vegetarian, Kosher, Muslim, diabetic, and special diets for people
without teeth. The doctor was highly regarded as being capable of
designing diets that would cover everyone's daily needs. But as in
prisons everywhere, the food served in Danish prisons is typical institutional food. From a macrobiotic point of view it was generally
unsuitable. Although it was possible to survive for a short time eating
itor even for a long time by selecting a limited variety of foods
I wanted to eat a wider, more balanced macrobiotic diet.
In the beginning, I discovered that the oat flakes served in the morning were edible, and that salty rye bread, which comes in three forms
iS4
(whole grain, broken grain, and rye flour) could also be eaten in small
amounts. Not only was it salty, but, as I later discovered, it also contained commercial fat, which is not written on the label, but can be
felt the next day in the form of a gassy discharge. I was able to buy
Swedish crisp bread, or "Wasa," which is simply rye, water, and salt.
All of the other breakfast items: cheese, milk, marmalade, and white
bread I managed to avoid. The vegetarian meal served at lunch and
dinner usually consisted of over-cooked or canned vegetables with a
meat substitute made from textured soybeans. These meat substitutes
were questionable; they often included sugar, poor quality fats, and
preservatives.
Confronted with this situation, the only alternative was to act resolutely for change. Several of my friends and I had hoped to use our
time in prison as a positive experience that would help us regain health,
memory, sound judgment, strength, and many of the things we had
lost through the use of drugs and through our disorderly lifestyle.
As my mind started clearing up, I realized how far away I had gotten
Fig. 19
Ivan Pedro Shiffer with whole grain buckwheat pancakes prepared in the prison
kitchen.
iS5
from a natural way of life. Finally, the chance to practice macrobiotics
came when Tue Gertsen and Barbara Berger of the macrobiotic center
in Copenhagen answered my letter asking for help. They offered to
support and help us in any way possible. Anne-Marie Wibollt, a cooking teacher at the center who had studied in Boston, would help us get
the foods we would need. We had no idea then of the difficulties we
would encounter. First, we thought that in a country with such an
advanced prison system, we would simply have to explain what we
wanted and it would be arranged. So we asked, we explained, but
nothing happened. We thought we had not explained well enough, so
we tried again. Once more, no response from the prison.
We were taken almost daily to police headquarters for questioning,
so we had a chance to explain our problem to the police and lawyers.
We received assurances that in a short time it would be solved.
It was during that period that I was kept in isolation. I started a
hunger strike to call attention to our request for natural food. Again
I received assurances that a solution would be reached soon, but as it
Fig. 20
156
was near Christmas, the office of the prison director was closed, so the
soonest we could hope for a solution was not until after the New Year.
However, time went by and no changes were made.
Every three weeks we were taken to court and the problem was
discussed in front of the judge, who was positive that we would get
our food items. I began another hunger strike, this time for 12 days.
Then the vice director of the prison, a very intelligent and understanding woman named Laila Dahl, took the matter into her hands and
convinced me to stop fasting. She was confident that a solution would
be reached in a couple of months. Until then, I could choose one item
which she would arrange to be sold in the prison shop.
As we had no place to cook or warm up food, after much consideration, I decided to order an organic grain mix known as muesli. Muesli
is made from oat, barley, wheat, and rice flakes, whole buckwheat,
hazelnuts, sesame seeds, and raisins. T h e fact that it was packed in
airtight bags helped reassure the administration that it was safe to
allow inside the prison. They were concerned because drugs were being
continually smuggled in. With the promise that I would start receiving
muesli in several weeks, the first step had been reached.
Fig. 21
157
Meanwhile, Anne-Marie was helping us from the outside. She went
to the department of the ministry of justice in charge of prison administration in Denmark. She brought the products we were asking for to
the people who had been appointed to take care of the matter. She
explained what it was all about, and received promises that they would
look into it. From inside, we were continuously writing letters to
every possible authority in the country, hoping to make ourselves
understood.
The fact that macrobiotics was not so well known in Denmark, and
the dietary habits of people in general traditionally relied on milk
products, meat, and rye bread, made it difficult for them to see the
reason for all the fuss.
The prison diet was carefully planned by a doctor of "Rigs hospitalet" (the main hospital in Copenhagen), and this made it difficult
for someone to take the responsibility for allowing us to depart from
it. If anything went wrong, who would then be responsible? As they
say here, the "hot potato" was being tossed back and forth and no
solution was reached. But as we were hard headed and had decided to
use the opportunity of isolation and imprisonment to find the freedom
that we could not enjoy in liberty, we were ready for any consequences
in order to be allowed to eat the foods recommended in macrobiotic
philosophy.
The judge and the investigating police started to understand how
determined we were, and became supportive. They arranged a court
meeting, summoning the director of the prison to analyze the problem
from a legal point of view, and if possible, to work out a solution.
This gave us hope and energy; our voices were starting to be heard and
taken seriously. The macrobiotic trial had started.
The people who participated in the court meeting included the
judge; the vice director of Copenhagen prisons, Mrs. Laila Dahl;
the police, represented by Mr. Frode Olsen; the prosecutor; lawyers;
and representatives of the three main newspapers in Denmark. The
vice inspector insisted that the prison could not allow such a diet,
because security measures prevented any changes in food regulations.
Mr. Olsen then spoke, guaranteeing that the police would take responsibility in getting the items we needed, searching them for drugs
or weapons, and delivering them to the prison. In this way, the prison
I5
159
We now had the courage to face what was ahead. The trial came and
I was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, which, with luck, can be
reduced to about five years. Since then I have been transferred to a
state prison on an island called Nyborg. I had to start all over.
The whole process began again, with explanations, letters, and
hunger strikes. It seemed like I had been transferred to another
country. The order from the Minister of Justice had no power here.
So I asked our friend in parliament, Mr. Bjorn Elmquist, to intercede.
We asked our friend in the police department, Mr. Frode Olsen, who
probably has heard more about macrobiotics than any other policeman
in the world, to contact Mr. Elmquist. In less than a month, a new
older came from the Minister exempting me from the usual prison
food, and allowing me to buy everything I needed with my working
money. The prison offered to provide me with two kilos of Lima muesli
a week for free. The cost to the prison is about 56 kronen, or about
five dollars a week, so I became the most inexpensive prisoner in the
entire Danish prison system to feed.
By now I was as happy as any man could be. I was also allowed to
get a pressure cooker and a mill for grinding grains. Fortunately we
have our own kitchen and can cook for ourselves. There are now three
of us practicing macrobiotics. One of the other macrobiotic prisoners,
Jackie Wuth, had to go through a similar process. It took seven months
of letter writing and hunger strikes to prove that he really wanted to
change his diet and way of life.
People are imprisoned to hopefully change for the better. If someone
decides to practice a philosophy that promotes changes in his body
and mind, the system can block all his efforts. Those who are practicing
macrobiotics inside Danish prisons have made a decision coming from
the heart. We are thankful to everyone who helped us achieve true
freedom before the time imposed by the judge is up. We hope some
day to join in the fantastic project that is now being created to bring
macrobiotics to people behind bars. We want to join as living proof
that nothing better could happen to people who are imprisoned. We
are now at Nyborg stats faengsel, P.O. Box 55, 5800 Nyborg, Denmark.
We invite readers to write to us about anything.
Meanwhile chew, chew, chew; a bright new world is behind it.
i6o
Neil Scott looked out of the airplane window at the Boston skyline like
it was some kind of promised land. For the last six yearsever since
doctors on the prison ward at a Texas hospital had told him he would
die of cancer of the colon within 90 daysit had been people living
in Boston whose letters of advice and support had sustained him. Now,
as his flight touched down, he was about to meet these guides to his
new life.
But Scott was scared. Sure, he'd beaten his cancer, and his drinking.
He'd even survived nine years in Texas' most hellish jail, Huntsville
Prison. And now he was free. Trouble was, freedom didn't feel quite
right. There were strange new decisions to be made. Choices inmates
can only dream about: where to go, what to do, how long to stay. And
others even less tangible, like what to say, how to act, and who to be.
Indeed, for Scott the world was much different than the one he left
behind on April 2, 1975, the day he, Claude Brown, and Harry Bader
set out to rob the First National Bank of Cushing, Texas.
What Brown had not told his pal, however, was that he had robbed
the same bank twice within the past three months. Also unknown to
Scott was the fact that a bank employee had died of a heart attack as
a result of the second robbery, and that Brown's picture was plastered
on every post office wall in Texas.
Scott commandeered their lone gunhe didn't want anyone to get
hurt and he didn't trust Brown's judgment in a crisisand led the way
into the lobby.
By the time Cushing's sheriff John Lightfoot chanced upon the
scene, Brown had already emptied the bank's four registers and was
heading for the vault. Bader, who was supposed to be standing guard
by the door, had fallen asleep from too much booze. And Scott, just
as scared as the hostages, threw his Colt. 45 at the lawman's feet and
i6i
162
sent him to when he was 14; the honorable discharge from the Navy
in 1952; the $250,000 inheritance blown on liquor and gambling by
the time he was 21; and his three wives, all of whom he took to the
altar while drunk.
Despite his life-long drinking, health had never posed a problem
for Scott. Through the years, he knew few colds and no major illness.
He ate little meat and practically no sweets. If anything, he had more
energy than he could use. But as 1977 dawned, he began to lose
strength. His back ached. There was a steady throb and a clicking
sound "like a busy signal on the telephone," he recalls. "Nothing was
working right and I couldn't move my bowels."
Gradually, his condition worsened. By March, he had trouble
moving. Sitting hurt. He couldn't keep up with his work, and he was
losing weight. Enemas relieved a bit of the pressure, but the pain kept
coming. By September he was incontinent, but T D C medical staffers,
tired of his complaints, accused Scott of malingering. One incredulous
doctor even scribbled "turkey" on his file.
Fourteen months later, in November 1978, Scott was too weak to
walk and barely able to lift himself out of bed. T D C doctors sent him
to Galveston's John Sealy Hospital for tests, where within six hours
physicians diagnosed probable cancer. Three days later, surgeons spent
nine hours removing what they could of it from his colon, the walls of
his stomach, and his lower back. After the operation, the chief surgeon
told Neil he'd be lucky to live three months.
With his prison term and poor prognosis, it might have been easier
for Neil Scott to give up on life. But the cancer filled him with purpose
he never knew as a free man. Relying upon a litany of "medical facts"
his mothera Seventh Day Adventisthad taught him as a child, he
drew a connection between diet and recovery.
First, to soften the ill effects of chemotherapy he drank "huge
amounts" of water and juices. Then, three days after surgery, with his
scars still fresh, he suspended all pain medication. Three weeks later,
he gave up all meat, poultry, and dairy products. And to the chagrin
of his doctors, he started getting better.
Back at Huntsville Unit Hospital just before Christmas, Scott
intensified the battle to save his life. The key was to find the right
weapons; and since neither T D C doctors nor those at John Sealy
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The East West Journal believed that cancer was caused by diet and
attitude. To then-editor Alex Jack and prison correspondent Frank
Salvati, the dreaded disease was the body's natural response to abysmal
conditions created by its occupant. Therefore, if one could acquire
balanced food and balanced thought, the cancer could disappear as
naturally as it came.
This philosophy, known as macrobiotics, taught that each food,
as well as lifestyle habits, contained expansive and contractive properties, known as yin and yang. T h u s each cancer, depending upon
its cause, had to be approached individually.
Given the nature of Scott's cancer, as they deduced it, Salvati and
Jack made specific dietary recommendations. To his exercise regimen
they added Taoist yoga, which was designed to strengthen his organs.
And to augment his knowledge, they sent him back issues of the
magazine, plus books by Michio Kushi, the magazine's founder, and
George Ohsawa, Kushi's teacher.
Within weeks, Neil Scott had embraced the macrobiotic message;
finding no words "to express my gratitude or define the change in my
personal outlook. I am so overwhelmingly impressed with the macrobiotic way," he wrote Salvati in August. "Were I to commit another
crime, I would be better off dead."
Meanwhile, with T D C "unable" to supply whole grains, Scott fed
off Bran Flakes, Wheat Chex, and white rice. But as he ate, he looked
beyond the additives in his fare to the golden fields and lush green earth
from which they came.
Gradually, as he read, wrote, and ate, he came to view cancer as
a consequence of his former way of life. No longer the nemesis from
without, he now saw it as the enemy within; the offspring of a life
of crime and inner rust.
Yet despite Scott's new outlook, an abdominal scan in December
1982 revealed a tumor massing in his liver. Again he turned down
chemotherapy. But he was losing weight and was too weak to work.
Doubts about making due with his T D C diet led to fears that his battle
was lost.
Back in Boston, Alex Jack and Frank Salvati were worried. Either
Neil was discharging deadly toxins enroute to recovery, in accordance
with macrobiotic theories, or he was dying. On March 7, Jack dispat-
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166
But for Scott, living on a small pension from Social Security and the
Navy each month wasn't enough. The macrobiotic community, for all
its good karma, had little cash to cover his efforts.
By November, Scott was under considerable stress. And by Christmas, torn between making enough money to survive and carrying forth
the message that had saved him, he began to look for part-time jobs to
pay his way.
Then in January, with his morale continuing to slide, Japan Publications offered Scott a book contract to tell his story. To Scott, it was
like the reprieve he'd never gotten in Texas.
"All I've wanted to do in Boston and throughout the country is to
express what I have learned from experience and pass it on to fellow
cancer patients and prisoners," he says. "Maybe I can help. Maybe
I cannot. But at least I will not do any harm."
Of that Neil Scott is sure.
Neil Scott is the author of Eating with Angels, Japan Publications, 1986.
167
drew closer to the front gate of the prison, not unlike two giant bookends keeping a single piece of paper in place. The guards' massive
size dwarfed Chuck's 140 pound frame but not his irrepressible spirit.
Stepping lightly, almost silently, as the red clay turned to the asphalt
of the outer yard and finally into the tiled floors of the secure prison,
Chuck had practiced not dragging his feet or hanging his head despite
having already spent two years behind bars.
Steel gates slammed shut behind him, hardly punctuating the seemingly incessant clatter of pots and pans from the nearby kitchen, and
the monotonous din of radios and TVs in the background. For Chuck,
the busy process of transfer did not disturb his thoughts, and other
than the mandatory conversations he had to have in order to collect
his prize for the daya high security suite with a long term meal plan
and some occasional room servicehe had just one other conversation
with the only friend he had at Powhatan at the moment: himself.
"What is possible here?" he asked himself. "What is the opportunity even in this situation ?"
Chuck repeated these questions to himself as if he were silently
reciting a mantra, the confluence of all the prison elements prompting
him to further clarity.
