MICHIO KUSHI

AND ASSOCIATES

CRIME
&DIET
The Macrobiotic Approach

V M P

J a p a n Publications, Inc.
 1987 by Michio Kushi

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First edition: September 1987

LCCC No. 86-82767

ISBN 0-87040-682-5

Printed in Japan
 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 on-
call 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 in-
volves traditional medicine's objection to any hypothesis that food con-
tributes to criminal behavior, much less mental illness. In the "Position
Paper of the American Dietetic Association on Diet and Criminal Be-
havior," 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 con-
capts proposed in Zen Macrobiotics constitute major public health prob-
lem 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-burgers-
and-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 psy-
chiatric 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 hypo-
glycemia. 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 com-
plained 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 drink-
ing down quart bottles of cola. When I look at their diets, their medi-
cations, 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 .
Canterbury, New Hampshire
 Preface

From the beginning of history, humanity has experienced crime and

violence. Why do human beings express themselves in this way?
Before we answer this question, we should know that two types of
crime existcrimes that are violations of artificial or human law, and
those which are transgressions of natural or cosmic law. These are
often contradictory. For example, someone who does not violate human
law may violate the order of nature, while a person who follows the
order of nature may be accused of violating human law.
Many great personalities in history were accused and sentenced
even to deathbecause they were exercising spiritual, philosophical,
and intellectual freedom in accord with their understanding and aspira-
tion toward the universe and nature. Many prophets were accused,
and so Jesus Christ was tried and sentenced. Many thinkers were
accused, and so Socrates was forced to drink poison, and Galileo was
condemned by the Inquisition. However, human laws and institutions
are of course relative and changeable, and many are themselves viola-
tions of natural law, which may be interpreted as harmony with our
planetary environment.
A discussion of what constitutes crime in light of natural law is
beyond the scope of this preliminary book. In this volume, we discuss
problems such as violent and destructive behavior, mental illness, the
abuse of drugs and alcohol, and other forms of biosocial decline, and
review their causes in general terms.
Modern approaches to so-called criminal behavior are often inade-
quate, and in many respects unjust. Procedures such as accusation,
judgment, sentencing, imprisonment, and other forms of punishment
deal with symptoms only, with the primary motive being to punish
badness or the bad. However, this view does not consider the biological,
biochemical, psychological, and social causes of abnormal thinking
and behavior. There is no understanding of why someone thinks or
10

responds in a violent or destructive manner while many others do not

respond in this way when confronted with similar situations. The key
to understanding the real cause of so-called criminal behavior lies in
knowing the effect of daily lifestyleespecially dietary practiceon
the way we think and act.
Daily food and drink play a decisive role in influencing thought,
emotion, and behavior. We see those who drink alcohol go through
a change in personality while intoxicated. The foods we consume
daily also influence our thinking and behavior in varying degrees.
Criminal thought and behavior can be prevented and corrected
through a balanced natural diet and the adjustment of environmental
conditions. It is not impossible for the most dangerous criminal to
change into the most saintlike person through these methods, or for
the most egocentric and selfish individual to become the most
altruistic.
At present, we are confronting the planet-wide incidence of so-
called criminal behavior, while at the same time, moving toward the
possible beginning of a planetary culture based on natural harmony.
In order for a peaceful world to develop, it is essential that individuals
and communities be free from criminal thought and behavior, as well
as from degenerative physical and psychological illness.
It is our sincere hope that this introductory book will reveal new
possibilities for solving these age old human problems, and contribute
to the beginning of a new era in which crime does not exist.
I would like to thank all of those who assisted in creating this book.
I thank our macrobiotic associate, Edward Esko, for coordinating the
compilation and editing of the materials, with the assistance of our
friends Tom Iglehart and Eric Zutrau. I wish to express appreciation
to Stephen Harnish, M.D., of the Greater Manchester Mental Health
Center in New Hampshire, for contributing a foreword and for re-
viewing the text. I also thank each of the contributors, including our
friends who discuss their experiences with macrobiotics while in pri-
son, our friends in the corrections field who wrote articles, and the
staff of the Kushi Foundation and East West Journal for their con-
tributions and efforts in helping people in prison.
I thank Neil Stapleman and friends at the New York Center for
Macrobiotics for providing tapes of lectures and seminars, and
 II

Evelyne Harboun for transcribing this material. I also thank Phillip

Jannetta and other members of the Japan Publications staff in Tokyo
for their efforts in copy editing and production. I would also like to
thank Christian Gautier for his charts and illustrations, and Susi
Osterreich, Carry Wolf, Judy Pingryn, and Diane Sacolick for their
help in typing the text.
I thank Lawrence H. Kushi, Sc. D., currently at the University of
Minnesota, for assistance in compiling the statement on the nutritional
adequacy of the macrobiotic diet, and Alex Jack for his comments and
advice.
On behalf of our friends everywhere, I thank John Denver for his
support of Kushi Foundation Prison Projects and for his dedication
to a better world.
I especially appreciate the dedication of Mr. Iwao Yoshizaki and
Mr. Yoshiro Fujiwara, respectively president and New York repre-
sentative of Japan Publications, Inc. in producing this book and others
like it for the dream of one peaceful world.

MICHIO 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

Foreword, by Stephen Harnish, M.D., 5

Preface, g

1. Crime and Diet: T h e Macrobiotic Approach, 15

A Portrait of Decline, 16
The Role of Diet, 30
Unifying Body and Mind, 36
Behavioral Disorders, 39
Hyperactivity, 46
Depression, 57
Schizophrenia, 65
The Macrobiotic Approach, 75
Macrobiotic Cooking, 101
Suggestions for a Healthy Life, 101
Case Histories, 103
Triumph over Schizophrenia, 104
The Peter Harris Story, 107
Recovering Mental Health, 108
Transforming Our View of Life, 112
A Crime-Free World, 115

Appendix: A Nutritional Overview of the Macrobiotic Diet, 120

2. A Nutritional Approach to Mental Health, 135

3- Profiles, 151

Virginia's Pioneering Prison Project, 151

Macrobiotics in a Danish Prison, 153
The Neil Scott Story: Sentenced to Life, 160
Powhatan: The Story of Chuck Fai-Goon, 166
kUUUUUUUUUUilUltiUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMUiUUrJMUUUUUUUUUUMiUUUUUUUUUUUAiMlfWAUUUU

Macrobiotics Encounters at Powhatan, 171

Freedom Food, 174
The Powhatan Banquet, 176
Teaching Macrobiotics at Powhatan, 180

4. T h e View from Corrections, 185

Food for Freedom, 185

Evidence of Food-Health-Behavior Link Revealed in Prison
Experiments, 190
Overfed and UndernourishedThe Importance of Diet in the
Rehabilitative Process, 195
A View of Corrections, 199

5. T h e Shattuck Model: Macrobiotics in an Institution, 203

The Shattuck Research, 229

6. Prisoner Correspondence and Projects, 235

Letters from Prisoners, 237

The Kushi Foundation Prison Project, 243
Sample Proposal for Inmate Nutrition and Training, 251

Recommended Reading, 259

Macrobiotic Resources, 265
Index, 267
 i. Crime and Diet:
The Macrobiotic Approach
Michio Kushi

In this book, we present new possibilities for solving several of the

most pressing social concerns of our age; problems such as crime,
juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental illness. Our
approach to these problems is actually simple. It involves reorienting
our daily lives away from artificiality and toward closer cooperation
with the natural environment. The cornerstone of this approach is
a more naturally balanced, ecologically based diet. We refer to this
approach as macrobiotics.
Over the past 35 years, macrobiotics has gained a reputation as an
effective method for preventing major degenerative illnesses. T h e role
of diet in the development of heart and cardiovascular illness, cancer,
diabetes, and other chronic illnesses has become more apparent.
Leading public health agencies agree that a naturally balanced diet in
the direction of macrobiotics can help prevent many degenerative
conditions. Macrobiotic education has contributed steadily to the
growing public concern about diet and its role in staying healthy.
Together with this, macrobiotics has become widely known as a
way to recover health even after sickness has developed. T h e macro-
biotic approach to illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes,
obesity, and other widespread conditions has been thoroughly pre-
sented in our educational programs and in books and publications.
Throughout the world, thousands of people with these and other
conditions have experienced a return to good health following adoption
of the macrobiotic diet and way of life. In the future, macrobiotics
promises to revolutionize our thinking about physical health and the
approach to sickness, including sicknesses such as A I D S and immune
deficiencies.
Macrobiotics provides workable solutions for the modern crisis of
physical health, as well as solutions to emotional, psychological, and
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 one-
half 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 num-
ber are delaying remarriage or deciding to raise their children alone.
At the same time, an increasing number of women are having chil-
 17

dren without getting married. According to the National Center for

Health Statistics, the number of births outside of marriage increased
from approximately 224,000 in i960 to 665,000 by 1980. An increasing
proportion of these births are taking place among teenage girls. In
i960, for example, about 15 percent of the births to young women age
15 to 19 were outside of marriage. By 1980, almost half (48 percent)
occurred outside of marriage.
In the past, people looked to the home as a refuge from the vicissi-
tudes of society; an oasis of peace, calm, and nurturance amidst the
challenges and difficulties of the outside world. However, for many,
the home is no longer a place where peace and harmony prevail.
According to Time, nearly six million wives or female partners are
physically abused by their husbands or boyfriends every year, and
2,000 to 4,000 die as a result of their injuries. T h e nation's police spend
about one-third of their time responding to domestic violence calls.
At present, the leading cause of injury to women is physical assault by
a spouse or partner. However, wives or girlfriends are not the only
ones who suffer as a result of domestic violence: One expert estimates
that as many as 280,000 men are physically assaulted by their wives
or partners every year.
Domestic violence is not limited to adult family members, however.
All too often it involves children, and according to recent statistics, in
increasing numbers.
The extent of child abuse in America is difficult to determine, largely
because so many cases go unreported. However, the number of re-
ported cases in the United States is rising rapidly. According to the
American Humane Association, approximately 413,000 cases were
reported-to state and local authorities in 1976. In 1981, the number
had doubled to about 851,000, and increased by an additional 12
percent in 1982.
Most experts agree that the reported cases of child abuse represent
only a fraction of the actual number. Some experts say that as many as
six million children are abused or neglected in the United States every
year. One authority has estimated that about 25 percent of all broken
bones seen in children under the age of two are the result of abuse
from parents. It is estimated that child abuse resulted in 50,000 deaths
and 300,000 permanent injuries during the period from 1973 to 1982.
Juvenile delinquency, crime, drug abuse, and alcoholism are among
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 suffer-
ing, 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 Investiga-

tion, Crime in the United States, 1983 (Washington, D. C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1984), p. 346
Fig. 1 Age-specific violent crime arrest rate, by sex, 1983

Many studies have concentrated on the role of the family in delin-

quent 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
 l
9

in Extraordinary Groups: The Sociology of Unconventional Lifestyles,

author William Kephart quotes a study of delinquents and their
families that concluded that:

"Quarrelsome, neglecting families actually had a higher crime rate

than homes in which a permanent separation had disrupted the
familyconflict and neglect predisposes a child to crime (even
more so than broken homes)."

Problems with the family have in turn had a dramatic effect on the
schools and on the quality of education that children receive. Crime
and violence are commonplace in schools today, especially in the
larger cities. A special report issued in November, 1983, by the Boston
Commission for Safe Public Schools, stated there was "too much
disruption, violence, and fear in the city's schools." In a survey of
inner city high schools, the Commission found one of every two
teachers and four out of ten students were victims of larceny, assault,
or robbery during the previous year. Nearly one-third of the students
questioned admitted carrying weapons to school.
The scope of the problem is nationwide. In 1978, the National
Institute for Education commissioned a study of violence in secondary
schools throughout the country. It was found that:

2,400,000 students had personal belongings stolen

282,000 students were physically assaulted
125,000 teachers were threatened with physical assault or
violence
1,000 teachers required medical attention as a result of being
attacked while in school

Another problem that is growing in scope among young people

today is that of teen suicide. Nationally, suicide is the third leading
cause of death among young adults and teenagers. T h e rate of suicide
in that age group has almost tripled in the last 30 years. Parents and
teachers throughout the United States have become increasingly
alarmed at this trend, for which no solution has yet appeared.
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: Center for Disease Control, Atlanta
Fig. 2 Rate of teen suicides

Over the last 30 years, as everyone knows, there has been a tremen-
dous 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 bil-
lions 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

Annual reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services have documented the rise in the use of drugs in the United
States in the last 25 years. The headline of the report on the national
survey on drug abuse, in June, 1980, stated what everyone already
knew; "Reports show dramatic increase in use of marijuana and
cocaine." Retrospective studies prepared by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse show that the proportion of persons who have used
marijuana increased from 4 percent to 68 percent from 1962 to 1980,
and the proportion who have tried stronger drugs such as cocaine,
heroin, hallucinogens, or inhalants increased from 3 percent to 33
percent in the 18 to 25 year age group. These estimates are, according
to experts, conservative. The use of drugs is actually much higher.
The number of Americans who have experimented with cocaine is
estimated at 20 to 24 million, according to 1985 data from the Presi-
dent's Commission on Organized Crime.
Newsweek, in a March, 1986 story on Kids and Cocaine, reported
that one of every six teenagers will have sampled cocaine before
senior-prom night in high school. The editorial quoted above goes
on to state:

"Marijuana is, as the President's Commission on Organized Crime

recently put it, firmly entrenched in American society; one in
four of us has tried it, usually in violation of the law, and one in
12 smokes it regularly. Heroin, though fallen from fashion, has a
steady 500,000 customers. Cocaine, once the dream dust of the
rich and famous, has four or five million regularsa clientele now
reaching from the boardroom to the assembly line and the study
hall. . . . Crime has started rising again in our cities, and drugs
are implicated in more than half of it."