The sensory overload of a maximum security prison could undo
anyone's cool. How could the thin "doctor of traditional oriental
medicine" turn the tables on his circumstances?
The noisier and more chaotic it got as he traveled toward the belly
of the prison, the more resourceful his thoughts became, and the more
quietude and calm he seemed to exhibit.
To make balance and harmonize with one's environment or with
one's antagonist can be a formidable task at the high-school prom, not
to mention in a large walled prison. To do this at Powhatan, Chuck
would have to draw heavily on his background; his twenty years training and teaching of Tai Chi Chuan (a traditional martial art) and his
study of traditional Chinese philosophy. Macrobiotics was his most
recent discovery, adding to his already wide range of experiences.
With at least the courage of a door to door salesman on a "cold call,"
Chuck began to share his experience with others. His years as a gang
leader in the Wah Ching of New York's Chinatown, and a stretch in
a tough Texas prison made him no stranger to what to expect.
168
Not throwing away the need to be cool and guarded in the prison
environment, Chuck downplayed being "streetwise." Given any
chance, Chuck would always help others. To other prisoners, his concern was a refreshing change from the usual attitude encountered in
prison.
This more than piqued the interest of inmates and guards alike,
and the nature of Chuck's initiation shifted as a result.
T h e jeers of other prisoners, the stoic demands of the guards, the
standard rites of passage and the unofficial tests of a newcomer's mettle
and resilience were replaced by curiosity and respect. Now inmates
would gather in small groups and listen intently to Chuck speak about
the principles of balance through the macrobiotic diet.
T h e group grew in numbers. It was fueled by Chuck's tenacity and
will. His certainty and sense of purpose made his broken English seem
as tight as a bow that shot bull's-eye arrows. Chuck had won the outright respect of all those who knew him.
During his 1982 stint in the Texas prison, he wrote, "Right now we
have about 35 members in our macrobiotic study group and another
75 on the waiting list."
In the same letter to East West correspondent Frank Salvati, he
wrote of his success with prison administrators: " T h e macrobiotic
information will help me in the classes I teach with full permission
from the associate warden. From macrobiotics I have learned to understand the value of life, happiness, and love. I'm very grateful for all
your help in sending me the literature and magazines."
Choosing more wisely from the mess hall menu, and procuring
specially ordered items from the canteen, the men noticed immediate
changes. "I can't believe how much better I feel (about myself)," wrote
one inmate. "This really works, cutting out fatty meats, sugar, white
flour, and chemicals. I feel 1,000 percent better; I've never felt this
good in my life," said another.
Another wrote: " I ' m glad I came to prison or I would have never
found out about macrobiotics." Reflecting on their experiences, the
men began to see how they were responsible for their own well-being.
Many saw how a lack of well-being had influenced their actions.
Chuck told his students: "Look at your study of macrobiotics as
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powerful agents for change in their lives. It would have been counter
to their own progress not to have shared it with others. They agreed
that everyone should have the opportunity to practice this way of life.
With this perspective, they set to work on a new task. Within a matter
of weeks, the signatures of over 600 prisoners were gathered, all of
whom were willing to try the "dietary practices for health recommended by macrobiotics." Even guards and other prison employees
signed up for the new program.
One after another, the mileposts in their journey were reached.
Mileposts turned to milestones when assistant warden Tom Parlett
turned to macrobiotics for health reasons. Parlett stated that the exemplary changes he saw in the core group affected his decision to make
a change in diet.
Parlett observed that the men were happier, had better attitudes,
and handled themselves better. They were able to work together and
help each other.
Working with the prison administration, a proposal was drafted by
a joint program committee in July, 1985, for the development of a
health food program.
In just one year after Chuck's arrival, Powhatan prison was moving
toward the goal of "economically providing a simpler diet which includes higher proportions of wholesome foods such as grains, beans,
fresh fruits and vegetables . . . a transition to traditional and natural
nutrition."
T h e changes that led to this program were initiated when Chuck
asked assistant warden Parlett if a macrobiotic diet could be provided
in the prison. Parlett then called Frank Kern, assistant director of
The Tidewater Juvenile Detention Home in Chesapeake, Virginia,
for more information on the diet. Kern had had positive results at
Tidewater with a "whole foods" program. He was more than happy
to participate in introducing natural food at Powhatan.
Meanwhile, the inmates were petitioning the administration to
provide diets that would comply with their different religious and
philosophical beliefs. If the prison could address the dietary needs of
these different religions, the inmates would be satisfied. The administration agreed to comply, but could only supply one diet, as more
than one alternative diet (i.e. Kosher, Muslim, Vegan, etc.) would be
X7I
highly expensive. The macrobiotic diet was the one that would meet
all the inmates religious requirements. Morever, it was the diet of
choice both for the inmates who knew of its all-around health promoting value, and to the prison administrators who knew of its cost effectiveness and potentially rehabilitative qualities.
A local macrobiotic organization would provide an on-site volunteer
to initiate a complete series of educational seminars. The goal would
be to improve overall health through changes in diet and lifestyle. Roy
Steevensz, a teacher of macrobiotics and founder of the Cornerstone
Coalition (a nonprofit organization committed to prison reform
through education), began lecturing on a regular basis. Eventually Roy
and the group, now led by Howard Robinson, created the Food for
Freedom Foundation. One of its activities was a macrobiotic banquet
held at Powhatan in July, 1986. Hundreds of inmates and scores of
administrative personel attended the event.
Thirteen months after induction into Powhatan, Chuck was granted
parole. Coming to Boston, he established the Quincy Health Care
Medical Associates of Greater Boston, a holistic health center combining traditional and modern approaches. He is now working actively
with the center.
Tom Parlett, now acting warden of Powhatan, continues to work
for the changes that were started by Chuck and others both inside
and out of Powhatan.
Of his prison experiences and his continuing work with inmates
across the country, Chuck says, "This is the end of one story (at
Powhatan), but the beginning of a much bigger one, there, and for all
other prisons." One gets the sense that big things are going to happen
at Powhatan and other prisons when he says that.
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74
Freedom Food
by Glenn Small (Reprinted with permission of
the Richmond News Leader)
When Robert King entered the Powhatan Correctional Center a few
years ago to begin serving a 28-year term for burglary, he was a 275pound former athlete addicted to cocaine.
Since that time, King has eaten his way back to health. He says he
freed himself of drug dependency and 50 pounds by following a better
diet.
King also has earned 53 college credits from J. Sargeant Reynolds
Community College-and maintained an A averagewhile in prison.
" I t all begins and ends with my diet," said King.
Today, when King sits down for supper, he will be celebrating his
progress while encouraging about 150 other inmates to strive for a
better diet.
The "Food for Freedom Banquet" at Powhatan is aimed at introducing macrobioticsdefined as a way of prolonging life through a special
dietto prisoners, their family, and friends, as well as prison officials.
About 400 people in all are expected to attend the S6-a-person meal,
which will begin at 6 P.M.
People who follow the macrobiotic way stop eating red meat and
dairy products, while increasing their intake of whole grains, beans,
vegetables, fruits, and some fish.
"One of the results of eating good food is your body is cleaner,"
said Roy Steevensz, a macrobiotic counselor and organizer of today's
banquet at Powhatan.
"You become more confident. You become less fearful. It is more
difficult for people to make you mad. You are in control," Steevensz
said.
Steevensz, a wiry 52-year-old native Indonesian who started the
East West Macrobiotic restaurant in Hollywood, California, 15 years
ago, came to Virginia two years ago.
For the past six months, Steevensz has been going to Powhatan to
teach about a dozen prisoners the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle.
Assistant Warden Tom Parlett said he has seen results.
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"We've tried many other types of rehabilitation, and it hasn't
worked," said Parlett. "So why not try this? The 10 or 12 inmates I've
worked with are really excited. Their whole attitutes have changed."
One inmate, in fact, persuaded Parlett to try a macrobiotic diet.
"I was a meat eater," Parlett said. "I mean I love it. But I seldom
eat meat now, maybe twice a month. Yes, I feel better."
Parlett had read about macrobiotics and said, "it makes a lot of
sense."
The macrobiotic way is actually the way mankind has lived for millions of years, according to Steevensz.
Man's diet was historically dominated by whole grains. However,
in the past 80 years, people switched more toward red meats and processed foods, said Steevensz.
"All the modern foods, including modern medicine, are not timeproven enough. So, they are still experimental," he said.
Eating processed, salted, canned, and microwaved foods cause a
host of illnesses, including cancer and hypertension, Steevensz says.
The harm of these experimental "junk foods" has been documented,
he said.
Steevensz advocates a diet of 50 percent grains, 15 percent beans,
25 percent land vegetables and about 5 percent sea vegetables.
The menu at Powhatan today includes miso soup, made from
cultured soybeans; brown rice; millet, the staple grain of Africa;
polenta, or corn mush baked into cakes; tofu stew; fish teriyaki\
stir-fried vegetables; salad; and kukicha tea.
Pear crunch and ice cream made without sugar or dairy products
will be the dessert, Steevensz said.
King and Howard Robinson, 32, another inmate at Powhatan, are
convinced the macrobiotic way can do a lot of good in Virginia's
prisons.
"Everybody who eats with us or around us has no problems,"
King said. "There is no aggression. . . . People who eat right think
right. Believe me."
Steevensz's hope is to have more people made aware of the macrobiotic diet, so they will have a choice, he said.
"When we change our way of eating . . . we can begin reviving the
human potential," he said.
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Fig. 22
Project prepared the meal which included miso soup, tofu stew, fish,
salad, brown rice, and peach crisp. In addition to music and dancing,
the program for the evening also featured brief speeches by members
of the Kushi Foundation and testimonials by former inmates Neil F.
Scott and Chuck Fai-Goon, who both changed their lives through
macrobiotics. In speaking of change, the banquet has proven to be
a catalyzing experience in my own life.
My husband Jim and I were invited to the banquet as a result of
our work with Roy Steevensz. For the past year we helped Roy serve
a macrobiotic brunch on Sundays in Richmond, Virginia, and edited
some writing done by him and several of the inmates who studied with
him. Roy has been a great source of inspiration to us in our study of
macrobiotics. He is truly dedicated to the cause of freedom for all
that may be found in understanding the order of the universe. An example of how he has extended that understanding to the inmates is
the way in which they have learned to balance their food. While having
very little available to them in terms of the "standard macrobiotic
diet," the group has learned to make choices in what they do have
based on the principles of yin and yang. Physical food is not the only
food that this applies to. Robert King, one of the macrobiotic study
Fig. 23
F o r m e r i n m a t e To Ze Areal, r e t u r n e d to
L i n h o for a visit, a n d i n m a t e Jose J o a q u i m
were once known as "two of the worst prisoners in Portugal."
178
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
179
dinner and dancing on a Saturday night. On a social level we met many
nice people both among the special guests invited from "the outside"
and among the inmates. We talked with the musicians in the band, and
although the spheres we perform in are quite different, we still found
we had much in common. We even sat in on a number with them.
It was so important to experience that feeling of commonality; through
it the evening came to exist on a spiritual plane as well.
One man told me that the macrobiotic study program and the
banquet were so great because they made him feel that there were
people on "the outside" who really cared. It made me feel good to
hear that, but I must admit that initially my feelings about attending
the banquet were a mixture of excitement and apprehension. I had
never been to a prison or even near one, and I was curious. Also present
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About two years ago I was asked to visit several inmates at Virginia's
Powhatan State Prison and talk about macrobiotics.
The previous year I had corresponded with two inmates who received my name through a subscription to the East West Journal. We
i8i
wrote each other and talked about their efforts to practice macrobiotics
in prison. A pen pal relationship developed.
Chuck Fai-Goon, the leader of the macrobiotic group, asked me to
visit the prison and I was happy to do so. He made the necessary
requests and after a while he was given permission to invite me to visit
as an outside speaker.
So on a cool, gray fall day, Dave Fleagle, who at that time worked
at the macrobiotic center, and I drove the five hours from Baltimore
to the Richmond area. Upon arriving at the prison, we were met by
the macrobiotic group's supervisor who apprised us of all rules and
regulations. After filling out a number of forms, we were informed
that if we were taken prisoner the prison would not negotiate. Dave
and I looked at each other and I asked just what we were getting into.
The official said it was standard policy to inform us of the prison's
position and asked if we were afraid. We laughed hesitantly, said "no,"
then signed the forms while joking about imaginary scenarios.
The group I addressed was in the North Housing Unit, a minimum
security wing of the main prison. The men had been together for a few
months, doing Tai-Chi exercises, discussing macrobiotics and trying
as best they could to eat well. Because they were out of the mainstream
of prison activities, some prison officials were skeptical of their interests. Martial arts were disallowed because it could be used against the
guards.
But the group led by Chuck Fai-Goon and Xenovia Zarinah persevered in their interests, practicing their exercises and dietary regime
daily.
We went through the prison into the unit where Dave and I were
introduced to the guards and taken to the room where the group met.
We were greeted by Chuck and nine other men, mostly young, sitting
m a semicircle. We shook hands and introduced ourselves. We brought
them books and magazines to read. (I had previously sent them literature, as had others, so they were fairly knowledgeable about macrobiotic practices.)
First, I sat down and asked each one, "Why are you here?" One
by one they replied they were in prison for robbery, assault and battery, murder, forgery, and so on. While listening to their brief stories,
I began to sense where they were coming from and why they were
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83
I showed them a deep-breathing method and we sat in silent meditation for a few minutes. The room was quiet, still, and at peace.
Before leaving, I mentioned that most people begin macrobiotics
because of health problems and they start with the diet. "You, with
no access to the food, began with the philosophy and spirit," I said,
"and if you persist in this, when you begin to eat good food, it will be
so much easier for you." I admired their tenacity and commitment.
We hugged one another before Dave and I were escorted out. Walking
through the prison, I felt very high and energized and wished all the
prisoners could begin to change like those I had just left.
These ten men moved me a great deal, and I visited with the group
again later. Chuck Fai-Goon mentioned how much they wanted to go
to Boston to study at the Kushi Institute. I promised that if they
needed help, they could call me.
A short while after our visit, Chuck was released and some time
after that, so was Xenovia. It was my pleasure to assist them with
scholarships to the Kushi Institute, where both now study, as well as
to the Mid-Atlantic Summer Camp.
The efforts of these two men spurred more interest among the prisoners and today other prisoners along with some macrobiotic friends
have initiated a macrobiotic program which includes the recent Food
For Freedom banquet serving over 400 people, and classes for those
prisoners interested in learning about the macrobiotic diet and philosophy.
From my talks with these men, I realized that when one is pushed
to the wall there are two ways to go. One either comes out fighting
like an animal or he goes inside himself and comes out changed. It was
at Powhatan that I saw great change taking place, and it reconfirmed
the power each of us has within ourselves to fulfill our dreams and
how macrobiotics can be used to affect physical and mental balance
as well as social harmony.