Like the abuse of drugs, the overall rates of crime in America have
shown a steady increase in the last 25 years. The number of offenses
known to police more than doubled during that period. Public percep-
tion of crime has also been on the rise, according to opinion surveys.
A Gallup survey conducted in 1983 showed that 45 percent of re-
spondents were afraid to walk alone within a mile of their homes. The
numbers had increased more than 10 percent over a similar survey
 Young Adults

* Based on reconstructed data, t Includes Hashish as well as Marijuana,

except in 1972.
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Fig. 3 M a r i j u a n a t: trends in lifetime experience

Cocaine

Fig. 4 & 5 Stronger drugs: trends in opportunity and lifetime

experience in young adults
 23
Hallucinogens

* Based on reconstructed data

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

conducted in 1965. Similar surveys reveal that a substantial number

of people feel unsafe in their homes at night. Clearly, our society is
becoming more tense and fear-ridden, with no end in sight. As we can
see in the following chart, America has the highest crime rate among
the major industrial nations.

According to 1980 estimates, one crime index offense is committed

every two seconds; one violent crime every 24 seconds; and one pro-
perty crime every three seconds.
According to the FBI, major crimes reported to police rose 4.6
percent between 1984 and 1985. The annual crime index showed
increases in every category of crime, with a total of 12.4 million re-
ported crimes in 1985. The report estimated that:

18,976 people were murdered, a two percent increase over 1984.

Forcible rape rose four percent, with 87,340 rapes reported.
Robbery increased three percent, at a yearly cost of $313 million.
Aggravated assault rose by six percent.
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 Investiga-
tion, Crime in the United States (Washington, D. C.: U.S. Govern-
ment Printing Office). 1984 Source Book of Criminal Justice Statistics,
U.S. Department of Justice
Fig. 6 Estimated rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) of offenses
known to police, by type of offense, United States,
1960-1983

Every category of property crime also increased with burglary rising

three percent; theft, five percent (with a total of 6.9 million reported
thefts); car theft, seven percent; and arson, three percent.
People whose homes were robbed lost an average $974; the estimated
cost of theft in 1985 was $3 billion. According to the FBI, the incidence
of violent crimemurder, rape, robbery, and assaultrose by 32 per-
cent since 1976, while property crimes increased by seven percent in
the same period.
As high as they are, these figures are actually conservative, reflecting
only the number of crimes reported to police. According to the FBI,
these figures do not represent all crime in America, much of which is
never reported.
In our lectures and publications, we have chronicled the rise of
degenerative illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, in-
fertility, reproductive disorders, and others that have paralleled the
twentieth century breakdown of the family and society. Where is this
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 bio-
social 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:

Potential N u m b e r in the United States

Year Carrying the A I D S Virus

1985 2 million
1986 4 million
1987 8 million
1988 16 million
1989 32 million
1990 64 million
1991 128 million
1992 *256 million
*Note: T h e U . S . population is n o w estimated at 230 million.

By 1991, more than half of the people in America could be carrying

the virus, and if the number again doubles in 1992, the number of
people with the AIDS virus could exceed the population of the United
States. Meanwhile, if the number of acute cases doubles every year,
and if the number reaches 500,000 by 1991, in the following year,
there could be one million; in 1993, two million; in 1994, four million;
and so forth. At this rate, the number of acute cases could exceed the
U.S. population by the year 2000. Clearly, time is running out.
Many people with the virus develop a chronic condition known as
AIDS Related Complex, or ARC, that gradually worsens; it may take
from several years to ten or more years, but eventually, more acute,
full-blown AIDS may develop, leading to death. Throughout the world,
researchers have been laboring day and night to try to solve this pro-
blem. However, there is presently little hope for a medical solution.
 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 under-
stood, 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:

Potential N u m b e r of People
Year Worldwide with A I D S Virus
1986 10 million in Central Africa plus
about 10 million elsewhere worldwide
1987 40 million
1988 80 million
1989 160 million
1990 320 million
1991 640 million
1992 1,280 million
1993 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 popula-

tion, 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 im-
mune 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

which could enhance survival. They are all following a vegetarian

(macrobiotic) diet and have a strong social support system. They
at first had minimal disease with KS lesions diagnosed only on the
skin and palate. Their T 4 / T 8 ratio, which reportedly correlates
with survival, is higher than that reported for patients with KS.
"Survival in these men who have received little or no medical
treatment appears to compare very favourably with that of KS
patients in general. We suggest that physicians and scientists can
feel comfortable in allowing patients, particularly those with
minimal disease, to go untreated as part of a larger study or be-
cause non-treatment is the patient's choice.
"Several drugs are being evaluated or will soon be evaluated
in clinical trials. These trials should be scientific and include a
placebo control group. T h e survival of men with KS for longer
than 3 years with no medical intervention indicates that occasional
"successes" in uncontrolled treatment protocols may in fact
reflect part of the spectrum of the natural course of the disease
that is favoured by as yet undefined host and/or extrinsic factors
rather than an effect of a particular drug."

In a January, 1986 letter, Elinor Levy and John Beldekas of the

Department of Microbiology at Boston University commented further
on the macrobiotic-AIDS research:

" T h e results of our ongoing study of men with AIDS who are
macrobiotic are encouraging. We have been studying men sequen-
tially since May 1984 to follow certain immune parameters. At
present the data suggest a stabilization of the % T i positive cells
and lymphocyte number in about 50% of the group. The general
pattern in people with KS is a steady decline in both % T s and
total lymphocyte number. This is thought to be a significant
indicator of morbidity. Therefore the ability to stabilize these
parameters, in so large a proportion of our study group, is a
hopeful sign."*
* For a more detailed discussion of the macrobiotic approach to AIDS, please
see AIDS: Cause and SolutionThe Macrobiotic Approach to Natural Immunity
by Michio Kushi and Martha C. Cottrell, M.D., Japan Publications, Inc., 1987.
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 mani-
festations 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.

The Role of Diet

Sociologists often associate problems such as crime, drug abuse, and

juvenile delinquency with the breakdown of the modern family.
Dislocations caused by the shift from a predominately rural, pre-
industrial lifestyle to an urban, industrial way of life during the twen-
tieth century are seen contributing to the breakdown of the family
and increase in social problems. However, while these changes were
taking place on the surface, deeper biological changes were also oc-
curring, due to the massive shift from traditional eating patterns
toward the modern artificial diet.
For countless generations, since before the dawn of recorded history,
the majority of humanity ate a natural, ecologically balanced diet.
Our ancestors in all parts of the world nourished themselves with the
products of their regional agriculture: whole cereal grains, fresh local
vegetables, beans and their products, seasonal fruits, and occasional
animal products, usually in much smaller amounts than at present.
Of course, each region or culture developed its own unique traditions
of farming, food processing, and cooking based on climatic and
environmental differences, but all were united in their respect for
whole cereal grains and fresh local vegetables as principal foods.
 3i

Ancient societies, especially agricultural ones, were far more stable

and peaceful than at present. The fabric of society was held together
by the family, and families were held together by a shared quality of
blood that was created by a shared quality of food.
This pattern continued until the modern age. Technological develop-
ments beginning with the Industrial Revolution disrupted patterns of
eating and family life that had existed for centuries.
In America, the coming of the railroad, the establishment of cattle
drives to rail depots, and the building of commercial stockyards caused
meat consumption to rise dramatically, and began the modern romance
with beefsteak. Fat consumption also increased with the introduction
of commercial vegetable oils and the development of margarines.
The introduction of steel rollers into the milling processintroduced
first in Minnesota in 1880 and later in the rest of the Grain Belt
completely stripped the germ and bran from wheat, making available
an even finer white flour. In 1890, pasteurized milk became available,
and the invention of the cream separator, the milking machine, and
advances in commercial refrigeration launched the modern dairy
industry. Between 1875 and 1915, annual sugar consumption doubled
from about 40 pounds per capita to 80 pounds. By the turn of the
century, Coca-Cola and other soft drinks had become widely available,
and their popularity increased with each new decade.
Following World War I, the pace of scientific and technological
change accelerated, and eating patterns changed even more dramatic-
ally. In agriculture, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, developed in
the nineteenth century, displaced organic farming. The creation of
mammoth incubators after the war led to the mass production of
poultry. In the 1920s, home refrigeration came into vogue, and pre-
packaged frozen foods reduced the consumption of fresh garden
produce. Refined, canned, and dehydrated foods also took an increasing
share of the market. In the 1930s the vitamin industry was developed
to sell back to the consumer the nutrients removed by refining grain.
Artificial colors, preservatives, and other additives found their way
into daily food as synthetic flavors, cosmetic appearance, and extended
shelf life replaced wholesomeness and nutrition as primary concerns.
Following World War II, beef, milk, cheese, ice cream, and other
dairy products replaced whole grains, bread, noodles, and pasta as the
32

Source: HSPA Manual, 1972

Fig. 8 Per capita a n n u a l refined sugar consumption

Year Year

Source: USD A/ERS, 1975 Source: USDA/ERS, 1975

Fig. 9 Per capita consumption of Fig. 10 Per capita cereal products
m e a t , poultry a n d fish consumption

staples in most of the industrialized world. Through breeding, arti-

ficial 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 pro-
liferated. 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 per-
centage 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 learn-
ing 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 radia-
tion 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 televi-
sion, 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 recom-
mend sweeping dietary changesin the general direction of macro-
bioticsfor 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 develop-
ment 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 attract-
ing more attention from law enforcement officials. Two of our
witnesses will speak to this very issue and their respective ex-
perience 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 mo-
mentum 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 funda-
mental way of effecting this transformation. These issues are the sub-
jects of the sections that follow.

Unifying Body and Mind

Over the past 30 years, thousands of people who were suffering from
emotional and psychological problems have come for macrobiotic
advice. Many had already consulted with psychiatrists because of
problems such as insecurity, anxiety, and depression. Others were
having problems with alcohol, drugs, or difficulties with relationships.
Many of the people who came to see me had spent months or years
visiting psychiatrists. Some experienced improvement as a result of
talking their problems through, but many saw no improvement even
after spending years in analysis. Experiences such as these are common,
and force us to question whether the present approach of treating the
mind and body as separate can lead to solutions for problems such as
these. That separation began during the age of Greece, and has con-
tinued to the present day. At that time, people started to see things as
separate, and began to analyze each aspect independently. Body, mind,
and spirit were thought to be independent entities, and out of this
belief came the preoccupation of science and medicine with the physical
world. However, this view was shattered in the twentieth century when
studies of preatomic particles revealed that there is no fixed unit of
matter; matter disappears and changes into a mass of vibrations or
 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 dis-
persed 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 relation-
ships 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 muta-
tion, 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 ad-
mitted 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 in-
creased 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.

In the above chart, common foods are classified according to their

yin and yang effects. In general, animal foods, including meat, eggs,
poultry, and cheese exert a more constrictive effect on the body and
mind and are rich in hemoglobin, sodium, and mineral salts. They
are, therefore, considered to be more yang. Vegetable foods are gen-
 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

share complementary functions. The more yang bloodstream functions

in a manner that is complementary to the more yin lymph stream.
The lymphocytes, or specialized cells that are involved in the body's
immune response, also occur in complementary pairs. T-cells, for ex-
ample, have a more dense or compact structure, and are more yang.
B-cells have a more expanded structure and are more yin. More yang
T-cells are easily damaged by the overintake of extremely yin foods
and beverages. Overconsumption of sugar, soft drinks, chemicals,
antibiotics, alcohol, ice cream, and drugs can weaken or destroy these
cells. The result is often some type of immune deficiency.
The structure and functioning of the brain and nervous system also
reveal complementary balance. The cells in the nervous system, or
neurons, come in a variety of forms, but share the same basic structure.
The major sections of the neuron include branched dendrites, which
receive incoming impulses from other nerve cells; the compact cell
body, where incoming impulses are gathered; and the long, extended
axon, where impulses are sent out to neighboring nerve cells. The com-
plementary functioning of these components can be seen in the follow-
ing diagrams:

Fig. 12 Spiral functioning of nerve cells

 43

Neurons: A schematic figure of the main parts of a "typical" neuron.