4- The View
from Corrections
Food for Freedom
b y T o m L . P a r l e t t (Corrections Facility Director A ,
P o w h a t a n Correctional Center, State F a r m , Virginia)
Paul X (Mullins)
1.
2.
3.
Matthew X (Priester)
1.
2.
3.
87
Tom Higgins
1.
2.
3.
Aazirn Sulaymann
1.
2.
3.
Charlie Williamson
1.
2.
3.
I feel that one must understand what to eat, and that the
macrobiotic diet is just that type of food needed to maintain
health.
The banquet was real good, because the purpose was to improve the quality of one's diet. The people were great but
didn't understand the type of food being served.
T h e food was well prepared, and the taste was great for those
who like natural food with no added chemicals.
Allen Mayo
1. Macrobiotics is an enormous help to the people here at
Powhatan Correction Center. The banquet held here brought
that new life to P.C.C. through macrobiotics.
2. The people that provided and sponsored the banquet were
very nice and have great concern for individual life no matter
188
3.
who or where one is. I really had a great time attending the
banquet.
The food was very good. Being a Rastafarian, the food coincides with my eating laws of natural foods and it would be
good to have macrobiotic food served daily here for the people
that eat for life and freedom.
Howard Robinson
1.
2.
3.
Robert King
1.
189
K. Shifflett
1.
2.
3.
Rikk Allen
1.
Jack Darden
1.
2.
3.
190
On October 15, 1986, the general population was invited to participate in a Freedom for Food presentation by Roy Steevensz. Roy made
a fruit salad and baked natural bread. About one hundred and fifty
inmates attended. Roy feels it was even more successful than the
banquet. We are going slow but we are making progress.
Our biggest problem is getting cooperation from our Chief Dietitian
of the Department of Corrections. Progress is slow, but we will not
give up. The men here at Powhatan are becoming more interested in
macrobiotics. If it means that man's life can change, then the inmates
here can see the hope of a new life.
This monograph sets out some collected ideas which may well help
improve the health (physical and mental) of our New York State prison
population. Our prisoners are people who will each one day come out
of prison and join our general population. How they fare in prison is
crucial to our future.
There is mounting evidence that improved prison nutrition causes
a marked improvement in each prisoner's immediate and future life.
We traditional Westerners, with our linear, left brain, analytical
approach to life in general fall into the trap wherein opposites are
antagonistic (i.e. good and evil, mind over matter, physical and
spiritual). We tend to divide things.
This results in the perception that those of us who commit crime
and those of us who society designates to control crime are separate,
like people from separate planets. Are we?
John Donne, in one of his many essays, reminded us not to ask for
whom the funeral bell tolls. When someone passess on, a little of each
of us goes with him. If we agree, can we then doubt that a part of us,
our humanity, is imprisoned in our local prison ?
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192
Are we willing to try a change of the diet which gave us the cancer ?
There is mounting evidence that less fat, dairy, and sugar, along with
a return to more natural, unprocessed foods can bring us cleansing
and restoration of health.
I propose we try some alternative nourishment and dietary activity
in our New York Penal System. These alternative forms of diet are
not completely untried in our general population. They may be new
to us who never leave the trees of our daily legal efforts to look back
at the woods of our entire Criminal Justice System or our own personal
health.
I propose simply that our State Penal System investigate thoroughly
the results of studies done recently in various prisons around the world.
These prisons have introduced dietary and nutritional changes which
conform to the December 1977 Dietary Goals for the United States,
prepared by the United States Senate Committee on Nutrition and
Human Needs.
Some of the prisons involved are:
1.
2.
Cost savings
Long and short term health benefits
The potential rehabilitative effects
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5.
Montgomery County Detention Center, Maryland, 1976. (Mentioned in the Senate Committee Report, page 52.)
When one stands far enough away and looks at our entire system
as a living, working organism with a life of its own, one sees not health,
but sickness and disease.
I propose and challenge those in our system to explore especially
the successes of the Virginia State Prison System and efforts there to
bring a natural, whole grain and vegetable based nutrional program
to their prison population.
Initial results are encouraging. T h e prisoners like it, (some would
object to it for just that reason), the correction personnel like it, and
prison conditions become more peaceful. The costs of feeding the
prison population goes down 30 percent and recidivism is reduced in
direct proportion to the individual prisoner's maintenance of the diet
and way of life when out of prison.
The prisoner becomes as healthy as he wants to. When he begins
to feel good he also feels good about himself. Self-esteem increases and
if it can be maintained, his chances of returning to prison are reduced
(see Cayahoga Falls, Ohio, probation project).
I realize the risk I take in trying to get my friends in the system to
even consider such an apparently whimsical approach to prison health,
but wait; the best is yet to come.
I challenge each of my friends to take charge of their own personal
health rather than surrender it to others.
Try eating some "peasant" food like our grandparents did. Try
eating some grain (oat, barely, rice, wheat) or bean soup with vegetables, and some whole grain bread. Try real foods, which come full
of life, rather than out of a can or boxpopped, puffed, flaked and
sugared.
We can become healthy ourselves and by our example encourage
others.
My intuition suggests that just as buried in our strength lies a
weakness, in our liability, our prison population, lies a strength and
opportunity. That opportunity is hidden by mental and physical poor
health. Freedom will come to us and our prisoners only when we both
come to our full vigorous health potential. We can leave cancer, heart
disease, diabetes, alcoholism, and AIDS behind us when we leave behind those foods which weaken and impair ussugar, dairy, meat in
the extreme, processed, preserved, and irradiated products.
There is a revolution taking place. And none too soon. Our children
will learn full health only at our kitchen tables. Only we can show
them. If we eat the way we have been and become cancerous or subject
to another modern malady, can we expect them to do otherwise? We
can break the vicious circle of poor food, poor health, poor thought,
more poor food. We have the information available. (See other chapters in this book.)
Our children will not seek or take drugs or other substances, if they
think of their bodies as sacred and worthy of care. We can show them
only by example, not words. If we abuse our bodies by consumption
of refined foods, junk food, sugared foods, and canned and preserved
and colored foods, we are showing our children how to have little
regard for their bodies and health.
I hope this missive reaches you who labor in our courts, prisons,
and precincts. There is the chance that these ideas of hope, change,
and health will pass on to more than just my children.
I want to encourage those individuals representing the forces regulating our prison system to consider something new.
Let's look at our prison population as an asset rather than as a
liability.
That sure is an opposite point of view from that now held, isn't it?
" T h a t ' s absurd! If I told anyone I was doing that they would laugh
and I would be a fit subject for great ridicule," you might say.
Risk it! Let them laugh! We are not the first state to do so. Attached
articles and letters describing activities in prisons in other states and
Portugal reveal that some few individuals have taken the risk and
results are surprisingly encouraging.
Please consider these ideas as a hope for bringing new physical and
mental health and life to our prison population.
This prison population may well show the rest of us just what a
strong, clean diet, and regular exercise can do. Let's invite close medical
supervision.
We as professionals must take charge ourselves of our system. We
195
cannot devote our lives to it, and give over responsibilities for its health
to others.
It seems to me it is one of those rare opportunities to experiment
with little or no downside risk.
The cost is negligible, the participants are already in place, and
trained counselors, teachers, and cooks are ready to help in any prison
or prison system that is ready for something different. (For details,
contact The Kushi Foundation Prison Project, 17 Station Street,
P.O. Box 850, Brookline, Massachusetts 02147.)
Although it may appear that I have just been an inveterate collector
of articles about prison populations and the food-health-behavior
relationship, I realize now I am just seeking answers and solutions to
questions which haunt us all.
" I n God We T r u s t . "
196
Many ages ago, Dostoevski made a very sage, a very visionary statement. He said, " T h e degree of civilization in a society can be judged
by entering its prisons."
Predicated on this thinking, we are truly a malignantly sick and a
dramatically uncivilized world society. Today's staggering statistics
in criminal justice and mental health mirror the complete failure of the
conglomerate of human service organizations throughout the United
States and the world in general.
Estimates of the cost of maintaining the criminal justice system range
from 30 to 50 billion dollars per year. Add to this total the monetary
damage caused by criminals and estimates approach 200 billion dollars
per year.
In 1971, Americans had the dubious distinction of becoming the
first people on earth to consume processed foods for more than 50
percent of their diet. Over 4,000 additives can now be found in the
American food supply, none of which have ever been tested thoroughly
for their effects on our central nervous system. We have become a
nation of coffee and soda pop drinkers, fast food consumers, and
refined carbohydrate junkies, without regard to their disastrous consequences, particularly on our children. Less than 35 years ago, hyperactive children were a rarity. Today, the incidence of hyperactivity
and learning disability is higher in the United States than in any other
country in the world!
Obviously, the contributing factors to crime, delinquent and antisocial behavior can be limitless. It is most unfortunate that the proverbial "medical model" portrait of crime and behavior still revolves
around the concept of socioeconomics, family birth ranking, fixations,
toilet training, and the entire spectrum of intrapsychic factors that
innately and magically exist for all of us. Dr. William H. Lyle, Jr.,
former Chief Psychologist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons observes
that . . . " T h e courts' limited familiarity with these issues is compounded by the fact that psychologists and psychiatrists tend to reject
metabolic, in preference to psychodynamic explanations, more out of
ignorance of metabolic issues, unfortunately, rather than good awareness of them." Fortunately, the back of this restrictive and pigeonholing attitude regarding behavior is that the conscientiousness of
researchers is leading them into new arenas for answers. The expanse
of contemporary research is now unearthing pragmatic alternatives.
97
198
A View of Corrections
by
The corrections field is very concerned with the problem of overcrowding. And this is easily understandable since in Massachusetts
alone, state and county correctional facilities were 155 percent over
capacity in the latter part of 1986 (according to the Department of
Corrections).
In the midst of this overcrowding, correctional alternatives are being
sought and the expansion of facilities is being pursued. While focusing
outwardly on this challenge of handling growing inmate populations,
I feel that we are missing an important dimension. This missing link
is the need to look "inward" and to pay some attention to the quality
of life within the prison setting.
The key need we should address, and which we have neglected for
a long time, is the health and dietary lifestyle of the inmates. Anyone
working in corrections knows how important food is to the inmate.
Due to the structure of the prison setting one of the few things an
inmate looks forward to are mealtimes.
But in this process of receiving meals and procuring snacks, a huge
amount of sugar and refined and processed food is made available to
the inmate with little to no alternative for healthier choices. This book
has well documented that this type of diet has a direct link to behavior
which can be aggressive and erratic. And one of the most frequent
causes of problematic behavior within the correctional setting is
fighting among inmates.
The study at the Tidewater Detention Center in Virginia is mentioned elsewhere in this book. Imagine, simply taking sugar out of the
diet cut the incidents of infraction in half, and substantial improvements not only occurred regarding types of antisocial behavior but
also in frequency.
Therefore, the offering of additional natural foods along macrobiotic
lines to the prison population holds promise of significant behavioral
200
201
So why do we continue to go around putting out fires only to have
them pop up again and again ? Why not go right to the sources which
are significantly contributing to starting the fires ? We in the criminal
justice field can have a substantial impact on this problem and the
problems of inmate health care, prevention of disease, and improvements in behavior by making available in a voluntary way a natural
whole foods diet and the macrobiotic education which is the key to
its success. Through macrobiotics we have one of the most powerful
healing approaches known to humankind. Let us share this wealth of
diet and lifestyle with those who are in dire need of it.
204
allow us to seduce ourselves into thinking that something is being done
to assuage human suffering whenas evidenced by the conditions
under which we attempt "treatment" or "correction"what our
culture is still actually concerned with is containing a potential threat.
This would be more beneficial and economical were it not confused
by moralistic or scientific pretense, and made worse by ignorance of
such pretense.
The mental health field is one chapter of this age-old struggle which
is exemplary of such a confusion. An invention of this century, it rests
upon the very notion of an organ called the " m i n d " (as distinct from
the brain): some sort of object within ourselves which can be dissected
and corrected by the "mental health physician," a person who works
on one's mind. This vocabulary is prima facie absurd. Yet, we have
become bound by a language that has forced us to talk this way about
ourselves, as we grasp for some expression of a mystery.
What are the results of our past and current ways of thinking about
this subject?
There are now 30 million people in the United States under
some form of professional mental health care, up from 10 million
in 1955 There are approximately 600,000 people in prisons in the
United States, up from 330,000 in 1951, and a serious crime
is committed here every 20 seconds.
Americans spend billions of dollars a year on drugs designed
to suppress symptoms of mental and emotional disturbance.
Tens of thousands of Americans, declared "mentally incompetent" and yet not necessarily a threat to themselves or others,
are incarcerated against their will for treatment. Now, public
mental health facilities, unable to do much more than "nurse"
these people, are being forced by public economics to release
them onto the streets, with nothing but a prescription drug to
protect themselves from the complexities of modern life. Ironically, many of these people are later re-declared as "homeless"
and end up in shelters operated by the same institutions which
captured, held them for years (even decades), and then released
205
them in the first place, having rendered them almost permanently unsociable.
There are few signs of change of the definitions which classify human
beings as eligible for such nontreatment. The latest edition of the
American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostics and Statistics Manual
of Mental Disorders (DSM III)the sine qua non of "mental illness"
symptom identificationlists some childhood disorders suitable for
treatment as indicated by behaviors such as "often fails to finish things
he or she starts," "often acts before thinking," "needs lots of supervision," and "running away from home." Your child, thanks to this
kind of intellectual exercise, can now be said to have defective mental
properties should he or she betray them in these ways. (The State of
Virginia runs regular radio advertisements urging parents to look for
similarly undesirable and common childhood behaviors in their offspring and, if they notice such problems, to call the state mental health
office before doing anything else.)
Under "antisocial personality disorder" for adults we see announced
in DSM III: "too frequent job changes (e.g., three or more jobs in
five years . . .)"; "two or more divorces and/or separations (whether
legally married or not)"; and "lack of fixed address for a month or
more." T h e authors attempt to make such indicators appear more
exact by offering detailed instructions on how to string them together
to make a multiple-choice "disorder" selection.
When a profession produces supposedly medical distinctions such
as these that are so obviously unmedical, it is not difficult to question
the sincerity or the competence of those who so proudly publish them.
Most importantly, the fact that a publication such as DSM III can go
largely uncriticized is indicative not so much of its great value or of
the intentions of its authors, but of the authority bordering on superstition with which we associate the word "medical." We forget, in the
peculiar case of the "mental health profession," that the title "Doctor"
is bestowed by people of certain beliefs upon those who profess the
same beliefs. As such, we are not actually talking about a science, nor
about a religion, but an intellectual discourse which has failed to fully
utilize the benefit of either.
The indignity, for a person or a society, of being evaluated by such
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prejudices clothed as authentic science is enormously costly. It is
costly in human terms which always translates into financial. No one
who is declared, or even declares himself, as being unsociablewhether
"criminal," "delinquent," "mentally ill," or "neurotic"ever fully
escapes the stigma. That person is permanently entered, or enters
himself, into a predictable discourse about his worth and potential,
a potential that becomes suddenly limited to the mediocre conclusion
of "return to normalcy." Equally sudden is the implicit assumption
that this is a lofty goal rarely achieved, and then only after great
struggle.
We have no more mastery of this aspect of living and working
together than is allowed by the distinctions and the language we use
to describe it. In this respect, we are cavemen pointing to a flickering
television screen grunting "Fire!" Our entire achievement of the last
century in behavior and mental health is that of making up names
for a few colors of the uncomprehended pattern.
The physical reality is that mental health and behavior have become
housed in the institutional world: the mental hospitals, the prisons,
the juvenile detention and the nursing homes. It is not possible to
enter into even a personal discussion about the subject without dealing
with the institutional question: how will such a place affect my own
(or my family member's) well being? Certainly, millions of Americans
undergo private therapy and avoid being actually institutionalized;
but anyone who has considered seeking emotional, mental, or behavioral help for themselves, their family, or their community, inevitably
encounters the institution in one way or another. T h e large-scale
institution is the ultimate repository for what is called "antisocial"
behavior: human beings in what appears to be a trouble of the spirit.
And it is here that unarguable factssuch as the ever-increasing institutional populationstell of our failure.
In this tragic, sometimes bizarre, landscape of human suffering and
folly, there is occasionally an opening which holds the promise for
a truly humane intervention. This would be an intervention not only
into the lives of those contained within the discourse called "mental
illness," but a measurable intervention into the discourse itself.
What is being manifested through the behaviors we call "mental
illness ?" In the whole of the person, can we say there is some unnoticed
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biological trouble ? Where does the biological trouble begin, and where
shall we say it ends? What is the "mental" trouble connected to the
biological trouble, and is there any new way to talk about it? What
lies beyond "mental?"
The Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, a Massachusetts State Hospital
located in Boston, was the site for such an opportunity in the summer
of 1980. As a place for an innovative program, it also represented the
opportunity to examine some aspects of the institutional question.
What was revealed is important to institutional management, but not
that alone.
Few people relish the idea of going to a hospital; in fact most dread
it as much as they dread the illness which requires them to go. The
reasons are ample: a large, impersonal organization which appears
(despite the efforts of the rapidly disappearing caring nurse) to have
an absolute minimum of time to tend to individual needs; the presence
of overwhelming and barely comprehensible technologies, in the forms
of drugs, machines, and medical language; a tense and sterile environment, with unfamiliar sounds and odors; and, not the least of all, the
food.
The hospital world depends on at least minimal reputation in
delivery of services worthy of trust. Consequently, it was shocked by
two independent studies conducted in the 1970s by Doctors Charles
Butterworth and George Blackburn which revealed that almost all
patients enduring the average hospital stay leave that hospital actually
more poorly nourished than when they went in. The studies took into
account the stress of surgery and other treatments and found that this
did not account for the nutritional deficiency in the patients. These
studies were a serious blow on the count of nutritional quantities.
As to quality, an additional source of health care embarrassment
has been that every major government and scientific report of the last
ten years has resoundingly emphasized the critical importance of
a balanced, unrefined, vegetable-food-based diet for the certain prevention of over 500,000 deaths per year from cancer, heart disease,
and a multitude of other illnesses. Hospitals do not offer a diet matching this description. Given the failure of hospitals and all other institutions to change their dietary practices, any person who asks himself
the question "How will this place affect my own well-being?" has a
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grim answer rolling toward him on the next hospital food tray. The
government reports have actually made serious the old joke that if the
operation doesn't kill you, the food will.
The original source of this danger has been the inadequate nutritional principles derived from modern biology. Modern nutrition was
invented using the most superficial speculations of how food turns
into the living body and with many other important pieces to the puzzle
still missing. It has been useful for the prevention and cure of diseases
caused by particular extreme deficiencies in diet. We have been convinced by professional pretense for the last fifty years that the "Four
Food Groups" (with its attendant vitamin, protein, carbohydrate, and
mineral counts) was the entirety of food "knowledge" that mankind
could count on for healthy living.
In major announcements which exposed that fallacious claim, the
1977 Report of the U.S. Senate Select Committee On Nutrition and
Human Needs, the U.S. Surgeon General's Report of 1979, and the
1982 report of the National Academy of Sciences (Diet, Nutrition and
Cancer) virtually declared modern nutritional theory a failure by
equating its uses of food as leading to at least 50 percent of our cancers
and heart disease, and contributing to the rise of many other diseases.
From societies on the other side of the world, which have utilized
a different nutritional language with thousands of years more tradition
than ours, came the perspective called macrobiotics. Deceptively
poetic in expression and simple in application, macrobiotic nutritional
theory and practice have beenin every significant area, since it was
first taught here by Michio and Aveline Kushi more than thirty years
agoconsistently lightyears ahead of even the most fabulously
funded American nutritional research. Its origins never pretended to be
"scientific"; they have been more often called philosophical. But, in
our scientific culture, it is not a silly accident (its usual dismissal by
scientists) that the most rigorous governmental and medical examinations have found macrobiotic conclusions to be essentially correct.
There is now much less difference between the recommendations
offered by the latest U.S. government and American medical reports
and macrobiotic recommendations, which makes the existing differences of the two perspectives even more worthy of examination.
There will be no other way to separate fact from speculation in either.
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What is just beginning todaymore than thirty years after humanity
began to benefit by the work of the Kushis, and ten years after scientific conclusions that matched the "unscientific" ones of macrobiotics
is a mutual inclusion of the two discourses in an authentic scientific
inquiry.
From either perspective, every institutional menu looks exactly the
same: eggs, meat, sugar, white flour, chemicalized "diet" foods, dairy
products, potatoes, and nearly 80 percent of it canned or frozen: all
form and flavor with little life or rejuvenating substance. No whole
grains, rarely any fresh vegetables or beans, and never anything grown
without petrochemicals. There is certainly no dietary principle displayed that one could call superior to the "Four Food Group" mentality which has made us a nation of lifetime consumers of deadly food.
I consult to institutions of varying sizes from time to time, and inevitably the client makes a point of providing me with a copy of their
menu, apparently thinking that there might be some especially mystical
insight I might have into the rotationfrom week to weekof meat
loaf to pot roast, apple pie to ice cream, chemicalized "whole wheat"
bread to chemicalized "rye" bread. I thank them politely, check quickly
for any startling innovations, and file the menus away. T h e client would
consider this rude and arrogant, perhaps having not heard the first
comment everyone in America makes about institutional (especially
hospital) food: "It's awful; everything tastes the same."
It has become a social and scientific fact that there is no more serious
single institutional failure than in food. I distinguish this from "nutrition," the theoretical fulfillment of biological definitions which consistently result in theoretically appetizing meals prepared for abstract
patients. If theory alone were the point, it would be a wonderful
practice, with nutritionists and dietitians doing the job excellently,
bringing it all to the tray within unbelievably miserly budgets and on
a scale which would impress a general, which they do.
As to it being food, healthful nourishment for the body (or the mind
or spirit), that is another question; and it was a question which could
not have been asked at a more appropriate place than the Shattuck
Hospital. Because enough people there were open to the question, we
had the opportunity to test the validity of macrobiotic uses of food for
institutions in general, as well asthrough clinical researchsome
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wouldn't mind being State employees for the job. We took this personally for about five minutes, then we signed up.
Signing up brought us into the office and world of a man I shall
never forget, principally for his tough compassion for human beings
and for never once forgetting that he is one himself. His name is Tom
Kelly and, to my knowledge, he has to this day a poster made for him
over his desk which says "You don't stop playing because you grow
old, you grow old because you stop playing." As Director of Foodservice (formally titled as one of two Head Dietitians), Tom has had
enough opportunities for indignation to last thirty lifetimes. His
completely forthright assistance in getting us started and keeping us
going has remained an unequalled example to us of openness in the
face of adversity.
We began as part-time food service employees, using November
and December as we needed, to assess the situation, and invent a program that had one broad and candid objective: to get as many people
as possible in this building to eat macrobiotic-quality foods. We were
there for that only and not a set idea of how that could happen. Doing
whatever was necessary was the sole modus operandi for us and the
many people who eventually came to participate.
We knew that this invention had to be duplicable in any institution.
It made no sense to commit our time or the public's money to producing esoteric experimentation or obscure curiosities. We were not in
the realm of theory, with ideas as the currency of some future value.
The circumstance planted us deeply in the realm of action, and the
action was developing a daily institutional practice that would have
an impact on the lives of the people we were literally there to serve.
We also knew that we were dealing with a social, cultural issue.
The food people eat is one of the most intimate aspects of their lives,
with which they are faced more than three times a day. Most Americans enjoy almost unlimited quantity and varietyfew p r e f e r e n c e s
in our society are denied by the marketplace. We live in a time of
freedom of food choice.
Institutionalized people acquiesce to restrictions on this freedom
no more than those on the "outside." Hospital patientseven the most
incoherent and psychoticvoice their preferences loudly, sometimes
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deteriorated into meaning "the cost for today only," and the fallacious
assumption is that anyone who says the word "cost" is talking about
truly saving money.
This has created another assumption, which has brought about
today's absolute deadlock in the improvement of institutional food.
Institutions have sacred notions as do individuals, as did the Shattuck
management. One of them is the practice of "one (narrow) menu for
all": it is thought that the more limited the selection the cheaper the
operation. This is true if you believe either: a) encouraging people to
continue to eat food that is likely to eventually make them seriously
ill or kill them, or b) operating a cafeteria in which no one eats out of
lack of interest, can represent a smart use of money or a brilliant cost
savings.
Particularly in the last thirty years in this countrywhen commercial and institutional food service became industries obsessed
with convenience and efficiency in order to better satisfy a society that
takes its food completely for grantedtoday's penny has been saved
at the expense of tomorrow's dollar. The billions of pennies saved has
translated into the billions of dollars we now spend or waste at three
levels: i) trying to stave off death by degenerative disease (with hyperexpensive treatments like chemotherapy and triple-bypass surgery);
2) dealing with a decreasing ability to work and be productive; and
3) coping with an increasing resignation about what the future holds
for us in this respect. It has also created an ongoing and unhappy
struggle between freedom of dietary choice and the food service budget.
The Shattuck model cut through the extremes of the spectrum: it
allowed the widest (and most healthful and socially acceptable) variety
of choice by using an innovative standard operation. Within one serving
line, the full spectrum of all-American institutional food (with its
familiar meats and sugars) and appealing, tasty, and more rigorously
healthful macrobiotic foods gave everyone the daily opportunity to
adjust his or her diet somewhere between the old and the new. Individual choice was, in this way, used intelligently to encourage people
toward a more healthful norm which became their own and changed
as they and their preferences changed. Our surveys documented that
the great majority of cafeteria patrons regularly had whole grains, or
fresh vegetables, or beans, or dairy-free foods, or sea vegetables, or
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As to the Superintendent's other, more private concerns, sagging
organizational morale was already definitely costing money, an incalculable amount. Unhappy employees are relatively unproductive and
take undue advantage of work-, sick-, and vacation-times. Add to this
a work force burdened by authentic minor (or major) health problems
everything from daily energy slumps to moodiness to aches and
pains to debilitating diseaseand the institution is saddled with the
employment, management, and doctor's bills of people less willing and
less able to work. This is especially true of employment in state systems,
which embrace the concerns and problems of the employee almost
completely, in the forms of fringe benefits and job security.
Mr. Goyette, I speculate, perceived a longer arm with which to
embrace these concerns. Different foods could do more than just
cheer everybody up: they could allow people the opportunity to escape
a deep and costly resignation they might have about their physical
condition, and witness a caring about that by the institution that occupied a large part of their waking lives.
All of this added up to these enormous potentials for the staff population alone:
1)
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"What does it take to truly feed people well by all criteria and, therefore, take better care of them?"
T h e rest of this story and the data that follow are a summary of the
three following years of practical experience in finding answers to this
question at a state institution, how we further developed this into
a food service technology for progressive double-blind research on diet
and mental health, and the results of that research. Those of us of the
macrobiotic kitchen had only a beginner's idea of how great an opportunity it would be to cut through many impasses blocking the integration of health promotion and dietary treatment in the institutional
world.
The opening of the "full spectrum" menu arrangement in the
cafeteria indeed set off a social phenomenon that would be encouraging
to anybody knowledgeable about diet and wondering about the prospects for the future health of Americans.
Over the first year, the number of staff cafeteria patrons60 per day
at lunch prior to the programoften climbed to higher than 180. It
was what most expected to happen only if the Ritz took over the food
service. It was not canapes and caviar that brought such crowds.
Every opportunity was used by our macrobiotic staff to serve food
as well as their own stories of good health simultaneously. Similar
stories and one-on-one education were traded among staff (some
twenty of whom were already experienced with macrobiotic food) as
the cafeteria conversation level, formerly almost nil, rose to a din.
There was something new to talk about during lunch time: the food.
Whether it was a nurse offering macrobiotic bites to skeptical friends,
jokes and jabs about " f u n n y " food, or the stubborn silent finally asking
" D o you think this could help me lose weight?," the staff was working
it out on their own.
When you are serving lunch to people every day for more than a
year, you get to know their names and you remember what they like
to eat. Paul Schulman had been right about the time factor: we became
familiar with at least a dozen people who, for two years without missing
a day, were sure to announce to us that they would never touch "that
stuff" who would begin one day, without missing a beat, quietly (some
sheepishly) asking for the grain and vegetable of the day in place of
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their meat or potato. Some had been to their doctors and received
stern warnings; perhaps others just lost their resolve when they were
asked for the four hundredth time "Hey, won't you try some of this
(millet casserole, or polenta, or green beans almondine)?" Even the
program's worst enemiesthose few who eventually began a petition
(which failed) to end itknew that the friendly invitation was always
there and that their right to hold their noses was respected.