Part of the cell is myelinated, that is, its axon is covered with a segmented,
insulating sheath. (After Katz, 1952).
Fig. 13 Yin and Yang structure of neurons

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 bio-
chemically 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 trans-
mitters that prevent impulses from arising or reduce their rate. One
group of neurotransmitters, known as catecholamines, including dopa-
mine 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 neuro-
transmitters 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 counter-
balanced by another important amine neurotransmitter system, the
serotonin system. (Most of the neurotransmitters are breakdown pro-
ducts 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 com-
plementary hormones work together in harmony. In the female repro-
ductive 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 repro-
ductive 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 chemi-
calized, or other more extreme yin foods, their production of testo-
sterone 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

hormone such as Provera, their levels of testosterone subside, as does

the tendency toward uncontrollable behavior.
However, isolating imbalances in specific hormones or brain trans-
mitters, and dealing with them separately does not address the under-
lying cause. This more analytical approach leads to symptomatic efforts
to try to control the problem, such as using drugs to stimulate or block
certain neurotransmitters or supplying hormones to compensate for
endocrine deficiencies or excesses. Since these approaches do not
change the extreme or unbalanced way of eating that causes these
imbalances to develop, they are at best partial or temporary. A funda-
mental and lasting solution to behavioral disorders cannot be found
in approaches such as these, but in reestablishing a condition of overall
balance through the practice of a more naturally balanced diet.
In the sections that follow, we present the macrobiotic view of
common behavioral disorders. Here we can see more clearly the role
that diet plays in determining the endless variety of human behavior.

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 pro-
duct 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 hyper-
active 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 be-
havior. 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 ex-
treme 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 overconsump-
tion of more yang extremes; and (2) those which are influenced pri-
marily by the overintake of more yin extremes. The most common
symptoms of hyperactivity are classified below:
48

More Yin Symptoms:

Inability to focus on one thing at a time, or to think concretely.
Confusion, or inability to make order out of the stimuli received
by the brain.
No sense of direction or purpose.
Mixing up common distinctions such as left and right, vertical
and horizontal, inside and outside, front and back, or beginning
and ending.
Being out of touch with the body, including not being aware of
certain parts of the body, a lack of coordination, or loss of control
over bodily functions.
Continual movement, especially involving small nervous move-
ments of the hands, fingers, or other parts of the body, including
minor twitching or shaking.
Slow development in children, for example, learning to walk,
talk, or read later than normal.

More Yang Symptoms:

Rigidity in body and mind, including extreme stubbornness or
literal-mindedness.
Continual movement, especially of the large muscles of the body,
i.e.: Continually getting up from a chair, always running rather
than walking, jumping up and down, or rocking back and forth.
Overly rapid development in children, for example, walking,
crawling, or talking earlier than normal; or skipping stages of
development.
Impatience or lack of inhibition.
Overly rough or destructive behavior, including violent outbursts
of temper, destruction of property, and so on.
Aggressiveness toward others, including bullying, harassing, or
fighting with others, or cruelty toward children, pets or others in
a weaker position.
Extreme ego-centeredness, to the point of being unaware of or
insensitive to others.

The diet of most people with hyperactivity is generally extreme at

both endsfor example, meat, eggs, and poultry on one hand; and
 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 sub-
stances in the environment can often trigger symptoms. They fre-
quently react to products ranging from chemicalized toothpaste to
felt-tipped markers. A list of substances that can trigger extreme reac-
tions in persons with hyperactivity is presented in our book, Macro-
biotic 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 manage-
ment, 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 stimu-
lants. 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) Dulling of the body's automatic functions: Drugs such as

amphetamines initially activate the autonomic nervous
system and its two complementary branches: the ortho-
sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. However, chronic
use weakens the parasympathetic system and results in a
loss of quickness and accuracy in adapting to the environ-
ment. Many parents with hyperactive children have reported
that drugs make their children act drugged or over-medi-
cated. Impairment of motor functions also makes someone
more accident prone.
(2) Declining sensitivity: The continual use of drugs causes the
cells of the nervous system to become semipermanently
expanded, thus diminishing their reactive powers and lead-
ing to decreased sensitivity.
(3) A loss of clarity: The intake of extremely yin stimulant
drugs weakens the inner area of the brain, especially the
midbrain, while activating the more yin surrounding cortex.
The more yang motion centers of the brain are also weakened.
The midbrain represents the focal point for gathering infor-
mation from the entire nervous system in the form of stimuli.
 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 contra-
dictory signals to the various parts of the body.
In order for this key function to operate well, the in-
nermost 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 child-
hood could impair future reproductive abilities. The repro-
ductive organsthe ovaries and testesare more yang and
compact. They are easily debilitated by the intake of ex-
tremely 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 ab-
normal 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 con-
nected with sexual maturation become operative.
(6) Degeneration of blood quality and weakening of natural im-
munity : 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. Func-
tions such as the ability of the liver to detoxify poisons and
the ability of specialized cells in the lymphatic and blood-
streams 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 dis-
rupted 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 mani-
festations 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 depend-
ence on artificial or superficial methods of dealing with pro-
blems. 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) Whole grains may account for 40 to 60 percent of food intake.

Grains may include both whole grains and flour products
such as high quality traditional sourdough breads, noodles,
seitan, fu, and others, and may be prepared in a variety of
stylespressure-cooked, boiled, served in soups, casseroles,
breads, pancakes, noodles, porridge, muffins, crackers, and
so on.
(2) Soups may be included daily. Light miso or tamari broth
soups may be served once a day. Whole grain, vegetable, and
bean soups may also be included if desired.
(3) Vegetables may account for 20 to 30 percent of daily intake,
and may be prepared in a variety of styles. In addition to
cooked vegetables, a small portion of raw salad and pickles
may be included regularly if desired.
(4) Beans may account for about 10 percent of daily intake,
cooked in a variety of styles. Traditionally processed soy
products such as tempeh, tofu, dried tofu, and natto may be
eaten daily in addition to beans.
(5) Cooked sea vegetables may account for about 5 percent of
daily intake. Because of their high mineral content they are
particularly useful in restoring those parts of the nervous
system damaged by drugs.
(6) Fish and seafood, nuts and seeds, and seasonal fruits may
account for roughly another 5 percent of daily intake, varying
with individual needs and time of yearfor example, more
fruit in summer than in winter, and fish on a more regular
basis during the autumn and winter.
(7) Liquids may be consumed as freely 'as desired, although
sugared or artificial soft drinks, milk, and tropical or semi-
tropical fruit juices are best avoided.
 55
(8) Guidelines for seasonings, use of condiments, cooking styles,
variety of foods, and so on, are generally presented later in
the chapter.

These general suggestions, if followed in a commonsense manner

with appropriate adjustments and guidance from an experienced
macrobiotic counselor, can lead to a gradual restoration of more normal
behavior. Macrobiotic dietary and way of life suggestions may be
combined with other approaches such as behavior modification, family
counseling, and remedial teaching programs.
General guidelines such as these may also be applied in cases where
someone adopts the macrobiotic way of life following the use of drugs
such as marijuana and cocaine. Individual adjustments are, of course,
required for each person, and these recommendations are best imple-
mented with the assistance of a qualified macrobiotic counselor.
As the new dietary pattern becomes well established, a gradual
improvement of behavior will follow: The individual will become able
to sit still, to concentrate, to be more steady in thought and emotion.
The person will gradually become more self-controlled, and more
responsive to parents, teachers, and co-workers.
In many cases, the condition may improve to the point where it is
possible to reduce or discontinue medication, without any worsening
of behavioral symptoms or decline in learning abilities. The question
of when or how gradually it is advisable to discontinue medication is
a highly individual issue and is approached with care and in con-
sultation with the appropriate medical professional. As a general rule,
reliance on drugs or medications is best withdrawn gradually, rather
than all at once, in stages that follow the gradual improvement of
condition and permit a regular reassessment of dosages and their
effects. Depending on how successful the family is in adopting the
macrobiotic guidelines, the drugs that are commonly given for hyper-
activity can be gradually withdrawn over several months.
It is important to remember that the effects of drugs do not disappear
overnight, even though the overall condition is steadily improving.
Hyperactive persons are often given drugs daily for extended periods.
The amount of time needed to recover from the effects of these medica-
tions are generally as follows:
56

Duration of daily Period of recovery

medication from effects*
1 - 4 weeks 4 months
1 - 3 months 1 year
4 - 6 months 2 years
6 m o n t h s - i year 3 years
1 - 2 years 4-5 years
3-5 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.

Until the period of recovery is complete, it is recommended that the

complete range of foods recommended as a part of macrobiotic prac-
tice be included on a regular basis. The percentage of grains is best
kept within the general 40 to 60 percent range, while other foods may
be increased according to need and personal desire. For example, sea
vegetables may be 10 percent instead of 5 percent, or beans and bean
products may be 15 percent instead of 10 percent. If the person ex-
periences problems with the withdrawal of drugs, the percentage of
vegetables, fruits, and or fish may be increased and the percentage of
grains decreased slightly until the symptoms improve.
During the period of recovery from the previous use of drugs, im-
provement is gradual but may be interrupted by occasional recurrence
of symptoms associated with drug use. The seminor relapses may
include occasional strange or disturbing dreams during sleep, over-
excitement or depression, hypersensitivity, general anxiety or feelings
of cowardice, laziness or sloppiness, irregularity in writing, speaking,
or difficulty with schoolwork, frequent changes of mind and difficulty
in making decisions or thinking clearly, low resistance to cold weather
or infection, slow rate of wound healing, periodic drowsiness or loss
of appetite, difficulty going to sleep or sleeping soundly, and others.
Which of these symptoms will appear depends on the former medical
history of each person, but none is necessarily cause for serious con-
cern, since they generally disappear of themselves as the healing process
proceeds. However, until the period of recovery is complete, persons
 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 in-
volved 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 alter-
nate 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 manic-
depressive 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
outcome of severe depression, is the second leading cause of death
among men between the ages of 25 and 45. The suicide rate in the
United States is now estimated to be about 75,000 per year, and, as
we saw earlier, the rate among young people has increased dramatically
over the last several decades.
Depression is related to problems in the pancreas, and to imbalances
in the level of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. The pancreas secretes
the hormones insulin and anti-insulin. Insulin keeps the blood sugar
level down, while anti-insulin causes it to rise. Both hormones are
properly balanced in the healthy person, and the level of blood sugar
is also kept in moderate balance. In macrobiotic thinking, insulin is a
more yang hormone, and anti-insulin is more yin. Elevated blood sugar
indicates a more yin blood condition, while low blood sugar means
that the condition has become more yang.
As we discuss in our book, Diabetes and Hypoglycemia, when blood
sugar rises, insulin is automatically secreted in order to bring it down.
If, for example, someone eats refined sugar, ice cream, fruit, chocolate,
or some other type of simple sugar, the level of sugar in the blood rises
rapidly, and insulin is secreted. Salty foods, concentrated animal fats,
or proteins lower blood sugar, and when this happens, the pancreas
secretes anti-insulin in order to bring it up. If we are healthy, pancreatic
hormones help the body maintain the proper level of sugar in the blood.
However, many people have been consuming extreme foods since
childhood, and these disrupt the secretion of pancreatic hormones.
Two eggs, bacon, and a glass of milk for breakfast; a cheese sandwich
or a pizza for lunch; and steak, hamburger, or an omelet for dinner
 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 pro-
perly; 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 com-
fortable, 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 con-
ditions 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 after-
noon, 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, espe-
cially 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 Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and the daily cycle

of energy

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 be-
comes 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 hypogly-
cemia, 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 in-
stitutions 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 popu-
lations 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 institu-

tional 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 noncon-
troversial 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
 63

random variation in the juvenile population is less than one

percent. In short, the reduction of sugar consumption by the
children seems to have almost cut the incidence of infractions in
half. Neither my colleagues nor myself have been able to create
an alternative explanation for this phenomenal success."