In keeping with our own personal styles of cooking, we were easily
able to change our menu daily, and keep people asking "I wonder
what the nature food is today?" The variety of ingredients available
in macrobiotic cooking is enormous by comparison to American food,
and it is inherently a highly creative practice. We offered, over time,
the entire range of dishes, from those most alien and exotic to Americans (sea vegetable salad, split pea aspic) to more familiar mock-ups
(seitan or grain burgers with fresh-baked whole wheat buns, lasagna
with tofu "cheese," macrobiotic Irish stew). Response allowed us to
work on presentation and appearance and decide which items were
least likely to make it onto institutional menus in this century. We
puzzled over where we slipped up with tofu dishes, which became
known to many as "toe food." Some of our newest and best customers
people who for the first time in their lives couldn't get enough rice,
beans, fresh vegetables, and miso soupswore off "toe food" as if it
were the one thing we couldn't be trusted with. In the food business,
once you lose them, it is hard to get them back. Tofu made a respectable comeback when one of our standard jokes became that of refusing
to reveal if there were any on the menu.
The macrobiotic kitchen crew and the more senior regular kitchen
staff became increasingly comfortable with one another. I recall the
first year being marked by a serious and widespread suspicion that our
seven were secret "ringers" clandestinely hired on from a food service
corporation to find a way to enact a "kitchen coup" in which everyone
else would be fired or demoted without union problems. How to most
efficiently and cooperatively use the spaces and equipment shared also
became routine. T h e locus of the macrobiotic kitchen was in the exbakerya very desirable prep room in which to work while thinking
and heavily supplemented by the other equipment in the main kitchen:
pressure steamer banks, a second mixer, the sheer, and every pot and
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pan we would need to complete a meal. In a back storeroom, rarely
opened, was a cache of U S D A donated foods that became our surprise
budget-stretcher with sacks of split peas, barley, pinto beans, and even
commercially grown brown rice. In the last months of the program,
it was often our only source of ingredients aside from fresh produce.
The produce suppliers had been bringing a total of perhaps fifteen
different itemsthe same ones with every deliveryto the Shattuck
for many years. Our fresh vegetable requirements increased that to
often over thirty. Boston supermarkets had already made it an "exotic"
vegetable town, placing items like bok choy and daikon on the trading
block in the giant wholesale New England Produce center and therefore surprisingly within our reach. Good ingredients like these, along
with a skilled macrobiotic crew, were two odds that were in our favor
throughout in keeping the interest high. Regional shortages of such
produce would, however, have little impact on the acceptance of macrobiotic menus in other institutions.
With the changes in Hospital administration that followed, each
Superintendent, without explicitly saying so, found the program to
be worth his support. T h e evidence was in the dining roomon the
trays of the staff and in the expressions in their faces. We heard
voluntary testimonials from both older and younger staff members of
their six month, or one or two year inclusion of items from our menu
in their diets, which they associated with feeling better generally, or
having helped alleviate a particular problem. Unfortunately, our job
was not officially to document these, but to keep up the good work.
Inquiries began to come by mail and telephone into the Dietary
office about the program: individuals seeking dietary therapy, staff
members of other institutions from as far as California and the midwest,
young dietitians and hospital health counselors in training, prisoners
who were trying to begin a similar program in their prison. Most were
asking: How did you do it ? How much does it cost ? How can I explain to others that it is healthy ? Can I visit the Hospital, or become
a patient there ?
I was familiar enough with politics to know that Congressmen consider one letter from a voter to represent the unspoken opinion of tens
of thousands. Consequently, I deduced that we were not ahead of our
time, nationally speaking. Perhaps we were even long overdue. How-
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Dr. Lieff had witnessed for a year that the program was becoming
an everyday part of Hospital life and that the climate for innovative
research with diet was at least minimally receptive. He requested that
we join him in a research project that would be unprecedented in
technique: putting one group of psycho-geriatic patients on a modified
"macrobiotic" diet and keeping another group on their usual diet as
a comparison. He also suggested that it be done "double-blind."
This meant that almost the entire regular menu of the Hospital
would have to be duplicated in appearance and flavor without ingredients from the regular menu. This would be necessary not only to
hide the identity of the "test" group from a possibly biased staff who
would evaluate them (and therefore produce medically credible results),
but also to gain acceptance from one of the toughest groups of patients
to feed in the Western Hemisphere. This was the group that already
just as often put the food on the wall as in their stomachs.
" N o problem" we saidand then counted the number of menu
items that would have to be duplicated. It came to 187.
In addition, we would have to increase our meal preparation from
five meals a week to twenty-one, while continuing to serve the staff
the same great food they had become accustomed to. And we would
have to set up the patients trays and serve them so only we would know
who were the recipients.
An impassioned appeal to Hospital management for more kitchen
staff was calmly declined. We would have to triple our work load without relief. We knew it was technically feasible, but didn't know how
we were going to handle that kind of pressure, about which we could
only be optimistic and think heroic thoughts.
The controversy over this research concept required many meetings.
Some staff of floors 5 and 6 North (the two floors the research patients
were housed on) either hated the idea outright, or were concerned that
the patients, many of them already borderline malnutrition cases,
would literally waste away. Was there enough protein? What if it
made them crazier? What would be the procedure if oneor allof
them stopped eating ? Who was going to take responsibility for "playing" with the lives of these elderly, some of whom had been institutionalized for as long as sixty years? Menu design and nutritional
investigation of those menus (showing them to be quite safe) quelled
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the specific fears, and procedure for dealing with various emergencies
was agreed. The other Head Dietitian in addition to Tom Kelly was
Yvonne Matthews, whose knowledge of the ins and outs of patient
feedingparticularly for this groupwas a terrific map through a
terrain packed with land mines.
The double-blind research was to take place for eight weeks, considered to be the minimum necessary for evaluation. After that period,
the food would be undisguised and the subject group would continue
to receive primarily macrobiotic meals to see how they responded
physically and emotionallyto such a change.
The subject patients were to be allowed chicken, eggs where necessary for consistency of appearance, and a small amount of butter per
day. Coffee was allowed, since its removalalready associated with
brain function in previous studiesmight be credited for any improvements in patient behavior.
The recipes used for this gigantic menu renovation are far too extensive to be fully published in this volume and are probably of little
interest for general use. By way of general description: the meat became seitan; the mashed potatoes a millet-based puree; scrambled
eggs became scrambled tofu; the sugary Boston cream pie became
Rick Hochsprung's perfect macrobiotic duplicate; milk became an
in-house soy/almond milk recipe for maximum protein; the intensely
chemicalized "Ensure" liquid supplements for day-to-day noneaters
became our own soy milk, oatmeal, sea vegetable and fruit milkshakes;
the canned vegetables became fresh; the bread became our own fresh
whole wheat; white rice (with gravy on top for the control group)
became organic brown rice; sugared jelly became homemade apple
jelly made in the steam kettle from scratch. French fries had to remain
just plain french fries, as did the occasional baked potato. Given three
more people on our crew, we would have duplicated those, too.
This was also the group for whom practically no two trays were
alike: some ate green beans, some didn't; some had their chicken
whole, some needed it ground; some had plates of only pureed foods;
some ate their napkin and therefore could not have one, and some
were unpredictable with anything more dangerous than a plastic spoon.
On the whole, this research program represented detail to an exquisite
extreme.
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A visit by Michio Kushi to the patient floors and his resulting
diagnoses had allowed us some insight on which types of foods to try
to emphasize for maximum benefit to the patients and their conditions.
While we were not able to exercise full macrobiotic therapy, we were
satisfied that the change in quality of diet for the group was profound
enough to represent the possibilities of the dietary approach.
For eight weeks, handmade duplicates of food that is usually prepared with high-tech machinery and a world of chemicals came rolling
out of our side kitchen three times a day. Fourteen-hour work days and
seven-day work weeks were common. There were logistical breakdowns
every day: curve balls thrown by our unpredictable subjects and a
few unfriendly 5 and 6 North staff members who didn't appreciate
the interruption in their lives or those of the patients they were
charged with. We became familiar with the names of each patient
and their dietary eccentricities and wondered if, under such adverse
conditions, we were having any beneficial impact on their lives. The
only positive signs were comments by several nurses thatprobably
partly as a result of both subjects and controls getting only our own
natural snacks on the off hourspatient constipation was disappearing,
and there was much less work giving enemas.
As to weight loss, there were early alarming signs that several of the
subjects were losing weight. This, however, suddenly stopped, and
a few patients actually began gaining. It was concluded that the early
weight loss was that of chronically stuck intestinal waste, which is
common for people who begin a macrobiotic diet.
In the end, the food and the research were a success. No more than
the average number of staffguessing by chancehad correctly
believed which patients were actual subjects for food change. The
patients had eaten well, certainly no worse than their histories indicated, and there were medically significant greater improvements in
the experimental group even while their study counterparts, who had
stayed on their usual diet, psychiatrically declined in one significant
area.
This was cause for an exhausted celebration; after this period, not
having to disguise macrobiotic food seemed, at first, like a vacation.
For three more months, the subject group were kept on their new
macrobiotic diet. The ability to identify "new diet" patients, however,
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point of view, it was anathema to common sense. Meetings, memos,
and reports (written through efforts only in the Dietary department),
brought no relief for what amounted to nothing less than chronic
overwork, severe boredom, and the immediate practical possibilities
for ourselves and the program becoming steadily smaller. We could
at best conclude that there were not enough people at the top convinced that the work was anything more than experimental, or that
there was any conviction at all. T h e approving opinions offered by
top management, over the course of an entire year, sounded hollow
in the face of no action.
We announced to management our intention to leave in two months
should we not be offered at least a minimum standard of resources to
work with instead of less and less. It was obvious to us that the menus
we could produce under such conditions would eventually give whole
foods a bad name to any further newcomers. I drew up a proposal requesting funding be set aside of $95,000 per year to maintain the program (which would include all labor and materials), with provisions
for seeking outside funding for more detailed food service and medical
research and development, accompanied by a letter from the Director
of the National Cancer Institute stating that we had a "tremendous"
research opportunity because the program was unique, could be
tracked throughout other state instititions, and would certainly be
a major contribution to epidemiology and the understanding of cancer
prevention.
For whatever reasons, intentional or not, nothing was done. By this
time, my infant daughter deserved more attention and I was being
asked by my wife a very good question: "What are you trying to
prove?" One short meeting with my last macrobiotic associates in
the Hospital kitchen, and we decided we had proven enough. The
program ended when we resigned in February of 1984.
Since that time, inquiries have continued to reach me from several
corners of the globe asking for all the details. The Pain and Stress Clinic
was seen on BBC around the world. The producer of that show was
askedjust prior to the end of our tenurewhat he thought was the
most interesting thing about the Shattuck Hospital and he replied
" T h e macrobiotic food program." Recently, I have had opportunities
to appreciate the extent of the state institutional experience gained at
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Mary Pat Taub, B. A.
Miriam Washack, R. N., Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Yvonne Matthews, Dietitian, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Thomas J. Kelly, Dietitian, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Thomas J. Iglehart, Food Service Consultant, Lemuel Shattuck
Hospital
Eric Zutrau, Food Service Consultant, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
A double-blind study measuring the effects of a modified
dietexcluding: milk products except butter; meat; processed foods;
refined sugar; and synthetic food additives; and including: whole
grains, legumes, fresh vegetables and fruits wherever possibleupon
a group of geropsychiatric patients was performed at the Lemuel
Shattuck Hospital in May and June of 1982. Patients' diagnoses inincluded psychosis, dementia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Behavioral and clinical assessments were made before and after the eightweek period during which the experimental group received the modified diet.
ABSTRACT :
INTRODUCTION:
This study procedure was designed to go beyond
the limitations of dietary/nutritional research to date, which have either
focused on the effects of specific biochemical agents within an experimental paradigm, or have focused on broad alterations in diet and the
consequent effects on health and behavior within an epidemiological
paradigm.
To restrict variables in epidemiological and correlational studies,
in which subjects are in the world at large and their dietary intake
cannot be controlled and therefore the results cannot be regarded as
definitive, the patient group and the study procedure were chosen in
order to consider the efficacy of broad adjustments in diet upon mental
disorders within an experimental paradigm.
Broad adjustments in diet were considered because of the growing
body of nondefinitive, anecdotal and popular literature on the subject
of the effects of such adjustment for the general public, leading to
a capturing of the public imagination as to their benefit, including
benefits in mental health. Public health fact is consequently being
confused with public health speculation, leading to contradictory
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assertions from proponents of " f a d " diets and representatives of conventional nutritional practices and certain food industries.
Definitive studies to date upon the effects of nutrient variables and
biochemical agents upon human physiology have been useful in the
theoretical development of biology and nutrition, yet the narrow scope
of such clinical observation simultaneously restricts their usefulness
for the health of the general public or the progression of public health
policy. They contribute vitally to our growing body of nutritional and
biological knowledge but, being observations contributing to theory,
are effectively removed from the domain of conclusively influencing
the popular cultural practices of our populations or our public health
institutions.
In this study, total diet intake was under strict experimental control on two geropsychiatric wards, 5 North and 6 North, at the Lemuel
Shattuck Hospital.
The study team hypothesized that the use of a modified diet in this
setting would result in behavioral and clinical improvements for these
patients. However, the domain in which improvement might occur
was not specified in the hypothesis due to the variables inherent in
broad alterations in diet.
An experimental group numbering 16 and a control
group numbering 18 were assigned by a stratified randomization procedure that controlled for the factors of some patients' secondary
diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiopulmonary disease.
The modified diet was served to the experimental group as a complete substitute for the institution's standard diet for a period of eight
weeks. Meals for both groups were cooked and served so as to appear
identical. All who came into contact with the subjectswith the exceptions of the statistician who assigned the patients to groups, the
Head Dietitian dealing directly with patient meal management, and
two members of the kitchen staffwere kept blind as to the group
status of the subjects in order to prevent expectancy effects. (In fact,
any expectancy effects for this study would have more likely produced
evaluation results contrary to the hypothesis as many of the staff
evaluating were very doubtful about the effects of the modified diet.)
Evaluation of four aspects was performed: 1) staff guesses as to
PROCEDURE:
232
group status (i.e., which patients were on the modified diet and which
were not), 2) patient cooperativeness rating, 3) patient irritability, and
4) patient manifest psychosis.
Table 1 shows the responses of seven staff members when
they were asked to guess the group status of each of the 34 subjects,
and shows a pattern of correct and incorrect guesses which is not
significantly different from a pattern that would be generated at
random. These data indicate that staff members were unable to
effectively distinguish experimental group subjects from control
group subjects.
RESULTS :
Table 1
69
75
Incorrect
43
Si
Table a
45
51
Control
57
48
233
Table 3
10.9
8.9
Control
8.6
12.7
Table 4
10.38
7.8
Control
6.7
7-2
234
Table 5
7.3
7.0
Control
5-2
5-9
Table 6
6.4
5.2
Control
3-3
2-9
236
237
Letters f r o m Prisoners
The following are selected excerpts from letters received from prisoners
over the past several years:
'These prisons wouldn't be full of people if they were healthy."
J. Z., Texarkana, TX
I must tell you that you just don't realize how much that book
I received about 'Sugar Blues' affected me and a couple of the guys
238
who read it also. As a result of'Sugar Blues' and the macrobiotic books,
me, a 40-year-old black, and a 28-year-old white inmate friend, have
both cut back drastically on sugar. And as for myself, I went three
weeks without eating white flour, white rice, or animal flesh, and I feel
a hundred times better."
L. A., Jackson, NC
"I eat macrobiotically because I can see and feel how healthful that
diet is. Ain't cause I believe in the order of the universeI know
nothing about it, but because it makes sense to meto eat naturally
balanced food and feel healthful and strong."
D. A., Marion, IL
"I wish that there were other people of your caliber and understanding
willing to help prisoners such as myself to a better way of life and
health."
E. B., Dannemora, NY
" T h e beauty of macrobiotics is its practical application to living, as
opposed to merely surviving, and without such efforts and work as
your organization explores, confronts, and communicates through
its resources, much of the true joy of life would, for many, be far less
significantly illuminated. . . . "
S. B., El Reno, OK
". . . Even though I am very spiritual, I just could not see the reason
for my being here falsely. Then an inmate shared his East West Journal
with me, over two years ago. Reading it started me thinking again.
I remembered many of the teachings of my family, especially my
grandfather while he was chief. And with the Ohsawa and Kushi books,
teachings, etc., I have again come alive. . . . Thanks to the Spirit's
guidance to you, I have been set back on the correct path."
L. G., Angola, LA
"Please allow me to reply to the story you sent from the East West
Journal called 'Is America going crazy?' Believe me, just this little bit
of reading had a very strong impact on me. See, I've tried drugs,
39
drinking, crime. Just an all out nothing I have been. Yet now here you
are bringing a reality to me that I feel like screaming out for. To better
myself. Wow. All the things I've tried, and here you show me how I
may truly become a better p e r s o n . . . . The story was really something.
I went over it twice already. It's just so fantastic to be able to now
understand what is wrong with me. All I can say is thank you very
much for opening my eyes up. . . . Never before did I ever stop and
look at myself and attempt to improve myself. You have helped me to
realize a lot of things already about myself. And I am very grateful.
You truly are a good friend, and I wish to say thank you very
much. . . . "
M. H., Immokalee, FL
"I have begun a yoga routine and have started a study, a search,
through the teachings of various religious teachers. I suppose I've sort
of floundered around with some first steps on the path, but my goals
no longer include cold cash, fast women and hard drugs. I see spiritual
training as being of paramount importance at this point in my life.
My knowledge and experience in this area is so limited that I can
hardly discuss it intelligently. I just know that a change is necessary . . .
my wish is to lead a healthy, balanced life and to find some way to be
of service to the planet and those that share it with me. As you may
know, these first steps can be painful and confusing . . . East West
Journal has gone over well with other prisoners housed in this block.
Because this is a primitive segregation unit and we have very little
access to reading materials, we all route our books and magazines from
cell to cell. As the issues find their way back to me, I find little notes
scribbled on the papers praising your publication. Just thought you'd
like to know that EWJ is getting good reviews here in the Adjustment
Center of Wisconsin State Prison."
W. M., Waupun, WI
"I am writing you from the 'hole' here at Folsom State Prison . . . I just
read your July (1983) issue that another convict had and I read it from
cover to cover which I don't do even with 'Playboy'. . . . My wife gave
me . . . a book on beginning yoga which has helped me reduce stress
and find something of inner peace (I am a 'lifer') and I have since
240
gotten interested in things that I once just shrugged off as just plain
'weird,' such as Zen Buddhism, Holistic Health, etc . . . . I no longer
get severe headaches every day nor do I pace my cell as a caged
animal. . . . Frank, it's a little hard to explain but I feel just a bit
foolish at times for being the way I once was and for being so damned
ignorant and biased towards some things I've needed in my life for a
very long time now. . . . I feel I've joined the human race for the first
time, does that sound strange? . . . "
J. M., Folsom State Prison
Represa, CA
" M y classification officer asked me last week, what will I be doing if
I am released on parole. I informed her of my dream to set up programs inside prisons in Oriental healing, such as Taoist yoga, Tai Chi,
and Macrobiotic diet and principles (in New York City). . . . My goal
is to help the many youths in New York City's Chinatown. I used to
be a gang leader of the Wah-Ching, many years ago. This time I'd
like to lead them back to tradition and to be proud of the once lowest
crime community in the USA."
Chuck Fai-Goon, prior to parole
"I am, moreover, exceedingly grateful for the effort, time, and expense that you and Alex Jack are giving in providing me (as well as
others here) with what I consider to be the most valuable information
ever to come into my life. I wish that Mr. Kushi and his wife could
come here to lectureparticularly to our dietitian. Something here,
as in Portugal, would be beautiful. It fails my comprehension ability
to understand why many people fail, or how they possibly could fail
to employ the macrobiotic way once it has been presented. . . . I've
found what I've wanted in life and will try, within my present limitations to put it in action here and also on the outside should I live to
get there. I yet have a lot to learn, but with help from Boston, it will
all come in time."
Neil Scott, prior to parole
"I am in receipt of your card, concerning my getting a regular subscription to the Journal. I cannot express how pleased I was to hear
241
this. I have been receiving the back issues, and I have found them
extremely helpful in bettering my life, at least now I can begin to
escape the prisons of my own making, such as poor eating habits, and
using drugs for illnesses, when all that needs to be done is to change
one's lifestyle."
R. C., Pittsburgh, PA
"Thank you for making it possible for me to continue to receive the
East West Journal. I first came into contact with EWJ several years ago
through another prisoner. What initially sparked my attention was
an article exploring the links between eating habits (especially junk
foods) and aberrant behavior.
"Of course, we all know that we are what we eatliterallybut
I suppose that the accuracy of that statement had never established
itself firmly in my mind. The Dan White murder case in San Francisco
several years ago first raised my suspicions in this regard, but the way
in which such theories were scoffed at the time quickly dispelled any
concerns of my own that may have arisen. Thankfully, EWJ was to
enter my consciousness in subsequent years and through articles appearing in the magazine, as well as material and references provided
by the Kushi Foundation, the problem was not only eventually laid
bare for me, but a solution was provided as well.
"Perhaps for most people, this whole subject is quite controversial,
with a variety of differing opinions. Certainly the Dan White case,
as a result of the magnitude of his acts, provided a serious setback for
the advancement of the idea that nutrition can and does play a very
definite role in the behavior of many peoplemore so in some than in
others. In my own investigations, I was often disturbed by the opinion
of others that I was merely seeking excuses for prior behavior rather
than explanations and a possible preventive regimen. Luckily I did
persevere in my quest and while far from fully understanding all of
the particulars of the topic, I have at least learned enough to have
begun to benefit from practical application of that knowledge.
"Assuredly, there are many causes that explain my current imprisonment, but with a pure body and clear mind I am more confident in my
ability to deal with them now. Quite literally, my despair over a continuing future riding on the criminal justice merry-go-round has been
242
243
244
245
described here (in prisons and outside of prisons) the annual toll of
human suffering and death as well as the financial cost of degenerative
illness could be cut in halffigures measured in hundreds of thousands
of lives and tens of billions of dollarsand the end of world hunger
would be greatly facilitated by more efficient use of our food production.
The Prison Project has participated in producing such forums in
local Massachusetts prisonsto create opportunities for both prisoners
and community members to listen to one another and to look at new
possibilities, such as those outlined above. The Project is enjoying the
participation of ex-prisoners in this area, including Neil Scott and
Chuck Fai-Goon.
At the agency level, the Prison Project has aligned with the National
Center for Innovations in Corrections in the development of foodoriented prison industries such as the soyfoods concept, which is now
sponsored by the American Farm Federation. T h e participation in
our work by the Department of Criminal Justice in Virginia has been
vital to the beginning of the macrobiotic food program in the Powhatan
State Penitentiary, which was sponsored by Frank Kern, Assistant
Director of the Tidewater Detention Homes in Chesapeake. Frank
Kern continues to work tirelessly with the Prison Project and corrections agencies around North America in initiating these and other
breakthrough programs. In Massachusetts, Prison Project principals
are acting as consultants to the Department of Corrections in establishing an A I D S remission unit for state prisoners which would use macrobiotic dietary therapy, which university research is showing to be
the most promising (and least risky) of all therapies under study.
In October, 1986, the Kushi Foundation participated in the annual
conference of the Correctional Association of Massachusetts (CAM).
The Kushi Foundation representatives Edward Esko, Tom Iglehart,
Eric Zutrau, and Neil Scott presented information on macrobiotics
and its application in prisons, hospitals, and other institutions. The
Kushi Foundation also prepared a packet of literature and information
on its activities for each conference participant.
At the community level, the Prison Project is beginning to coordinate
the formation of a network of community groups for those who wish
to participate in practical innovations in corrections. Since many
246
247
248
in physical health. The study groups have been and will continue to
be a key component in inmate transformation.
Half-Way Houses: There are currently no half-way houses, or places
of residence for paroled inmates during their reentry periods of up to
two years, which are based upon rehabilitative principles in the areas
of diet/lifestyle and daily practices for development of social awareness.
Inmates reentering society are at two forms of risk, both of which
are shared by all parolees:
1)
2)
249
250
251
prise the human resource base for active inmate support. Work in each
group can then be defined by the member network of that community.
Anticipated Results:
Food cost savings;
Improved client physical health, self-esteem, and attitude;
Reduced client dependence upon the institutional framework
for rehabilitation and self-development;
Increased resocialization success rate.
Synopsis: This proposal presents a program for food service transition and related education at M C I Framingham.
The program includes offering alternative foods in the M C I Framingham cafeteria along with the current menu, adjustment of the food
selection at the facility's canteen, and in-house education and training
of inmates on the purpose and methods of successfully incorporating
252
such foods into personal lifestyle. Also included is volunteer postincarceration supportin pre-release and upon reentry into the communityfor continued productive use of such in-house exposure.
The program is recommended as a pilot project to facilitate ongoing
examination of the concept in regard to Department-wide policy,
through a comprehensive and separate evaluation program not included
here. Also, with slight modification, similar programs could be established in other correctional institutions.
Background/Need:
The impact of nutrition upon physical and
mental/behavioral well-being has undergone a nearly total reevaluation
in the last twenty years, resulting in a broadly based recognition of
need for the establishment of a national nutrition policy.
Recommendations of the U.S. Senate Select Committee On Nutrition and Human Needs (1977), the U.S. Surgeon General (1979), and
the National Academy of Sciences were given for the prevention of
cancers (up to 60 percent), heart disease (up to 85 percent) and behavioral disorders (potential unknown) and many other chronic illnesses. In addition, research literature on the effects of nutrition upon
mental activity (e.g., neurotransmitters) as well as administrative
experience in the criminal justice field in California, Maryland, Virginia
and Massachusetts (Department of Youth Services) strongly suggest
the connection between deterioration of nutritional/biological health
and the exacerbation of antisocial behavior.
How such recommendations might be specifically and optimally appliedespecially in the behavioral fields, where a great deal more
research is requiredis today developing on-site through independent
administrative initiative. Therefore, while no "approved" model exists
for any given field or type of institution, theoretical guidelines and
some field experience are available to draw upon for safe experimental
application. Each one of these initiatives is a contribution toward
a future national nutrition policy for a healthy population.
M C I Framingham (a women's prison) contains a population of
mothers and potential mothers. A significant portion of them are or
will be single heads of family, having the dual responsibilities of childraising and family income production. There is perhaps no other role
in society for which there is less agreement or support. A woman (with
253
254
METHODOLOGY
Background:
In Massachusetts, perhaps the most significant application of this type was carried out at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
from 1980 to 1984 as a project created, implemented, and managed by
the authors of this proposal. It included ongoing presentation of alternative foods to hospital staff on a daily basis, as well as experimental
transition for psycho-geriatric patients involved in double-blind research evaluation.
(The encouraging on-site results of this project are summarized
earlier in this book.)
T h e Shattuck project also brought forth issues and concerns to be
addressed in the successful dietary transition of any client population.
T h e central focus of these is clearly that of food as perhaps the most
personal and individual aspect of daily life, and therefore also of
institutional living. Stated practically, the indispensable value of
individual participation through choice cannot be overestimated as a
vehicle for bypassing individual or group resistance to dietary transition. Formal or informal education (on the need for and purpose of
such transition) and training (in the preparation and use of such
foods outside the institutional setting) are paramount to making appropriate, productive choices.
In consideration of the above experience and issues, the following
on-site program is proposed.
Food Service: Food service application will involve the offering of
a complete, primarily vegetarian menu in addition to the existing menu,
allowing for client choice of items from both menus simultaneously
within certain prestated restrictions of quantity.
Also proposed is the replacement of certain highly processed,
chemicalized and sugar-sweetened products with more whole, natural
ingredients and the addition of more nutritious, less sugary snack-type
foods which may be economically and efficiently produced in the
prison kitchen.
Experience with the Lemuel Shattuck project has demonstrated
the workability of simultaneous snack and dual-menu food preparation and serving using existing equipment with the addition of three
food service personnel prepared to train other personnel and/or inmate
255
labor attracted to the food service area. After the first year, these three
additional staff members may be safely phased down to two, thereby
allowing for ongoing rotation training of inmates without adding to
the workload of existing staff. The advantages of addressing dietary
transition through this program are:
Obviation of inmate objection to food service transition as consumption is by choice.
Self-determining pace of transition of the population as a whole.
Greatly extended range of transition toward healthier foods,
which can vary in acceptability to various inmates.
Excellent flexibility in responding to inmate preferences thereby
optimizing acceptance and final menu development.
Increased potential for food cost savings.
Education and Training:
Under the aegis of the M C I Framingham
Office of Education, an ongoing group of 12 to 24 inmates can be
recruited as volunteers to undertake educational workshops in the
need for and purpose of personal dietary transition. These workshops
can take place on a minimum basis of twice a month and can be
designed to complete at the end of every three months, the length of
stay for the majority of Framingham inmates. Efforts can be made to
enroll at least four longer-term inmates in every cycle so that they
may begin to form an informal exemplary "core-group" for the prison
population as a whole. The Shattuck experience has shown that information and motivation shared at the social level in an institution
plays a key role in the acceptance of alternative diet.
Inmate training in the appropriate selection and preparation of foods
for use in the home can be given in tandem to the theoretical education
above, also on a twice monthly basis. This would involve some handson experience in the prison kitchen for family-scale alternative food
preparation as well as institutional-scale for those interested in job
skills development or simply a more thorough and varied knowledge
of the uses of alternative foods. This implies that the core of inmate
kitchen labor (rotating as inmates go to pre-release) for the food service
program will be drawn from the education program participants.