Similar studies were conducted in institutions in California and

Alabama, all with similar results. It was also discovered that behavior
became worse once the studies were completed and the youths re-
turned to their normal high sugar diets.
These and similar studies have led to a movement within the correc-
tions field to cut back or eliminate sugar and foods that contain it in
juvenile institutions. In 1981, for example, the Los Angeles County
Probation Department removed sugar and all foods processed with
sugarincluding soda, chocolate, and candyfrom its juvenile
facilities.
As we saw in the discussion of hyperactivity, refined sugar, although
certainly a large contributor, is often not the sole cause of uncontrol-
lable behavior. In the case of hypoglycemia, the cause of imbalance
between insulin and anti-insulin is the intake over a long period of
time, of foods such as cheese, chicken, and eggs that make the pancreas
hard and tight and interfere with its normal secretions. It is this con-
dition that produces the craving for sugar, chocolate, ice cream, alcohol,
or in some cases, drugs. The problem of hypoglycemia extends far
beyond the walls of correctional facilities. In my estimate, as many as
60 percent of American adults have this condition in one degree or
another. Many people constantly crave sweets or alcohol. Some turn
to drugs to try to establish balance. As we have seen, hypoglycemia
creates emotional instability, in extreme cases, it can lead to severe
depression. Anti-depressant drugs may temporarily lighten symptoms,
but they do not solve the underlying problem. They also produce a
variety of negative side effects.
Although a giant step in the direction of a more healthy dietary
policy, simply removing refined sugar from the diets of prisoners or
other people in correctional facilities does not go far enough. A more
total dietary change, in the direction of complex carbohydrates such as
those in whole grains, beans, and fresh vegetables, would produce
64

more dramatic and long-lasting results. James Dupree, a corrections

administrator in Alabama has had several years of experience in reduc-
ing 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 espe-
cially 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 function-
ing in the pancreas by basing the diet around the complex carbo-
hydrates 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 be-
comes 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 under-
supply. 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. Hypo-
glycemia, 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 con-
dition 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 pre-
valent in modern society: about 400,000 people in America are cur-
rently 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:

T h i s disorder results from chronic imbalance in internal organs, especially

the kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, lungs, small brain, and medulla ob-
longata. The underlying cause is the overconsumption of extremes of both
yin and yang.

Fig. 16 Patient with catatonic schizophrenia who spent

almost all of his waking t i m e in a crouched position
 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 over-
consumption 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 ob-
serve 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 over-
consumption of poultry, cheese, eggs, and other more yang foods,
leads to overintake of sugar, tropical fruits, and other more con-
centrated 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 hypersensi-
tive 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 intro-
duced, 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 deple-
tion 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 pro-
duced by symbiotic bacteria in the intestines. When someone eats
plenty of sugar, every day, these bacteria die, and the stock of the B-
vitamins 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

ingly lessened. Deposits of mucus and fat begin to accumulate, and

these deposits often contain high concentrations of aluminum, lead,
and other toxic factors.
When a person eats a moderately balanced diet, normal discharge
processes including urination, bowel movement, sweating, and
breathing are normally sufficient to discharge unused or excessive
factors, including toxic substances taken in food, in the air, or through
the skin. The more balanced foods in the macrobiotic diet contain
compounds and substances that bind with toxic elements and cause
them to be readily secreted from the body. Whole grains, fermented
bean products such as miso and tamari, vegetables, and sea-vegetables
all contain substances that help remove toxins.
Similarly, macrobiotic way of life recommendations encourage the
use of more natural and organic materials, avoiding toxic substances
wherever possible. Cast iron, stainless steel, and enamel cookware is
recommended rather than aluminum, and the use of deodorants, hair
sprays, and other artificial body care products often become un-
necessary as one's condition becomes more naturally healthy, thereby
eliminating exposure to aluminum compounds in aerosol sprays
as well as other artificial and potentially toxic substances.
On the other hand, persons with schizophrenia and behavioral dis-
orders frequently have higher than normal concentrations of these
substances in their bodies. Exposure to lead is a by-product of modern
civilization, it comes from breathing auto exhaust, from foods and
drinks that have been contaminated, and from sources such as pottery
glaze, plaster, putty, and paint. Cow's milk is also a source of lead; it is
estimated to contain about 200 times as much lead as mother's milk.
T h e connection between high lead levels, hyperactivity, and learning
disorders in children has been documented in a variety of studies.
Similarly, tests of juvenile delinquents have revealed that a majority
suffer from learning disorders, and also have elevated levels of lead
and other toxic metals in thier bodies.
Allergies, especially to milk and other dairy products, are also
being associated with delinquent behavior. In a study conducted by
criminologist Alexander Schauss, and reported in Diet, Crime and
Delinquency, the diets of a group of juvenile offenders were compared
to other young people without behavioral problems. The male offenders
 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 per-
cent 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 night-
mares. 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 over-
consumption 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

with meat. If one dreams that he or she is traveling long distances or

swimming in the ocean, the cause is an excessive intake of fish. Dreams
in which one sees oneself drowning are caused by too many liquids.
Excessive fluid causes brain cells to become overexpanded and watery.
Examining dreams can help us to understand how food affects our
physical and mental condition.
The images we see while awake are also created by day to day eating.
The images and dialogue in Star Wars, for example, came about be-
cause the writer and director were eating a certain way. The film
became very popular because many people eat in a similar way, and
have a similar imagination. Since the audience's way of eating is very
similar to that of the film's creators, when they see the film they think
it is great.
Different ways of eating produce different patterns of thinking. A
diet of heavy animal foods, for example, causes the rear portions of the
brain to become more active. On the other hand, a diet of more ex-
treme yin foods such as soda, salad, fruit juice, ice cream, chocolate,
honey, and sugar activates the front sections of the brain. The front
portions, including the cerebral cortex, are involved in creating future
visions, while the rear portions generate memories of the past. People
who eat more yin foods tend to be more liberal and oriented toward
the future, while people who eat more beef, veal, or eggs tend to think
more about the past and have a more conservative approach.
There is only a three inch difference between more liberal or new
wave thinking and more conservative or traditional thinking. So when
members of the young, new wave generation talk, their parents, who
often consume plenty of more yang foods, may not be able to under-
stand them. And when parents want to talk to their children, the
children, who are eating plenty of more extreme yin foods, often cannot
understand, and this results in what is sometimes called the "genera-
tion gap." In some cases, the separation between parents and children
becomes so wide that the children want to run away, and seek freedom,
and the family splits apart. The number of teenage runaways, for
example, has been increasing; between i960 and 1975 there were more
than 750,000 runaway children.
The modern family has lost the traditional practice of eating
together. Parents eat by themselves in a restaurant or at the office,
 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 de-
pression. 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 reduc-
tion in immune power. If we look at commercial vegetables, for ex-
ample, 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 grand-
parents 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 con-
sumption 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.

The Macrobiotic Approach

As we have seen, a properly balanced diet is the most fundamental

way to correct the imbalances that create behavioral disorders, includ-
ing antisocial behavior, as well as the abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Changing the overall dietary pattern toward the complex carbohydrates
in whole grains, beans, and fresh vegetables helps restore the pancreas
to more normal, healthy functioning, and modulates extremes in the
level of blood sugar. As this more traditionally balanced diet is adopted,
the craving for more extreme substances, including refined sugar,
alcohol, and drugs will gradually diminish. Behavior will also begin to
stabilize, and a more calm, peaceful, and orderly disposition will
emerge.
Let us now examine the outlines of the standard macrobiotic diet.
76

This way of eating, with the necessary modifications for each indi-
vidual, 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.
 77
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 Agri-
culture;
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 semi-
polar regions.
78

T h e macrobiotic way of eating is derived from bioecological

principles. It is based on harmony with nature, and:

Considers human needs within the order of biological life.

Respects centuries' old dietary customs from cultures through-
out the world.
Can be readily adapted to climatic, seasonal, and environmental
differences.
Considers social and economic requirements and can be
practiced widely throughout the world at a reasonable cost.
Satisfies the nutritional balance and basic requirements for
human needs.

Below we examine each category of food in the standard macrobiotic

diet.

Beans and
Sea Vegetables
5-10%
Plus Supplementary Foods

Fig. 17 T h e standard macrobiotic diet

 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 per-
cent) 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 (fer-
mented 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
 Mochi and vegetable soup
Bread and vegetable soup
Dumpling and vegetable soup
Stew with grains, vegetables, beans, sea vegetables, and/or
fish and seafood
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed soups
Kinds of Vegetables Usually Used in Soup:
Acorn squash Jinenjo
Bok choy Kale
Broccoli Leeks
Brussels sprouts Lambsquarter
Burdock Lotus root
Buttercup squash Mustard greens
Butternut squash Mushrooms
Cabbage Onion
Carrots Parsley
Carrot tops Patty pan squash
Celery Parsnip
Celery root Radish
Cauliflower Red cabbage
Chives Rutabaga
Chinese cabbage Scallions
Coltsfoot Shiitake mushrooms
Daikon Snap beans
Daikon greens Snow peas
Dandelion leaves Sprouts
Dandelion roots Summer squash
Endive Turnips
Escarole Turnip greens
Hubbard squash Watercress
Hokkaido pumpkin Wax beans
Green beans Other traditionally used and
commonly consumed vege-
tables
Kinds of Grains Used in Soup:
Brown rice Wholewheat dumplings
Corn Buckwheat noodles and pasta
 Millet Couscous
Barley Mochi
Oats Other traditionally used and
Buckwheat commonly consumed grains
Whole wheat noodles
and pasta
Kinds of Beans Usually Used in Soup:
Azuki beans Lentils
Black Beans Split peas
Chick-peas Other beans
(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
Buttercup squash Lambsquarter
Butternut squash Mushrooms
Cabbage Mustard greens
Celery Onion
Celery root Parsley
Carrots Parsnip
Carrot tops Pumpkin
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
Escarole Wax beans
 85
Green beans Winter melon
Green peas Wild grasses that have
Hokkaido pumpkin been used widely
Hubbard squash for centuries
Iceberg lettuce Other vegetables that
Jinenjo have been traditionally used
Jerusalem artichoke and commonly consumed
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 com-
prise 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
beans) Bean sprouts
Great northern beans Other beans which have
Kidney beans been traditionally
Lentils used and commonly
Lima beans consumed
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 par-
ticular 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
88

Dulse Wakame
Hijiki Other sea vegetables
Irish moss that have been
(sea moss) traditionally used
Kombu and commonly consumed
Mekabu (wakame's flowering sprout)
Cooking Styles for Sea Vegetables:
Boiling Pickling
Steaming Waterless cooking
Deep-frying Drying
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 aver-
age, 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 satu-
rated fat and those which are most easily digested.
Kinds of Fish and Seafood:
Carp Herring
Cod Scrod
Dried fish Smelt
Small dried fish Snapper
 89

(iriko) Sole
Flounder Trout
Haddock Other white-meat fish
Halibut
Seafood Used Occasionally:
Cherrystone clams Octopus
Littleneck clams Oysters
Clams Lobster
Crab Shrimp
Infrequently Used Fish (not preferred for regular use):
Bluefish Tuna
Salmon Other blue-skinned
Sardines or red-meat fish
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)
90

Cooked with vegetables

Cooked with sea vegetables
Used as flavoring and seasoning in soup, vegetable, or other
dishes
Served with raw fresh salad
Served as fish cake
Other traditionally used and commonly prepared varieties
Garnishes Used to Balance Fish and Seafood Dishes:
Chopped scallions Lemon
Grated daikon Orange
Grated radish Fresh beefsteak (shiso) leaves
Grated ginger root
Green mustard paste Other traditionally used and
Grated horseradish commonly consumed
Shredded daikon garnishes
Raw fresh salad
Seasonings for Fish and Seafood:
Sea salt
Tamari soy sauce
Miso
Black peppercorns
Red pepper
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil, corn oil, safflower oil, mustard seed oil, olive oil
Mirin
Umeboshi vinegar
Tofu sauce seasoned with some of the above ingredients
Kuzu sauce seasoned with some of the above ingredients
Oil sauce seasoned with some of the above ingredients
Other traditionally used and commonly consumed seasonings

FR UIT: The standard macrobiotic way of eating includes occasional

consumption of fruit, depending upon climate, season, personal need,
and circumstances. All traditionally used and commonly consumed
fruits growing in a temperate climate are included. The regular use of
tropical fruits in a temperate climate is not recommended.
Kinds of Fruit:
 9i

Apples Plums
Apricots Raisins
Blackberries Raspberries
Cantaloupe Strawberries
Grapes Tangerines
Grapefruit Watermelon
Honeydew melon Wild berries
Lemons Other fruits traditionally grown
Mulberries in a temperate climate
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.
92

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
Cabbage Red cabbage
Carrots Scallions
Cauliflower Squash
Caviar Turnips
Chinese cabbage Salmon
Cucumbers Sardines
Daikon Other traditionally used and
Herring commonly selected foods for
Leeks making pickles
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.
 93
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:
Alfalfa seeds Sunflower seeds
Black sesame seeds Umeboshi plum seeds
Plum seeds White sesame seeds
Poppy seeds Other traditionally used and
Pumpkin seeds commonly consumed seeds
Squash seeds
Serving Styles for Seeds:
As Condiments:
Dried and ground
94
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
 95
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
96

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
 97
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
98

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 in-
cluding 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
 99
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 non-
stimulating, 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 tradition-
ally 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
100

include some other foods such as salmon, tuna, other red-meat, blue-
skinned, and fatty fish, organic fertilized fowl's eggs, caviar and other
fish eggs, white-meat poultry, skim cow's milk or goat's milk, tradi-
tionally 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, macro-

biotic eating includes the following daily practices:

1) Eat regularly. Two to three meals a day can be consumed.

In the case of vigorous physical labor, the frequency of meals
can be increased to four times a day.
2) Include grain or grain products at every meal. Grain and grain
products can represent 50 percent, more or less, of the daily
intake of food.
3) Variety in the selection and preparation of food, proper com-
binations, and the correct way of cooking food are essential.
4) Cooking is to be done with a peaceful mind, with care and
concern for those who will eat the food.
5) Snacks are to be taken only in moderate amounts. They should
not replace a regular meal.
6) Beverages can be consumed comfortably as one desires.
7) Refrain from eating before sleeping, preferably three hours,
except in unusual circumstances.
8) Chew very well. Chew each mouthful until it is liquid.
9) T h e volume of food can vary depending upon each indi-
vidual's needs.
10) Eat with the spirit of gratitude and appreciation for people,
society, nature, and the universe.
 101

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 ex-
periences 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.

Suggestions for a Healthy Life

Together with eating well, there are a number of commonsense

practices that we recommend for a healthier and more natural way of
life. Practices such as keeping physically active and using natural
cooking utensils, fabrics, and building materials in the home were once
common. When people lived more closely to nature and ate a more
balanced, natural diet, cancer, heart disease, and mental disturbances
were far less common than now. With each generation, we have gotten
further and further from our roots in nature and have experienced
a corresponding decline in vitality and a rise in chronic illnesses.
The suggestions presented below complement a balanced, natural diet
102

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, aero-
bics, 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.
 103

Switch from electric to gas cooking at the earliest convenience.

Case Histories

Today, very few people have peaceful minds.

Because the modern diet is so extreme, many people have the tend-
ency toward either schizophrenia or paranoia. However, these tend-
encies 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 spend-
ing 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 oc-
casionally 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 com-
pletely 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.
104

However, after several weeks he began sneaking out to eat pizza

and hot dogs. He started having the same problems again. After several
days of good eating, his condition became more relaxed, and he started
to become more normal. After a week of eating well, he went out and
binged again, after which his old symptoms returned. It took three to
four years for him to recover and become completely normal. This
frequent binging caused his recovery to be slow, and his experience
highlighted the need for a macrobiotic rehabilitation center. After six
months to a year, many of the people in such a facility would become
normal. It would be unnecessary for people to spend their whole lives
in a mental institution.
Many people in mental hospitals take medication every day for years
and even decades. These cases are very unfortunate, because there is
an easier way to solve these problems. The same is true for crime and
other types of uncontrollable behavior. These problems are often the
result of depression, schizophrenia, paranoia, or combinations of these.
If people with these conditions begin to eat according to macrobiotic
principles, antisocial behavior will diminish and their minds will
become more peaceful and harmonious.
Instead of offering a cure for their conditions, however, we label
them criminals and punish them. They are confined in prison and are
fed hamburger, steak, candy, coffee loaded with sugar, spices, and soft
drinks. Naturally, their thoughts and behavior continue in the same
pattern. Macrobiotics offers a way to escape from this cycle. The
stories in this book tell of prisoners from different parts of the world
who took responsibility for their health and behavior and changed
toward a new life.
The macrobiotic approach offers new hope for the seemingly un-
solvable problems of crime and mental illness. The stories that follow,
for example, show that recovery from schizophrenia and other mental
disorders is possible by changing daily diet and way of life. These
stories were published over the last several years in the East West
Journal.

Triumph Over Schizophrenia by David Briscoe (reprinted from

East West Journal, January, 1983)
 ios

I hated life on that February day in 1972 when upon returning to

my Manhattan, Kansas, apartment I found, outside the door, a stack
of cookbooks left to me by a friend. I haven't seen her since, but her
simple act of kindness, her gentle gift of used cookbooks, saved my
life.
Among the cookbooks was Zen Macrobiotic Cooking. When I saw
it there along with the half dozen vegetarian cookbooks, I thought:
"How strange." I knew for sure I was in no shape to become a Zen
monk let alone one sitting in a sterile kitchen laboratory meditating
on the microbiological aspects of food. However, fortunately during
those days the stranger something seemed, the more I was drawn to
it. So I ignored the "normal" vegetarian books and sat down with the
macrobiotic book and read.
How odd it all seemed to me then, lonely and desperate, on that
bitter winter night reading about brown rice, buckwheat, azuki beans,
yin-yang, and a peaceful healthy life. Ah, yes, a healthy life. For me,
at that time, whenever I read about a normal productive life it seemed
like a dream, something foreign and far away. It was, I thought, as
inaccessible to me as time to a dying man.
My life was a mess. It would have been hard to imagine one more
unbearably shy than I. Who could have guessed that behind my calm
exterior there was such a cutting and constant heartache ? The longing
for companionship was always intense, and my fear of opening up to
others made the days dark and the hours grind by. Sometimes I would
wander the streets for hours, my mind submerged in Thorazine, the
tranquilizer I had been taking for years.
Late at night I would walk the streets of Manhattan and imagine
that behind the lighted and curtained windows there were friends and
lovers I would never know. Sometimes my mind went wild and I
would hide for days not knowing who or where I was. No one under-
stood why I was this way, not the psychiatrists, or my parents who
suffered so much abuse from me. I was a lazy and unambitious college
student, frittering away my days, too frightened by life to learn
anything.
On one of those sad and drifting days, I happened to wander into
the local health food store. I saw on a corner shelf a little bottle of
Chico San tamari soy sauce, its label faded from many months of sit-
io6

ting in the sunlight. I remembered reading about tamari in the macro-

biotic 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 heal-
ing 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 Thora-
zine, 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. Uncharac-
teristically, I called and registered for it. When I arrived at the loca-
tion 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-
 107

mediately, but I couldn't. The body needs time to adjust to a new

way of eating, especially if one has been taking strong medication for
a long time. I learned to eat a balanced diet of whole grains, vegetables,
beans, fish, sea vegetables, and fruit. This helped my body to adjust,
and after one year I was able to completely stop the Thorazine.
Along with showing me the need for good food, macrobiotics has
brought me to an understanding of the spirit of life. I have been
shown how to express my thanks and the importance of this expres-
sion everyday. I have learned to pray. And for all who suffer from
frustrating and confusing states of mind I pray every day.

T h e P e t e r H a r r i s Story by Tom Monte (reprinted from East West

Journal, September, 1980)

In a Boston restaurant, Peter Harris is sipping bancha tea and talking

about his former bout with mental illness. It was nine years ago that
the 28-year-old Boston artist manifested symptoms of schizophrenia
and was institutionalized for six months. Now fully recovered, he talks
about mental illness with the hard, crisp insight of one who has been
to hell and back: he knows the landscape.
"Mental illness," he says, "is like cancer: its a life growing inside
your head that is alien to your own life. It's constantly throwing up
images which you have no control of. And every day this life is grow-
ing, constantly spreading to other parts of your existence." And like
cancer, Harris considered his own greedy pet a part of life despite its
being a source of discomfort. It was after graduation from high school
that he started taking drugs: "I took lots of drugs," he says. " L S D ,
mescaline, marijuana. Ironically, attempting to resolve conflict in this
way actually increased it," he recalls now.
As his relationships with others began to degenerate, Peter began
to feel a powerful sense of alienation, the feeling that he was separating
from the rest of humanity. Looking back, he notes that he was becom-
ing more in tune with the vibrational world, the world of images, than
he was with the material world; however, the images were chaotic,
and still he was taking the drugs. "I realize now that I was going toward
biological degeneration," he says.
When the two attendants in white coats came for him, Harris didn't
io8

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 injec-
tions 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."

Recovering Mental Health

Together with a naturally balanced diet, the recovery of mental health

requires that we regain deep insight and spiritual consciousness. Let
us examine the dimensions of consciousness so as to understand this
more clearly. Our day to day thinking consists largely of more super-
ficial thoughts, dreams, and images. Our ongoing internal dialogue
often includes thoughts such as, " H e said such and such and so I'll
answer in a certain way," or "I am working at the office," or "I am
watching T V , " and so on. However, our consciousness includes more
than just superficial, day to day concerns.
Below this level of consciousness, there is darkness, or uncon-
sciousness. Then, below this is a deeper consciousness, or dream state.
 109

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 unconscious-
ness, 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 com-
pared 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 chemi-
calized 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, vege-
tables, 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 con-
siderations 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 im-
portance 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, chick-
peas, 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 manifesta-
tion 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
112

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.

Transforming Our View of Life

There are two ways to view life. One way, which is common today,
is based on egocentric thinking, in which we see ourselves as the center
of the universe. This view leads to the illusion that we can change
nature or the environment. For example, if a virus appears, we blame
it as the cause of sickness and think the answer is to destroy it. We
view sickness as something separate from us and try to destroy the
symptoms. When any type of problem arises, we think it is caused by
something outside of ourselves. We always assume that we are good
and everything else is bad.
If we develop cancer, AIDS, mental problems, or some other sick-
ness, we blame nature, viruses, our upbringing or environment. This
outlook causes us to continually build fortresses to protect ourselves,
so we create massive defense programs in the form of medical and
insurance systems, armies, police, and other protective measures.
Even central heating is a defense against the climate, and marriage
partners are now defending themselves with legal contracts. We must
constantly assume a defensive posture when we see our environment
as hostile. In this view, enemies are everywhere, and our way of life
becomes a constant battle.
When children enter school, they are taught that life is the struggle
for survival, and this way of thinking governs society. Modern educa-
tion teaches us to compete in order to win. So we struggle to get the
highest income, the best position, and build the most impregnable
fortress. Of course, in order to secure the best weapons for defense,
sacrifices are required. So, at present, 70 to 80 million animals are
killed every year as a part of medical research to find the most potent
medicine, or most powerful injection for defending health.
An egocentric world view is the cause of all our modern problems,
 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 egocen-
tric 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 happi-
ness. 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 macro-
biotic 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 vege-
tables did not grow, were forced to hunt. But that was not very wide-
spread. 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. How-
ever, 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

So-called "victimless crimes" such as pornography or possession of

drugs, contrast with those that are directed toward others. Certain
crimes are sexually motivated, while others are not, and drugs or
alcohol may or may not be involved in a particular crime.
Committing a crime involves several complementary stages; for
example, the planning and the carrying out of the crime, the crime
itself, and the escape or cover-up. There is also a complementary
distinction between professional and amateur crime, as well as between
juvenile and adult offenders. Of course, there is a huge complementary/
antagonistic relationship between people who commit crimes and the
entire system of police, courts, and corrections.
Every crime has a slightly different cause. However, in general,
the most fundamental causes of crime are a daily diet and way of life
removed from the natural order.
In macrobiotic thinking, difficulties offer opportunities for growth
and development. Meeting the challenge of crime can lead to a deeper
awareness of human nature and the proper way of life for everyone.
The stories that follow introduce a new view of crime, corrections,
and rehabilitation. They open the door to new possibilities for solving
these problems. Included are stories of prisoners such as Antonio
Areal, Neil Scott, and others who were determined to change them-
selves into healthy and productive individuals through macrobiotics.
We also present reports of research such as that conducted by Frank
Kern and associates at Tidewater Detention Home, showing that
dramatic improvements in behavior can be achieved through dietary
change in the direction of macrobiotics, as well as a report on the
breakthrough research conducted at the Shattuck Hospital in Boston
on the use of macrobiotics in the possible rehabilitation of chronic
mental patients. We also discuss the ongoing work of the Kushi Foun-
dation Prison Project, including the untiring efforts of people such as
Frank Salvati to bring information about macrobiotics and a natural
way of life to people in prison, as well as the ongoing macrobiotic
educational program at Powhatan State Prison in Virginia.
There are two broad approaches to reducing the problem of crime
in society. One involves providing proper dietary and way of life
education for as many people as possible in society at large. Special
programs could include cooking classes, lectures and support groups
 II7

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, every-
one 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
118

to his friends, later came to Boston to study at the Kushi Institute.