256
Follow-Up Support:
It is inevitable that even well-educated, motivated and well-trained clients would encounter obstacles to the maintenance of an improved lifestyle and dietary status in the pre-release
and reentry environments. These obstacles may be simply described
as minimal agreement or support, socially or in the availability of
necessary resources.
To counter such potential setbacks in long-term program efficacy,
individual support is available from committed citizen volunteers,
whose lifestyles reflect the same transition as offered in this program.
This volunteer group, having similar interests, goals and social experiences in lifestyle alternatives, is available for further organization
under the auspices of the M C I Framingham Office of Education or
other appropriate vehicle, to serve the follow-up phase of this program.
Client contact with such volunteerswhether on an intensive or casual
basis, as neededwould help ensure client follow-through in the long
term with knowledge and skills acquired at M C I Framingham, without
the need for complex intradepartmental or interagency funding and/
or administrative initiative.
Contact may consistat the pre-release levelof a minimum of
three volunteer visits to assigned clients to create a supportive personal
relationship that would provide advice, encouragement, and leadership
to the client in the process of reentry.
Upon reentry into their communities, clients can have a minimum
of three visits at their residences by the same volunteer acquainted at
pre-release, who would at this stage also provide assistance in locating
local sources of appropriate foods, informally educating the exoffender's family in nutritional awareness, and suggesting techniques
for menu arrangement and food preparation to best suit the needs
and preferences of individual home use. Clients at this time can have
the option of requesting six further volunteer visits for the purpose
of additional cooking and food selection instruction.
After the volunteer visits, clients may havefor six monthsa
minimum of weekly telephone contact with the same volunteer for
two purposes: 1) to provide ongoing support as above; and 2) for
interviewing clients on their and their family's well-being, the results
of which can be compiled by program administrators.
The advantages of education, training and follow-up support
include:
257
Ensuring long-term improvement in client nutritional and
health status;
Setting the context of self-reliance and self-improvement for
the client population;
Training inmates in noticing self-motivated results in the improvement of their quality of life (health status), which might
otherwise be unnoticed or attributed to luck or circumstance;
and
Feedback to program administrators for future program
development.
Recommended Reading
Books
Aihara, Cornellia. The Do of Cooking. Chico, Calif.: George Ohsawa
Macrobiotic Foundation, 1972.
. Macrobiotic Childcare. Oroville, Calif.: George Ohsawa
Macrobiotic Foundation, 1971.
Aihara, Herman. Basic Macrobiotics. Tokyo & New York: Japan
Publications, Inc., 1985.
Benedict, Dirk. Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy. Van Nuys, Calif.:
Newcastle, 1987.
Brown, Virginia, with Susan Stayman. Macrobiotic Miracle: How a
Dietary Goals for the United States. Washington, D. C.: Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, U.S. Senate, 1977.
260
Hippocrates. Hippocratic Writings. Edited by G. E. R. Lloyd. Translated by J. Chadwick and W. N. Mann. New York: Penguin Books,
1978.
I Ching or Book of Changes. Translated by Richard Wilhelm and Cary
F. Baynes. Princeton: Bollingen Foundation, 1950.
Ineson, John. The Way of Life: Macrobiotics and the Spirit of Christianity. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1986.
Jacobs, Barbara and Leonard. Cooking with Seitan. Tokyo & New
York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1986.
. Macrobiotic Food and Cooking Series: Diabetes and Hypoglycemia; Allergies. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc.,
1985.
261
Kushi, Michio. The Book of D5-In: Exercise for Physical and Spiritual
Development. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1979.
. Macrobiotic Health Education Series: Diabetes and Hypoglycemia; Allergies. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc.,
1985.
. Diet for a Strong Heart. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984.
Kushi, Michio, with Alex Jack. One Peaceful World. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1986.
Kushi, Michio and Aveline. The Macrobiotic Diet. Tokyo & New York:
Japan Publications, Inc., 1985.
262
Kushi, Michio, and the East West Foundation. The Macrobiotic Approach to Cancer. Wayne, N. J.: Avery Publishing Group, 1982.
Kushi, Michio, with Stephen Blauer. The Macrobiotic Way. Wayne,
N. J.: Avery Publishing Group, 1985.
Nussbaum, Elaine. Recovery: From Cancer to Health through Macrobiotics. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1986.
Ohsawa, George. Cancer and the Philosophy of the Far East. Oroville,
Calif.: George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation, 1971 edition.
. You Are All Sanpaku. Edited by William Dufty, New York:
University Books, 1965.
. Zen Macrobiotics. Los Angeles: Ohsawa Foundation, 1965.
Taylor, John F. The Hyperactive Child and the Family. New York:
Japan Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1980.
Yamamoto, Shizuko. Barefoot Shiatsu. Tokyo & New York: Japan
Publications, Inc., 1979.
263
Periodicals
Macrobiotic Resources
266
tion for individuals who wish to become trained and certified macrobiotic cooking instructors, teachers, and counselors. The Kushi
Institute publishes a Worldwide Macrobiotic Directory every year listing
Kushi Institute graduates and macrobiotic centers, friends, and
businesses around the world. The Cook Instructor Service is an extension of the Kushi Institute and is comprised of specially qualified
graduates of the Kushi Institute's advanced cooking program. These
men and women are available to assist individuals and families in
learning the basics of macrobiotic food preparation and home care in
their home, and to guide hospitals, prisons, and other institutions in
the preparation of whole natural foods.
Kushi Institute and Cook Instructor Service
17 Station Street
Brookline, Mass. 02147
617-738-0045
Ongoing developments are reported in the Kushi Foundation's
periodicals, including the East West Journal, a monthly magazine begun
in 1971 and now with an international readership of 200,000. The EWjf
features regular articles on the macrobiotic approach to health and
nutrition, as well as ecology, science, psychology, natural child care,
and the arts. In each issue there is a macrobiotic cooking column and
articles on traditional food cultivation and natural foods processing.
East West Journal
17 Station St.
Brookline, Mass. 02147
617-232-1000
Index
AC A Journal,
250
A . C . L . U . , 152
academy of sciences report,
129
acorn squash, 84
activating neurotransmitters, 65
activating transmitter, 44
addiction, 148
additives, as potential carcinogens,
131
in A m e r i c a n diet,
146
use of in A m e r i c a n diet,
196
use of in m o d e r n diet, 47
effect of in hyperactivity,
148
adolescence, 52
adrenal glands, 145
aerobics, 102
affective disorders, 57
agar-agar, 87
aggravated assault, increases in, 23
aggressiveness, 48
agriculture projects, in prison, 153
A I D S Project i n N e w Y o r k City,200
A I D S Related Complex, 26, 73
A I D S virus, 26, 38, 73
A I D S virus, genesis of, 38
A I D S viruses, potential number o f
carriers in the U.S., 26
A I D S , 15, 26, 28, 73, 75, 109, 110,
112, 194, 200, 210
biological mechanism of, 73
dietary habits associated w i t h ,
73
effect of on corrections,
200
future i m p l i c a t i o n o f , 26
in A m e r i c a , 26
in Central A f r i c a , 27
influence of m o d e r n civilization
on, 75
18
alcohol detoxification, 210
alcohol, consumption of, 131
cravings f o r , 63
role of in schizophrenia, 69
use of in macrobiotics, 99
alcoholism, 18, 194, 210
cause of, 41
Alexander, V . V . , 144
alienation, 107
allergies, 52
relationship o f t o delinquent
behavior, 71
to dairy products, 71
alternative dietary approach, 113
a l u m i n u m compounds, 70
A M A C o u n c i l o n Foods and
Nutrition, 6
amateur crimes, 116
amazake, 96, 99
A m e r i c a n Association f o r the
Advancement of Science, 77
268
American Cancer Association, 77
American Correctional Association,
200, 246, 250
American Diabetes Association,
77
American Diabetes Association,
dietary recommendation of, 133
American diet, profile of, 145
American Farm Federation, 245,
249
American Heart Association, 77
American Humane Association, 17
American Medical Association, 6
American Psychiatric Association,
204
American Society for Clinical
Nutrition, 77
American Society of Criminology,
198
amine neurotransmitters, 45
amino acids, 45, 122
amphetamines, 50
Analysis of Variance Procedures,
232
androgens, 45
anemia, 52
angel dust, 20
animal foods, effect of on behavior,
47
effect of on thinking, 72
effects of, 40
ratio of to vegetable food, 114
yin and yang classification of,
40
animal protein, 76
effect of on brain chemistry, 147
animals, use of in medical research,
112
annual crime index, 23
antibiotics, use of in cattle feed, 33
antidepressant drugs, 63
antidiuretic hormones, 69
anti-insulin, 58, 65
antisocial behavior, 61, 65
and sugar consumption, 64
recovery from, 104
antisocial personality disorder, 205
anxiety, 36, 39, 53, 59, 65, 106
269
list of for regular use, 86
seasonings for, 86
use of garnishes for, 86
use of in macrobiotics, 86
use of in soup, 83
beefsteak plant, 95
behavior, influence of hormones on,
45
behavior and diet, 35, 46
behavior modification, 49
behavior modifying drugs, 53
behavioral disturbances, 67
behavioral problems, approach to,
141
behind closed doors: violence in
the American family, 137
Beldekas, John, 29
Bell, John, 71
Berger, Barbara, 155
beta-carotene, 125
sources of in macrobiotic diet,
125
beverages, consumption of, 100
beverages, use of in macrobiotics, 98
BHA, 49
BHT, 49
biochemical improvement, 118
biological clocks, 57
biological degeneration, 26
biological degeneration, crisis of,
101
biosocial decline, 34
bipolar depression, 57
bipolar disorder, 230
births outside of marriage, 17
black sesame seeds, 93
black soybeans, 86
black turtle beans, 86
Blackburn, George, 207
black-eyed peas, 86
Bleuler, Eugen, 66
blood cells, yin and yang classification of, 42
blood cholesterol levels, 132
blood pressure, 132
blood quality, effect of drug on, 52
blood sugar disorders, 61
blood sugar, effect of on neuro-
transmitter production, 65
body care products, 102
body, energetic quality of, 37
body rigidity, 48
body scrubbing, 102
boiled salad, 85
boiling, 85
bok choy, 84
bone marrow, 52
Boston Commission for Safe Public
Schools, 19
Boston Herald, 160
Boston University School of
Medicine, 28, 200
brain, condition of in hyperactivity,
51
effect of drugs on, 51
motion centers of, 50
overstimulation on in
schizophrenia, 68
brain chemistry, influence of diet
on, 146
brain damage, 144
bran pickles, 92
bran products, use of in macrobiotics, 86
breakfast porridge, 81
breast cancer, 73
breast feeding, and natural
immunity, 74
brine pickles, 92
Briscoe, David, 104
British Medical Journal, 6
broccoli, 84
Brown, Carolyn, 33
brown rice, 79
brown-rice diet, difference from
standard macrobiotic diet, 122
brown rice vinegar, 96
buckwheat, 80
Buddha, 111
Buddhist temples, 111
bulgur, 79
burdock, 95
burdock root, 84
burdock root tea, 99
burglary, 18, 24, 151
buttercup squash, 84
270
cerebral cortex, 72
changes in diet, social effects of, 33
Chanowitz, Ben Zion, 229
chapatis, 79
cheese consumption, and
hypoglycemia, 64
chemcalized foods, 110
chemicals, effects of on
hyperactivity, 49
use of in food supply, 33
chemotherapy, 38, 162, 164, 217
chewing, recommendations for, 100
chick-peas, 86
chicken consumption, and
hypoglycemia, 64
Chico-san, 105
Chief Justice Warren Burger's Task
Force On Prison Reform, 249
child abuse, relationship of hypoglycemia to, 60
childhood development, abnormalities in, 48
children, arrests of, 135
battered, 138
increase of among young
people, 33
overly rapid development in, 48
slow development in, 48
Chinese cabbage, 84
Chinese philosophy, 167
chives, 84
chloraphene soap, 144
cholesterol, 64, 114
sources of, 130
chopped scallions, 97
chronic health problems, increase
in among children, 34
chronic illnesses, rise in, 101
Chuck Fai-Goon, 166, 172, 177,
181, 183, 185, 240, 245
civilization, relationship of
to degenerative disease, 75
clothing, guidelines for selecting, 102
cocaine, 22, 53, 55, 56, 174
cognitive overload, 68
collard greens, 84
Collier, Ray, 185
Colman, Lee, 143
271
196
public perception of, 21
relationship of to mental
illness, 104
crime, varieties of, 9
crime and diet, 35
crime index offenses, 1980 estimates,
23
crime rates, 1984-1985, 23
crimes reported to police, 23
criminal behavior, 10
criminal behavior in adults, 35
criminal justice system, 191
cost of, 196
cruel punishment, 161
cruelty, 48
cucumber, 84
daikon, 84
dairy consumption, effects of, 71
Dairy Council Digest, 6
dairy industry, 31
dairy products, effect of on
hyperactivity, 49
Dan White murder case, 24f
dandelion leaves, 84
dandelion roots, 84
dandelion tea, 99
Danish prison, macrobiotics in, 159
deep-frying, 85
defensiveness, 112
degeneration illness, increase of, 145
degenerative disease, rise of, 115
degenerative illnesses, 24
delinquent behavior, role of the
family in, 18
delutions, 67
dementia, 230
dendrites, 42
Denmark, dietary habits in, 157
prison project in, 117
Department of Criminal Justice
in Virginia, 245
Department of Microbiology at
Boston University, 29
depression, 6, 7, 36, 37, 39, 45, 53,
57, 65, 73, 104, 230
bipolar form, 57
272
273