He is like his companions in his desire to deepen his understanding
of macrobiotics and make a constructive contribution to society. After
graduation from three levels of Institute study, To Ze participated in
macrobiotic seminars throughout New England, and helped establish
a macrobiotic center in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a coastal com-
munity with many people of Portuguese descent. To Ze presented
cooking classes and lectures for the Portuguese community, and was
interviewed on radio and in the newspapers. Many people began
macrobiotics and received the benefit of improved health and well
being as the result of his dedication.
Upon returning to Portugal, To Ze resumed his activities with the
macrobiotic center in Lisbon. He and his companions are now actively
involved in such things as food processing, teaching, and counseling.
They are all making constructive contributions to society.
Prisoners are often much healthier physically than people who have
degenerative diseases. They tend to have an excess of vitality, rather
than a lack of it. They may have committed violent or illegal acts, but
many have the spirit of adventure and inventiveness, and express
positive and creative ideas.
In the future, prisons can become places of education. Prosecutors
can change their role to one of guidance, and judges can serve as
philosophers or educators. People in prison can be encouraged in two
ways through education: first, they need inspiration and guidance in
developing an understanding of cosmology and human life. Their
sense of social solidarity will be nurtured through this understanding.
Secondly, they require biological and biochemical improvement, from
which psychological improvement will follow. To accomplish this,
prisons and similar institutions need to serve carefully prepared,
delicious meals. In adopting a macrobiotic diet based upon whole
grains and vegetables, in combination with regular educational pro-
grams, most prisoners will arrive at physical health, psychological
soundness, and spiritual wholeness.
Of course, different prisoners have different physical and mental
conditions, some worse than others. General imbalance comes from an
excessive consumption of sugar, alcohol, drugs, and animal food.
Intellectual crimes involving premeditation often result from excessive
 II9

consumption of meat, eggs, and other animal foods, together with

fruit juice, soft drinks, and stimulants such as caffeine. Sexual crimes
often follow overconsumption of animal food, and other fatty and
greasy foods, including dairy, together with stimulants and sugar. In
each case, specific dietary adjustments are required to meet the needs
of each prisoner.
The story of Linho, and the other profiles presented in this book,
are examples of what macrobiotic practice can accomplish. From
these experiences, we can envision the possibility of reforming the
entire legal system, of changing the practice of restriction and punish-
ment to one of compassion, guidance, and understandinga giant
step in the direction of a healthy and peaceful world.
 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

In order to determine whether the macrobiotic diet is nutritionally

adequate and can promote health and well-being, it is necessary to
understand this diet, not only as it is described in books, but more
importantly as it is practiced. The Standard Macrobiotic Diet approxi-
mates usual macrobiotic eating patterns and is based upon principles
fundamental to the macrobiotic way of life. Therefore, it can serve
as a reference with which to examine criticisms and claims about the
diet.
It is important to realize that while the Standard Macrobiotic Diet
is often described in fixed terms, it encompasses a wide range of
eating patterns, varying in order to create balance with one's environ-
ment and physical and mental conditions. Thus, it is no more rigid
than any other set of guidelines or standards describing an ideal or
norm; in fact, since it embodies the principles of change and balance,
it is perhaps less rigid than many. With this in mind, the Standard
Macrobiotic Diet can form the basis of the discussion presented here.
The general guidelines, from which the Standard Macrobiotic Diet
has been designed, are used as a framework with which each individual
should approach the macrobiotic way of eating. As a basic plan for
human nutrition, these dietary guidelines, also, are no more arbitrary
or inflexible than the "four basic food groups." The guidelines
follow:
 121

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 em-
phasized is the central role of vegetable-quality over animal-quality
foods.

The Nutritional Adequacy

of the Standard Macrobiotic Diet

The major source of criticism of the macrobiotic diet is based on case

studies of purportedly macrobiotic persons who have developed
malnutrition of one sort or another.
When determining the nutritional adequacy of a diet, the standards
most often used in the United States are the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDA), published by the National Academy of Sciences,
while internationally the recommendations put forth by the Food and
Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization (FAO/
WHO) are used. Both of these standards will be referred to when
describing the Standard Macrobiotic Diet and its nutritional adequacy.
We are using the RDA and the FAO/WHO standards as reference
intakes even though they have purposely been set high. The National
122

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 vege-

tarian diets (such as the Standard Macrobiotic Diet) are protein de-
ficient. 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 begrudg-
ingly 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 approxi-
mately 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.
 123

Figures comparable to the RDAs for daily recommended intakes of

protein as established by the FAO/WHO are 37 grams for an adult
man, and 29 grams for an adult woman. In addition, the FAO/WHO
provides an alternative standard, which is that diets should contain
at least 7 percent of calories as protein. It is interesting to note the
difference between the RDAs and the FAO/WHOs standards, and
wonder about the possible reasons why they differ.
Regardless of which standard is used, the Standard Macrobiotic
Diet provides a protein-sufficient diet. It is a truism that virtually all
diets of "mixed foods," whether or not vegetarian will provide 10 to
14 percent of calories as protein, exceeding the standard put forth by
FAO/WHO. Even an all-brown-rice diet would provide approximately
8 percent of calories as protein. Obviously if such a diet were comple-
mented with beans and vegetables, protein intake would not be
a concern.
The absolute amount of protein eaten by persons consuming a
Standard Macrobiotic Diet depends of course, upon the amount of
food eaten. An analysis of the protein intake of diets as recorded by
persons eating a normal macrobiotic diet of three meals per day demon-
strated that this was indeed the case, and that protein deficiency was
not a problem. Even with a relatively limited caloric intake of around
1,600 calories per day, the amount of protein eaten will approximate
or exceed both the RDAs and the FAO/WHO standards.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Vitamin C deficiency was the first

nutritional concern expressed by the medical profession about the
macrobiotic diet. This view, born out of the mistaken notion that
macrobiotics is an all-brown-rice diet, has clung with such tenacity
that even in 1980, a professor addressing a graduate-level nutrition
class made the statement that "all macrobiotics get scurvy." Appar-
ently, a misunderstanding of the nature of the macrobiotic diet even
persists among many health-care educators.
Generally speaking, fruit and leafy green vegetables provide most
of the vitamin C in any diet. Broccoli, cauliflower, and watercress are
some of the many vitamin C-rich foods commonly included in the
Standard Macrobiotic Diet. In fact, only a relatively small portion,
for example half a cup of kale, or lightly cooked vegetables, approaches
124

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 errone-

ously considered lacking in a macrobiotic diet. This concern stems
from the fact that almost 40 percent of the riboflavin in most Ameri-
can diets comes from dairy foodrarely consumed on a macrobiotic
diet. Some researchers have asserted that riboflavin may be inade-
quate 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 milli-
grams 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
 125

for virtually all animals. There are, however, many species of animals
that live entirely on vegetable-quality food. How is it that such vege-
tarian 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 con-
stitutes 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 require-
ment 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 stand-
ards 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
126

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. Simi-
larly, 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 ac-
curately 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 pro-
blem 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-
 127

cans. Oddly, osteoporosis, the disease often regarded as being due

primarily to calcium deficiency, is relatively common in industrialized
nations, and occurs less frequently in the Third World, where dairy
foods are not widely consumed.
The Standard Macrobiotic Diet in fact includes several good sources
of calcium such as sea vegetables, leafy green vegetables, beans, and
nuts. Tofu is another good source of calcium. Average calcium intake
on the macrobiotic diet is in the range considered adequate by the
FAO/WHO (400 to 500 milligrams per day).
Because whole grains and vegetables make up a major portion of
the Standard Macrobiotic Diet, concern has been expressed about
the binding of calcium by phytates or oxalates contained in some of
these foods (refining of food removes these compounds, apparently
making more calcium available for use by the body). Although ex-
perimentally this inhibition of calcium absorption by phytates has
been demonstrated, it is the general view of nutritionists that "the
importance of phytic acid (phytates) as an anti-calcifying factor in
human nutrition has not been established."

Iron: To maintain good quality blood, adequate stores of iron are

needed for the formation of red blood cells. Because animal food is
commonly perceived to be the best source of dietary iron, the macro-
biotic diet has been criticized for potentially leading to the develop-
ment of iron-deficiency anemia. In fact, about as much dietary iron
in the American diet is provided by grain, fruit, or vegetables as by
meat.
The American diet is low in iron compared to diets worldwide;
anemia may indeed be the most widespread nutritional deficiency
disease in the United States. T h e reason for this relative deficiency in
American diets is the highly refined nature of the diet.
The Standard Macrobiotic Diet includes as one of its principles the
consumption of foods in as whole and unrefined a state as possible.
Thus, since refining of grain removes much of its iron, any one food
in the macrobiotic diet, compared to its counterpart in the U.S. diet,
probably contains as much or more iron. Also, most of the sea vege-
tables included in the macrobiotic diet are particularly rich sources
of iron.

L 1
128

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 propor-
tion 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 defi-
ciency 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.

The Macrobiotic Approach

to the Prevention
of Degenerative Diseases

The typical American way of eating overemphasizes the intake of fat

(and to a certain extent protein), compromising the intake of complex
carbohydrates. By one estimate, this dietary pattern results in the con-
sumption of 42 percent of its calories as fat. Forty-six percent is carbo-
hydratesalmost half of this is sugar, with the balance consumed as
refined flour and cereal products and canned or frozen fruits and
vegetables. Lastly, the source of almost two-thirds of the protein
intake on this diet is animal.
This diet is not based upon sound principles of nutritional science,
 129

nor is it based upon the concurrent biological development of the

animal and vegetable kingdoms. Rather, it is a product of economic
forces over the past two or three centuries.
More than at any other time in history, the health costs for persons
consuming this diet are astronomical. Worldwide, these costs can
currently be measured in billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands
of lives every year. Obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hyper-
tension, and a myriad of other degenerative illnesses can also be at-
tributed to this dietary pattern which is followed by the vast majority
of people in the United States and other industrialized countries in
the Western Hemisphere. Further, emerging Third World nations are
unfortunately embracing modern dietary habits with the recent intro-
duction of fast foods in Asia and the importation of baby formulas
and other highly processed foods to South American and African
nations.
Suggestions for a change of direction, as well as an outline of the
health costs of the dietary pattern described, are presented in the
document, Dietary Goals for the United States, published in 1977
by the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the
United States Senate. These suggestions have been reiterated and
supported by a number of other publications, most recently in the
National Academy of Sciences Report, Diet, Nutrition and Cancer,
published in June of 1982.

The Standard Macrobiotic Diet

The Standard Macrobiotic Diet is based in good part on traditional

eating patterns. Yet, it is increasingly clear that its introduction anti-
cipated the scientific findings reported in the above-mentioned and
other publications. As such, the Standard Macrobiotic Diet may hold
the greatest potential for the prevention of the degenerative diseases
plaguing us today.
The suggestions for dietary change in the two publications, Dietary
Goals for the United States, and Diet, Nutrition and Cancer, strikingly
point to the role the Standard Macrobiotic Diet can play as a practical
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 con-
sumption of complex carbohydrates and fiber, while decreasing con-
sumption of sugar, fats, and salt. The suggestions are:

1.Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and whole

grains.
2. Decrease consumption of refined and other processed sugars
and foods high in such sugars.
3. Decrease consumption of foods high in total fat, and par-
tially replace saturated fats, whether obtained from animal or
vegetable sources, with polyunsaturated fats.
4. Decrease consumption of animal fat, and choose meats,
poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake.
5. Except for young children, substitute low-fat and non-fat
milk for whole milk, and low-fat dairy products for high-fat
dairy products.
6. Decrease consumption of butterfat, eggs, and other high
cholesterol sources.
7. Decrease consumption of salt and foods high in salt content.

For practically every one of these points, the Standard Macrobiotic

Diet embodies the logical result of moving in the direction suggested.
Since the Standard Macrobiotic Diet is centered around whole cereal
grains and vegetables, the first suggestion is satisfied. Regarding the
second, there is virtually no consumption of refined or processed
sugars in the macrobiotic diet. "Sugars" come instead from the con-
sumption of vegetables, fruit, and the occasional use of grain or
concentrated syrups.
Foods which are high in fat include animal foods such as beef, dairy
food, and pork, none of which are customarily eaten on the Macrobiotic
Diet, satisfying suggestion number three. The primary sources of fat
 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, im-
plementing 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 recommen-
dation 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.
132

Again, the centerpiece of these four guidelines, in terms of their

practical daily application, is the importance of including whole grains,
vegetables, and fruits in the diet, along with decreased fat intake.
Adoption of this dietary pattern increases consumption of those dietary
factors (fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, indoles, selenium, and so on.), that
may protect against the formation of cancer. Of particular note is the
warning against relying on supplements to increase the intake of some
of the dietary factors that may act in the prevention of cancer.
A comparison of the Standard Macrobiotic Diet with these guide-
lines once again highlights the uncanny degree of agreement between
the two. The emphasis on whole grains and vegetables, and the de-
crease in fat intake can be seen to be strikingly unified as the guiding
principles for the prevention of cancer and other degenerative illnesses.
Thus the Standard Macrobiotic Diet offers a practical example of a
diet which is optimal for degenerative disease prevention. This poten-
tial has not only been supported by the U.S. Dietary Goals and the
National Academy of Science's Report on Cancer, but has also been
demonstrated.
Surveys emphasizing the role of diet in altering the physiological
risk factors for cardiovascular disease have been conducted by medical
researchers on people consuming a macrobiotic diet. Two risks factors
have been raised: blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. These
are considered risk factors for heart disease (the higher the levels, the
greater the probability of developing heart disease).
It has been unequivocally demonstrated that blood cholesterol levels
of people on a macrobiotic diet (averaging less than 50 milligrams of
cholesterol per deciliter of blood) are much lower than those of people
consuming an American diet (averaging more than 200 milligrams per
deciliter), even after taking into account other factors that influence
cholesterol levels. Similarly, people on a macrobiotic diet have much
lower blood pressures (averaging 106/60) than would be expected in
the general U.S. population. Since these trends appear to continue
throughout life, it is highly probable that very few people eating
a macrobiotic diet will develop heart disease.
The potential for relief of heart disease, cancer, and other degenera-
tive diseases with the Standard Macrobiotic Diet or some variation of
it also appears viable. The role of a diet like the macrobiotic diet in
 133

the instance of heart disease is supported by other scientific research

and there are documented case histories of people who have recovered
from cancers of one type or another while eating according to macro-
biotic principles.
One example in which a dietary approach to a degenerative illness
has evolved toward the adoption of the Standard Macrobiotic Diet is
in the management of diabetes. Fifty years ago, common practice in
the treatment of diabetes emphasized a diet very low in carbohydrate
(15 percent of calories) and extremely high in fat, based on the belief
that carbohydrate intake aggravated the disease. Even fifteen years
ago, diabetic diets were customarily lower in carbohydrate and higher
in fat than the already high-fat American diet. Then, in 1971, the
Committee on Food and Nutrition of the American Diabetes Associa-
tion stated that "there no longer appears to be any need to restrict
disproportionately the intake of carbohydrates in the diet of most
diabetic patients." The committee went on to say, " T h e average pro-
portion of calories consumed as carbohydrate in the U.S. population
as a whole approximates to 45 percent; this proportion or even higher
appears to be acceptable for the usual diabetic patient as well."
The American Diabetes Association updated its recommendations
most recently in 1979, stating that "carbohydrate intake should usually
account for 50 to 60 percent of total energy intake, (with) glucose and
glucose-containing disaccharides (sucrose, lactose) . . . restricted."
In addition, they added that "whenever acceptable to the patient,
natural foods containing unrefined carbohydrates, which are low in
fiber, (and) dietary sources of fat that are high in saturated fatty acids
and foods containing cholesterol should be restricted."
Clearly, these dietary recommendations for the treatment of diabetics
not only are similar to the United States Senate's "Dietary Goals,"
but are pointing toward the Standard Macrobiotic Diet, with their
emphasis on unrefined carbohydrates, such as in whole grains and
vegetables, and limitation of sugar and foods high in saturated fat
and cholesterol, such as meat and dairy products.
134