function of, 45
environmental toxins, 34
escarole, 84
Eskimo, 114
Esko, Edward, 10, 245
essential nutrients, 122
estrogen, 45
use of in cattle feed, 33
estrogen production, influence of
diet on, 45
extraordinary groups: the sociology
of unconventional lifestyles, 19
fabrics, selection of, 102
family, breakdown of, 144
family, decomposition of, 16
eating habits of, 73
family cooking, 73
family counseling, 55
family harmony, 73
family violence, 16, 137
FAO, 121
F A O / W H O , 121, 122
fast foods, advertising expenditures
for, 33
development of, 31
fat, consumption of, 76
sources of in macrobiotic diet,
130
fat consumption, 31
in American diet, 128
fat diet, 231
fatigue, 142
FBI, 23
fear, 65
Fedral Bureau of Prisons, 196
Feingold, Benjamin, 49, 148
Feingold Association, 148
Feingold diet, 49
fermented foods, as sources of
vitamin B12, 125
Fernstom, John, 146
fiber, 77
fish, cooking styles for, 89
cooking variations for, 89
list for occasional use, 88
use of garnishes for, 90
use of in fish dishes, 90
274
use of in macrobiotics, 88
use of in soup, 83
flight or fight, 145
flour, use of in desserts, 98
Folsom State Prison, 239
food, absorption of, 52
importance of to inmates, 200
role of in human development,
111
role of in spirituality, 111
yin and yang classification of,
40
Food and Agricultural Organization, 121
food and crime, 35
food choice, freedom of, 212
Food and Drug Administration, 146
food faddism, 6
Food for Freedom Banquet, 174
Food for Freedom Foundation, 171
Food for Freedom, 176, 183
food importance to inmates, 199
food irradiation, 110
effect on immune ability, 110
forgery, 181
four basic food groups, 120
four food groups, 122, 208, 209
Frank, Jerome, 135
Frederick, Calvin J., 137
Freedom for Food, 190
fresh tofu, 86
Fromm, Eric, 139
fruit, list for occasional use, 90
fruit juice, use of in macrobiotics,
99
serving styles for, 91
use in dessert, 98
use of in macrobiotics, 90
/, 9
Galileo, 9
garbanzo beans, 86
Garg, Mitlesh, 229
garnishes, for beans, 96
list of for regular use, 97
use of in fish dishes, 90
use of in macrobiotics, 97
use of in soup, 84
275
symptoms of, 47
yin and yang and, 47
hyperkinetic children, 46
hypertension, 129, 146, 175
hypoglycemia, 7, 147, 149
and drug use, 63
cause of, 59
dietary approach for, 63, 64
effect of diet on, 59
extent of in the U.S., 63
incidence of among prisoners,
61
relationship of to atmospheric
condition, 59
relationship of to behavioral
disorders, 59
relationship of to daily cycle,
59
relationship of to mental
disorders, 147
role of in schizophrenia, 68
symptoms of, 59
hypoglycemia and alcoholism, 63
iceberg lettuce, 85
Iglehart, Tom, 10, 176, 203, 230,
245
ignorance, as cause of sickness, 113
illegal drugs, traffic in, 20
imagery techniques, 163
immune ability, 110
immune deficiency, 42
immune parameters, 29
immune response, effect of drug on,
52
immune system, 73
incisors, use of in human diet, 114
Industrial Revolution, 31, 36, 144
infertility, 24, 51
extent of, 52
infinity, concept of, 109
inhalants, 21
inhibiting transmitter, 44
inhibition, lack of, 48
inmates, fighting among, 199
reference books for, 249
sugar addiction among, 61
inmate health care, 201
276
lactose intolerance, 71
lactose, 133
lambsquarter, 84
Lancet, 28
Langer, Ellen, 229
Lao Tzu, 111
larceny, 151
learning disabilities, 47
law, human, 9
natural, 9
laws of nature, 40
lead, relationship of to behavioral
disorders, 71, 144
learning disability, incidence of,
196
leeks, 84
Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, 207,
229, 230
lentils, 86
Lesser, Michael, 140, 148
Letters from Prisoners, 237
kale, 84
Kaposi's sarcoma, 28, 74
277
leukemia, 52
Levy, Elinor, 29
Lewis, Angelo John, 151
Lisbon, macrobiotic center in, 118
Lieff, Jonathan, 229
life, modern view of, 36
view of, 112
lifestyle recommendations, 101
lima beans, 86
Linho, 119
Linho Prison, 117
macrobiotic education in, 117
liquid, intake of, 99
lobotomy, 143
Los Angeles County Probation
Department, 63
lotus root, 84, 95
lotus root tea, 99
love machine, 141
low blood sugar, 7, 147
cause of, 59
LSD, 107
Lyle, William L., 196
lymphocyte number, 29
lymphocytes, 42
yin and yang classification of,
42
macrobiotic, 15
macrobiotic center in Copenhagen,
155
macrobiotic child care and family
health, 49
macrobiotic cooking, 100
macrobiotic cooking, in prison, 158
macrobiotic diet, cost effectiveness
of, 170
criticism of, 121, 128
fermented foods in, 125
nutritional overview of, 120
macrobiotic education, 15, 167
goal of, 113
in prison, 116, 201
macrobiotic educators, 113
macrobiotic food, in prison, 118
preparation in prison, 158
macrobiotic guidelines, modification of, 113
278
medication, for mental disorders,
114
mekabu, 88
memory, loss of, 143
Mendelsohn, Robert, 142, 144
mental development, 35
mental disorders, incidence of, 39
mental disturbances, 101
mental health, approach to, 201
number of people needing care,
204
recovery of, 108
relationship of diet to, 34
within society at large, 140
mental hospitals, 104
mental illness, 15, 65, 75, 112
cause of, 39
cost of, 39
current approach to, 36
drug therapy for, 142
estimated incidence of, 35
macrobiotic approach to, 104
recovery from, 103, 107
seeds of, 144
mental institutions, number of
people admitted to, 39
mental problems, 112
mental rigidity, 48
mescaline, 107
microwave ovens, 102
microwaved foods, 175
Mid-Atlantic Summer Camp, 183
midbrain, effect of drug on, 51
function of, 51
milk consumption, relationship of
to behavior, 71
milk, allergy to, 71
as a source of lead, 144
consumption of in hyperactivity, 150
correlation of to juvenile
delinquency, 150
Miller, Saul, 145
millet, 80
mineral deficiencies, in
schizophrenia, 68
minerals, 76
role of in nervous system, 44
mirin, 85, 96
miso, 96
miso, examples of, 96
miso pickles, 92
mochi, 94
modern crisis, solution to, 111
modern diet, 65
modern family, breakdown of, 30
modern lifestyle, effects of on
immunity, 74
effects of on mental health, 74
modern nutrition, 208
modern psychology, failure of, 39
molars, use of in human diet, 114
monosaccharides, 59
Monte, Tom, 107
Montgomery County Detention
Center, 193
mood disorders, 57
mood swings, 147
Morris County Jail Rehabilitation
Center, 149
Moses, 111
motivation, lack of, 67
motor functions, impairment of, 50
mu tea, 99
muesli, 156
muggings, 18
mung beans, 86
murder, 135, 138, 181
murder rates, 1984-1985, 23
mushrooms, 84
mustard, 95, 97
mutagens, 131
Nagasaki, 110
narcotic violations, 151
National Academy of Sciences,
77, 121, 122, 208, 251, 252
National Cancer Institute, 228
National Center for Innovations
in Corrections, 245
National Institute for Education, 19
National Institute of Health, 58
National Institute of Mental Health,
35, 137, 143
National Institute on Drug Abuse,
21
279
Nutrition Foundation, 6
nutrition research, 35
nuritional deficiency in the U.S.,
127
nutritional management, 49
nutritional science, principles of,
128
nuts, kinds of, 93
serving styles for, 93
use of in macrobiotics, 92
oats, 80
obesity, 15, 129
Ohsawa, George, 164
OI, 8
oil sauteing, 85
okara, 86
olive oil, 96
onion, 84
operations, effects of on natural
immunity, 74
opportunistic infections, 28
order of the universe, 40, 109, 115,
177
organic farming, 31
organs, effect of drugs on, 51
Oski, Frank A., 71
Osteoporosis, 127
outdoor activity, 101
Overfed and UndernourishedThe
Importance of Diet in the Rehabilitative Process, 198
oxalates, 127
paella, 81
pain and stress acupuncture clinic,
210
pain and stress clinic, 228
pancreas, 58, 63, 64, 65, 75
cancer of, 64
pancreatic hormones, 58
paranoia, 102, 104
dietary causes of, 66
recovery from, 103
paranoid schizophrenia, 67
dietary causes of, 67
yin and yang classification of,
67
275
puberty, 52
pumpkin seeds, 93
pumpkin, 84
punishment, 9, 119
Quincy Health Care Medical
Associates of Greater Boston, 171
radiation, 110
as a cause of AIDS, 110
as cause of sterility, 110
yin and yang classification of,
110
radiation exposure, 33
radiation sickness, 110
radiotherapy, 38
radish, 84
rape, 135
1984-1985 increases in, 23
R D A , 121
recidivism, 193, 246
recommended dietary allowances,
121
red cabbage, 84
red pepper, 96
Reed, Barbara, 149
rehabilitation, current approach to,
10
importance of diet in, 197
macrobiotic thesis for, 246
Rehabilitation Center, Morristown,
New Jersey, 61
remedial teaching programs, 55
reproductive ability, effect of drug
on, 51
reproductive disorders, 26
responsibility for actions, 115
retinol, 125
sources of in macrobiotic diet,
125
riboflavin, availability of in macrobiotics, 124
F A O / W H O standard for, 124
R D A for, 124
sources of in modern diet, 124
riboflavin deficiency, 124
rice balls, 94
rice cakes, 94
rice malt, 96
rice miso, 96
rice tea, 99
rice vinegar, 96
rice wine, 96
Richmond News Leader, 174, 178
ricket, 126
ritalin, 50
side effects of, 53
roasted grains, 94
roasted sesame seeds, 95
robbery, 181
1984-1985 rates of, 23
Robinson, Howard, 169, 171, 175,
185, 188
romaine lettuce, 84
runaway children, 72, 137
rye, 80
safflower oil, 96
sak6, 96, 99
sake lees, 96
salad, 85
salicylates, 49, 148
salt, consumption of, 130
salt and water pickles, 92
Salvati, Frank, 116, 168, 169, 172,
235, 243
SAT, 34, 136
SAT, decline in scores of, 34
saturated fat, 64, 76, 114
sauerkraut, 92
scallion, 84
Schauss, Alexander, 61, 70
schizophrenia, 35, 65, 73, 75, 102,
104
definition of, 139
dietary causes of, 66
dietary management of, 148
external signs of, 68
recovery from, 107
recovery story of, 103
role of blood sugar in, 68
role of excessive sugar consumption in, 68
symptoms of, 66
yin and yang classification of,
66
282
Schoenthaler, Stephen, 62, 151
Scholastic Aptitude Test, 34, 136
schools, crime rates in, 19
violence in, 19
Schulman, Paul, 211
Scott, Neil, 116, 177, 235, 240, 245
scurvy, 123
sea moss, 88
sea salt, 96
sea vegetable powder, 95
with roasted sesame seeds, 95
sea vegetables, as sources of iron,
127
as sources of vitamin B12, 125
cooking styles for, 88
cooking variations for, 88
list of for regular use, 87
use of in macrobiotics, 87
use of in soup, 83
seafood, cooking styles for, 89
cooking varieties for, 89
list of for occasional use, 89
use of in macrobiotics, 88
seafood, use of in soup, 83
seasoning, use of in macrobiotics,
96
seasonings, for beans, 86
list of for occasional use, 96
use of in fish and seafood
dishes, 90
used in soup, 83
seeds, serving styles for, 93
use of as condiments, 93
use of as garnishes, 94
use of as snacks, 94
use of in macrobiotics, 93
seeds seasoning for, 94
seitan, 79
selenium, 132
self-discovery, 111
self-knowledge, 111
self-reflection, 38
self-responsibility, 115
Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, 33, 34,
77, 129
serotonin, 45
serotonin system, 45
sesame miso, 96
sesame oil, 96
sexual crimes, 116
dietary cause of, 119
sexual maturation, 52
sexuality, 141
Shakespeare, 37
shampoo, use of, 102
Shattuck Research, 116
Shiffer, Ivan Pedro, 153
shiitake mushrooms, 84
shiso kombu, 95
shiso leaves, 95
shock therapy, 114
shock treatment, 143
sickness, approach to, 112
relationship of to mental
condition, 38
Simonsen, Clifford E., 150
simple sugar, effect of on blood
glucose, 59
simple sugars, 41, 59, 76
single parent families, 16
skin cancer, 73
skin disorders, 52
Small, Glenn, 174
snacking, recommendations for, 100
snacks, list of for regular use, 94
use of in macrobiotics, 94
snap beans, 84
Snyder, Murray, 172
soap, use of, 102
sociability, breakdown in, 201
social disharmony, 65
social problems, increase in, 30
social rehabilitation, approach to, 76
social solidarity, 118
social workers, 117
society, withdrawal from, 67
Socrates, 9
sodium, 69
sodium, functioning of in nervous
system, 44
soup, beans used in, 83
garnishes for, 84
grains used in, 82
kind of, 81
sea vegetables used in, 83
283
effect of on thinking, 72
influence of on behavior, 47
intake of by inmates, 199
source of in macrobiotic diet,
130
sugar addiction, among inmates, 61
Sugar Blues, 238
sugar cravings, cause of, 59
sugar consumption, 31
sugar industry, 152
sugar reduction, behavioral improvements resulting from, 62
experiments with, 62
sugars, effects of on behavior, 62
suicide, 19
incidence of, 58
increase in, 137
increase of among young
people, 34
rate of among yound people, 19
relationship of to depression,
137
summer squash, 84
sunflower seeds, 93
surface consciousness, 109
Surgeon General, 146
survival, struggle for, 112
sushi, 94
sweet brown rice, 79
sweet brown rice beverage, 96
sweeteners, use in desserts, 98
synapse, 44
synthetic estrogen, 33, 45
synthetic foods, 141, 150
synthetic organs, 141
T-cells, 42, 52
T4/T8 ration, 29
tai chi chuan, 167, 244
tai chi exercises, 181
takuan pickles, 92
tamari soy sauce, 96
tamari soy sauce pickles, 92
Taoist temples, 111
Taoist yoga, 164
tardive dyskinesia, 143
Taub, Mary Pat, 230
Texas Department of Corrections, 161
24
TDC, 161
teen suicide, 19
teenage runaway, 72
tekka, 95
television, effects of, 33, 102
tempeh, 86
tension, 145
testosterone, 45, 52
influence of diet on, 45
influence of on behavior, 45
tetracycline, 33
Texas Board of Paroles and
Pardons, 163
textured soybeans, 154
The Anatomy of Human Destructive ss, 139
The History of Shock Treatment, 143
the plague among us, 20
The Tempest, 37
theft, 24
cost of, 24
thorazine, 105, 106
thought disturbances, 67
thoughts, energetic quality of, 37
thyroidities, 7
Tidewater Detention Home, 61,
116, 195, 245
Tidewater Juvenile Detention Home,
170
Tidewater Research, 61, 116
Time, 17, 74
time and space, 109
tonsils, and natural immunity, 74
tooth care, 102
Torrey, Fulton, 142
toxic metals, relationship of to
schizophrenia, 70
traditional values, loss of, 141
traffic accidents, 61
tranquilizers, 105, 142
triple-bypass surgery, 217
tropical fruits, effects of on natural
immunity, 75
tryptophan, 146
Tufts Medical School, 229
turnip, 84
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 77
285