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 philo-
sophy. 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 degen-
erative 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 ap-
proaches 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,
136

suicide among the young has risen dramaticallythe number nearly

tripling in the last 20 years.
Indeed, some of our most basic institutions are showing signs of
deep degeneration. Since 1970, the divorce rate has tripled, while the
percentage of children living with only one parent has more than
doubled.
Several years ago, Time magazine reported in a cover story that
the U.S. public school system was proving itself to be incapable of
educating American youth. Clearly, intellectual achievement is
declining. In recent years, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores have
plummeted; the average combined verbal and math scores dropped
nearly 100 points from 1967 to 1980. Nevertheless, teachers maintain
that students are today getting 15 percent more A's and B's than
students 15 years ago but actually know less. It's no coincidence that
as test scores have dropped, the hours children spend watching televi-
sion have risen dramatically. Today, children watch an average of
3.4 hours of television each day. In an example of bitter irony that
often characterizes modern life, former high school students are now
suing their alma maters because, after graduating from high school
with good grades, they are incapable of filling out job applications.
These suits are a good example of how unwilling many people are to
accept responsibility even for their own lives. It is also characteristic
of a bureaucratic state in which the words, "that's not my job," seem to
be ringing in everyone's ears and mouths.
Clearly, postwar abundance has been a Faustian bargain, for while
we are able to throw billions of dollars at our social ills, the problems
of our society seem to get bigger rather than more manageable. A
good example of this is the area of mental health, for while the
number of dollars spent each year attempting to treat mental health
has risen considerably, so too has the number of mentally disturbed
people, as discussed in Chapter 1.
" T h e world is in the midst of a rising pandemic of mental disorders
and associated chronic diseases and disabling conditions," wrote John
Hopkins scientist Dr. Morton Kramer recently. " T h e prevalence of
mental disorders . . . is rising at an alarming rate."
Though the cities have generally been regarded as the playgrounds
of the mentally disturbed, recent research indicates that the rural
 137

areas may be degenerating just as rapidly. "Rural communities tend

to be characterized by the higher than average rates of psychiatric
disorders, particularly depression, by severe intergeneration conflicts,"
and other mental disorders, according to a Presidential Commission
on Mental Health.
Many people believe that there are no answers to life's problems.
In 1978, almost 30,000 men and women committed suicide in the
United States. Although the rate of suicide has been climbing steadily
in the general public, the most alarming trend is among those between
the ages of 20 and 24. According to Dr. Calvin J. Frederick, chief of
emergency health and disaster assistance at the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), between the years 1955 and 1975, the suicide
rate for men and women in that age group went from 5.6 to 16.5 per
100,000 people in the United States.
Suicide occurs most often among the affluent and particularly in
affluent nations, according to Dr. Frederick. Moreover, at least two-
thirds of those who commit suicide are suffering from depression.
Thus, it appears that an increasing number of young people are
feeling depressed, alienated from society, and overcome with an un-
shakable feeling of hopelessness and doom. These feelings among
the young, as well as many other social ills, are being blamed on the
breakdown of the nuclear family.
The family is in a state of collapse. There are more than one million
divorces each year, with 12 million children under the age of eighteen
living with one parent. Between i960 and 1975, there were more than
750,000 runaway children. Such a schism has developed between
parent and child that children are now divorcing their own parents.
This division has resulted in the unprecedented breakdown of tradi-
tional values which are normally passed on from one generation to the
next. Moreover, the emotional support and nourishing that a family
normally provides its members has been, for many, tragically elimi-
nated from the experience. Little wonder, therefore, that the social and
political fabric of the modern world is showing dangerous signs of
coming apart.
In their book, Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family
(Anchor Press; 1980), researchers Murray A. Straus, Richard J. Gelles,
and Suzanne Steinmetz present a shocking picture of violence within
138

the family. " T h e American family and the American home are per-
haps 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, ac-
cording 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

by their parents than from tuberculosis, whooping cough, polio,

measles, diabetes, rheumatic fever, and appendicitis combined,
Newsweek magazine reported in 1968.
These and other startling facts have prompted many people to take
a hard look at mental health within society. The assessments have not
been encouraging.

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: National Institute of M e n t a l Health
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

In his book, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (Holt, Rinehart,

and Winston; 1973), Erich Fromm points out that in the seventeenth
century many of the attitudes held in contemptgreed and ambition,
for exampleare "today not contemptuous but laudable." Fromm
writes that "a sick individual finds himself at home with other similarly
sick individuals. The whole culture is geared to this type of pathology."
The most common forms of mental illness today are schizophrenia
and depression. Schizophrenia is a "grab-bag term to describe a
number of disorders," says Dr. Michael Lesser, a psychiatrist practic-
140

ing in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. " T h e classical definition of

schizophrenia is a splitting apart of the personality." This definition
is further refined into four symptoms: ambivalence, in which the per-
son is immobilized by indecision; giving inappropriate responses to
a given situation ("You might say to a person that their sister just died,
and they'd crack up laughing," says Lesser); loosening of associations,
in which the person censures random bits of his or her speech, thus
reducing the language to gibberish; and autism, or withdrawal from
the world around him or her.
These are the extreme forms of a sickness that now besets modern
society. According to Fromm, schizophrenia should be thought of
as on a continuum, with the extreme symptoms at one end and the
absence of symptoms on the other. "On this continuum innumerable
shadings can be located," writes Fromm. And along that continuum,
Fromm maintains, most of us who live in the modern, industrialized
world can be found, suffering to one degree or another from this
insidious and pernicious mental disorder.
Fromm says that modern people, who live in a highly industrialized
and technologically advanced society, have become "marketing
characters" for whom "everything is transformed into a commodity
not only things, but the person himself, his physical energy, his
skills, his knowledge, his opinions, his feelings, even his smiles."
This character type, Fromm points out, "is a historically new pheno-
menon because it is the product of a fully developed capitalism that is
centered around the marketthe commodity market, the labor market,
and the personality marketand whose principle it is to make a profit
by favorable exchange."
In a society such as this, there is a diminishing interest in "people,
nature, and living creatures, together with the increasing attraction of
mechanical, non-alive, artifacts . . . , " says Fromm. Men today, he
points out, often feel tender toward, and are more interested in, their
automobiles than their wives. They are proud of their car; they cherish
it; they wash it (even many of those who could pay to have this job
done), and in some countries many give it a loving nickname . . . . To
be sure a car is not a sexual objectbut it is an object of love; life
without a car seems to some more intolerable than life without a
woman."
In this perverse relationship with inanimate objects, modern men
 141

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 reg-
isters 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. "Feel-
ings are flattened and sometimes substituted for by sentimentality;
joy, the expression of intense aliveness, is replaced by 'fun' or excite-
ment; 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 con-
trolled 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 electro-
convulsive shock treatment.
More than five years ago, the Senate Finance Committee held hear-
142

ings to determine if the psychiatric profession could produce some

hard evidence that many of its psychotherapies were actually effective
in treating the mentally disturbed. T h e final decision in a nutshell:
some therapies seem to work and some don't and in many instances
it's hard to tell which are which. Under such uncertain conditions,
psychiatrists are leaving themselves open to malpractice suits, which
are now being filed by disgruntled patients. Moreover, many critics
of psychiatry are coming from within the profession itself. Dr. Fulton
Torrey, a psychiatrist practicing at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Wash-
ington, D. C., says, " T h e psychiatrist has been expendable; he is left
standing between the people who have problems in living and those
who have brain damage, holding an empty bag."
Faced with this lack of hard evidence that psychoanalysis is an effec-
tive treatment, psychiatrists usually resort to drug therapy. Drugs
have become so much a way of life today that there is scarcely a medi-
cine chest or refrigerator in the country that doesn't have some kind of
mood-altering medication or beverage within. Drugs are prescribed so
freely and often that people have accepted them as wonders of modern
technology, a necessary part of the modern world.
"Drugs do not cure the sickness," says Lesser. "What they do is
to provide a chemical straitjacket, so that the person is kept quiet
while suffering with their mental illness."
In his book, Confessions of a Medical Heretic (Contemporary Books;
1979), Dr. Robert Mendelsohn points out that the tranquilizer Valium
is used to treat symptoms of anxiety, fatigue, depression, acute hyper-
excited states, tremors, hallucinations, and increased muscle spasticity.
Moreover, Mendelsohn points out that today most people who take
drugs are taking more than one kind. One drug may have harmful
side effects to one organ six percent of the time, while the second drug
may present dangers to an organ three percent of the time. "If you're
taking enough drugs, the danger can easily add up to more than 100
percent. You're virtually assured of suffering some toxic effect!"
There are more ominous side effects to taking such medications,
however. In 1977, Lesser told the Senate Select Committee on Nutri-
tion and Human Needs that if tranquilizers are taken for too long and
in too large a dose, the result is often the onset of tardive dyskinesia,
a disease that attacks the central nervous system and causes a shaking
 143

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 electro-
convulsive 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 treat-
ment; 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 men-
tality 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 popu-
larity, 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 move-
ment 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 be-
yond the womb is often harsh, insensitive, and psychologically damag-
ing. Mendelsohn goes on to say that some modern methods for deliver-
ing 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 Mendel-
sohn 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 hexa-
c'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, accord-
ing 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 choles-
terol, 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 psy-
chological 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 bio-
logical 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 informa-
tion blasted at him or her.
Unfortunately, modern society, particularly the United States, is
witnessing the rapid increase of many degenerative illnesses. Cardio-
vascular 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 twelve-
ounce 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 degenera-
tive 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 in-
creasingly 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, in-
creases 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 up-
take 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 depres-
sion. 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 re-
sponsible for causing adverse changes in one's behavior. Fifteen years
148

ago, Dr. Benjamin Feingold discovered that artificial colors, flavors,

various preservatives, and aspirin-like substances called salicylates
(found in tomatoes, oranges, peaches, grapes, raisins, and a number of
other fruits) cause hyperactivity in children. Feingold developed a diet,
which is made up of foods free of artificial colors, additives, preserva-
tives, and salicylates, which he wrote about in his national bestselling
book, Why Your Child is Hyperactive (1975). The book became a huge
success and provided Feingold with an ardent following. Today the
Feingold Association, which is a nationwide group of parents of hyper-
active children, has more than 50,000 members.
Like the issue of hypoglycemia, the Feingold diet is highly con-
troversial, with some studies proving support for Feingold's claims,
while others show no evidence that such a diet reduces hyperactive
symptoms. Nevertheless, many thousands of parents across the country
claim that the Feingold diet has cured their children of hyperactivity.
At Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Dr. Michael Lesser has been
treating patientsincluding those suffering from schizophrenia and
depressionwith diet. "I can almost say as a truism that the better
the diet, the better the person's mental health," says Lesser. "Every-
thing you put in your mouth is going to affect your mind and body. . ..
A good diet helps preserve sanity; a poor diet helps lose sanity."
Irrespective of the particular problems in their lives, nearly all the
patients Lesser sees take in high quantities of caffeine, refined white
sugar, artificial additives (colors, flavors, and preservatives); also, most
smoke an excessive number of cigarettes, usually eat little else but
canned vegetables and fast foods, and take some prescription or re-
creational drug.
Lesser's treatment is to immediately take his patients off such foods,
"especially off all addictions," he says. He replaces these foods with
items such as fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and protein
from vegetable or animal sources.
Even by making these relatively modest changes, Lesser and his
patients see substantial improvements in behavior.
"I get excellent results," says Lesser. " I n order to treat mental
illness, you've got to treat the whole person. Really, the mind is just
a myth; there is consciousnessthat's what the mind is. And when
 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 re-
fined 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 es-
tablished 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.
 Schauss also writes about the work of Dr. Clifford E. Simonsen,
a criminologist at the University of Washington, who compared the
dietary patterns of 30 chronic juvenile offenders with a similar group
of children from a local school district who were suffering from
behavioral disorders but had never been in trouble with the law.
The major difference in diets was that the juvenile offenders drank
an average of 64 ounces of milk a day, while the nonoffending children
drank 30 ounces of milk per day. Schauss also reports on similar studies
in which the dietary patterns of delinquent girls were compared with
those of nondelinquent girls. The major dietary difference between
the two female groups was that the women offenders consumed nearly
twice as much milk per day as the nonoffenders.
Writes Schauss: " I n some situations, eliminating milk from the diet
can result in dramatic improvements in behavior, especially in hyper-
active children."
By eating synthetic foods, humankind has cut itself off from nature,
for food is our basic, direct link with the environment. When this es-
sential link is broken, it's no wonder that we feel estranged from nature.
Thus, mental disorders are simply another effect or symptom of hu-
manity's underlying sickness, dualism. The cause of this sickness is in
eating an imbalanced diet, and separating ourselves from nature.
In order to rid ourselves of this deep schizophrenia, our society must
go back to eating foods of the earth, unadulterated by additives, refin-
ing, freezing, excessive packaging, and the bombardment of micro-
waves.
The road back to mental health can begin with our next meal.
 3. Profiles

Virginia's Pioneering Prison Project

by Angelo John Lewis (Reprinted f r o m East West Journal)

It seems hard to believe that a simple experiment in such a small

institution could stir up so much fuss. But it was here in the Tidewater
Detention Home, a minimum security juvenile facility near Chesapeake
Bay, that one of the first of what were later to be called "sugar studies"
was conducted. The premise was simple: remove sugar from the
diets of juvenile offenders and, if research tying overconsumption of
sugar to antisocial behavior held merit, a behavioral change for the
better would be observed.
Although the research methodology of Stephen J. Schoenthaler's
study of dietary changes at the Tidewater Detention Home was later
challenged, the findings had front page impact. Schoenthaler reported
a 45 percent decline in formal disciplinary actions for twenty-four
boys during three months of the sugar-reduced diet. T h e boys, ages
twelve to eighteen, were incarcerated for a range of offenses that in-
cluded alcohol and narcotic violations, disorderly conduct, and larceny
and burglary. During the length of the study, the boys and all but key
staff were kept unaware of the true reasons for the food substitutions
and were told it was a cost-saving measure. Additional results of the
double-blind study showed an 80 percent decrease of boytantls consy
in serious trouble and a"55 percent drop in misbehavior among boys
whos witched from the regular institutional diet to the low sugar diet.
If the 1981 experiment's premise was simple, its fallout was im-
mense. Overnight, the national networks picked up on the story. Some
fifty letters a week arrived inquiring about the research, mostly from
correctional facilities in other states. Shoenthaler was asked to conduct
studies in other institutions. The results, using much larger popula-
tions and improved methodology, followed the same pattern. Juvenile
152

institutions throughout the country began establishing their own diet

reforms. A New York assemblyman even drafted legislation aimed at
improving prison diets.
There was feedback of the negative kind as well. Understandably
itchy about the implications of the Tidewater research, sugar industry
spokespersons wrote editorials claiming that sugar was a nutritious
food and that no links between sugar and ill health had been proven.
Dietitians informed the Tidewater staff that they "weren't qualified"
to implement dietary changes. Researchers attacked Shoenthaler's
work, saying he hadn't shown that the reduced incidence in antisocial
behavior was due solely to sugar. An A.C.L.U. attorney, perhaps
harkening to the horror stories of involuntary experiments on prisoners
during the '60s and '70s, threatened to sue the Tidewater staff if their
charges' diets were unduly restricted.
Time has a way of settling all things and the four years since the
brouhaha over the sugar study have brought calm to Tidewater.
"We're getting back to normal around here," the detention home's
project director Frank Kern said on a recent morning. The highlight
of the day for me was the consumption of a nutritious lunch prepared
under the watchful hand of the "less secure" facilities' Japanese cook,
Kazuko Dearinger. The noontime fare included tempura flounder and
green beans, and fried brown rice with vegetables, and iced tea. "You
can't take sugar away from kids all at once," Dearinger said, while
molding bits of watermelon into round balls. Sometimes, she adopts
the strategy of "tricking" kids by substituting raisins or fruit juices
for sweetener.
Later, I watched Richard Berry, a soft-spoken special education
teacher, teach a class on nutrition. "What happens when you put sugar
in your gas tank?" he asks while sliding his hand down an imaginary
decline. "That's the same thing that happens when you put it in your
body." Later, I asked one of the students if the class serves to force
him to cut his intake of sugar. "They can't force me," he answered
with youthful frankness. "I can just go over to the canteen and get
all I want."
The child's response underscores something Kern told me earlier.
"People get very upset when you start talking about changing children's
diets," he said. For this reason, dietary compliance is voluntary at
 153

Tidewater. Children are educated on the importance of diet when they

enter into the program; sugar is not provided as a condiment; fresh
foods are favored over processed ones. In short, the approach is low
key. "Diet is just one spoke on the wheel," he says.
Kern is excited about receiving a recent grant that enabled the facility
to purchase a state-of-the-art stove to be used to train juveniles in
whole foods culinary arts. He also points out that some twenty to
thirty years ago, most of Virginia's penitentiaries grew a good portion
of their own food, but since then much of its food services have been
contracted to outsiders. Kern sees a possible prison industry program
that would be labor intensive, teach inmates useful skills, involve ex-
pertise and investment on the part of the private sector, and enable
penal institutions to reduce food costs.

Macrobiotics in a Danish Prison

by Ivan Pedro Shiffer

I was born and raised in Brazil. Although I had heard about macro-
biotics, I was not able to practice it correctly. Instead, I became in-
volved 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 plan-
ned 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 in-
stitutional 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 morn-
ing 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 con-
tained 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 re-
solutely 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 buck-

wheat 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 cook-
ing 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 Preparing dinner in the kitchen facilities

provided by the prison.
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 understand-
ing 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 considera-
tion, 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 Macrobiotic staples allowed in the prison by

authorities in Denmark.
 157
Meanwhile, Anne-Marie was helping us from the outside. She went
to the department of the ministry of justice in charge of prison adminis-
tration 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 hos-
pitalet" (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 re-
sponsibility in getting the items we needed, searching them for drugs
or weapons, and delivering them to the prison. In this way, the prison
I5

administration would not have to worry about security. However, this

was not acceptable to the vice director, who felt that it would interfere
with the work of the prison guards. If necessary, they would check
the food themselves, but special regulations would not allow this.
In conclusion, the judge said he had no power to decide on internal
affairs of the prison, but hoped that the prison would solve the pro-
blem and allow us to have our food.
So we were back to square one, but the fight was far from over.
Anne-Marie then decided to ask a friend of hers, who is a journalist,
to write an article in one of the main daily newspapers to call attention
to our situation. The article was written and it did help. After nearly
six months of anxiety and hope, it was a very positive thing.
On the day I was released from solitary, I met with several other
prisoners who showed me the article. By then, Mr. Frode Olsen had
decided to do everything he could to help us, and had contacted
Mr. Bjorn Elmquist, a man who works with prison conditions in
countries where human rights are not respected. He was also a former
journalist and lately had become a deputy in the "Folketinget" or
Danish parliament.
He took an interest in our case, and pleaded with the Minister of
Justice, Mr. Erik Ninn Hansen, for help in resolving our plight. It did
not take long then (only a few weeks) before a smiling Laila Dahl
visited me and said that an order had arrived from the Minister, stating
that we be allowed to buy the items we needed.
I was allowed to select eight products which the prison would carry,
and the prison would begin including brown rice as a regular item
on the vegetarian menu, which at that time was being chosen by 126
people. I selected millet, lentils, miso, sea vegetables, tahini, Lima
bio muesli, carrot juice, and cabbage for the store. The vice director
was happy about our victory: she was deeply committed to seeing us
get the items. T h e director had been the one who had opposed our
request without considering what it was all about.
Anne-Marie suggested recipes so we could prepare our food without
having access to a kitchen. Later I was allowed to work in the kitchen,
also thanks to Laila Dahl, who definitely sympathized with our ideas.
Marie was even allowed to visit us once a week with delicious, well
cooked macrobiotic meals.
 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

The Neil Scott Story:

Sentenced to Life

by David Brisson
(Reprinted with permission of t h e Boston Herald)

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

prepared to surrender. But as other policemen poured into the lobby

and handcuffed Brown and Bader, somehow Scott was overlooked.
He ran out the front door, jumped into his car and made his
getaway with the police in pursuit. For five miles they chased him
before he was forced to stop by a police roadblock. But instead of
storming the car, the police poured round after round of bullets into it
for nearly two minutes. They only stopped once Sheriff Lightfoot ar-
rived. He pulled Scott from the carbloodied by glass and bits of
metal but not seriously woundedand read him his rights.
A week later, Brown, Scott, and Bader pleaded guilty to "aggravated
robbery" and were each sentenced to life in prison. Scott, whose theft
of a lawnmower and prior conviction on two counts of first-degree
robbery had landed him 45 months in California and Oregon prisons,
was eligible for parole in 1987, or 1985 with "good time."
The next day, the would-be bank robbers headed for Huntsville
Prison, home of the Texas Department of Corrections (TDC). With
32,000 inmates at the time, it was the largest state-run penal system in
the land. It was also the toughest.
Conditions in the T D C were so bad that in 1980 a federal court
found it guilty of abuses ranging from housing to health care. Count-
less rapes, unprovoked assaults, and unbearable overcrowdingsitua-
tions cited by inmate David Ruiz, who filed the suit, and other wit-
nessesso angered federal judge William Wayne Justice that he termed
it "impossible" in his 206-page opinion "to convey the pernicious
conditions and pain and degredation which ordinary inmates suffer
within the T D C prison walls." It was "cruel and unusual punishment,"
he concluded, if not at its worst, very close to it.
Yet for Neil Scott life at Huntsville his first few years were his best.
By day, he tended the T D C ' s multi-million-dollar bus-repair facility
as bookkeeper. At night he worked on a writ of habeas corpus he hoped
would win him a new trial and a lighter sentence.
Often, Scott reflected on the many jobs he'd had; from bar owner to
bartender to bookmaker and salesman. He looked back over his 45
years and saw the maids and butlers who waited on him as a child at
home in Seattle. He recalled the death of his fathera prosperous
dentist and insurance businessmanin 1936, and his mother's fall to
cancer six years later. There was the awful boarding school his guardian
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
 163

Hospital seemed to have them, he began to look elsewhere. Among the

volumes of cancer literature he scoured in early 1979, Ann Cinquina's
Cancer News Journal cemented his belief in a dietary approach. I m -
mediately he began taking advantage of every available nutrient in the
facility. Cancer might still have the upper hand, he thought, but his
forces were growing and his delight came from learning how to use
them.
He took up yoga, and began practicing visualization and imagery
techniques he'd read about. " T h e white cells are horsemen on white
steeds carrying carrot spears and asparagus clubs," he wrote. "They
ride roughshod over sickly cancer cells whose feet are mired in peanut
butter and do not stand a chance."
Instead of dying in 90 days as predicted, Neil Scott became T D C ' s
first cancer patient in 17 years to outlive his prognosis. In March
1980, he stopped all chemotherapy, without having lost a blade of hair
or known a moment of nausea. Then in June, Scott learned his cancer
had gone into remission.
But in the fall in 1980, Scott's good fortune began to wane. T h e T D C
farms, which supplied the fresh vegetables that fueled him, were
forced to cut back on production. Furthermore, T D C refused to buy
any food specially for cancer patients or to allow inmates any "outside"
food.
In September, fearing for his life, Scott petitioned then-Governor
William Clements for a medical reprieve, with provisional parole for
medical reasons. Although sympathetic, the governor turned him
down.
Scott had no better luck the following May with the chairman of the
Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons, Ruben Torres. "I would advise
you to keep the Board informed should your condition worsen, and at
that time reapply for a medical reprieve," wrote Torres.
With his cancer active again by April 1981, Scott's despair led him
to broaden his contacts beyond Huntsville Prison's walls. Barred from
the telephone by T D C regulations and bereft of an attorney, he turned
to the mail as his only lifeline to the world outside. In May and June,
he sent a letter describing his plight to scores of magazines. Nowhere
was it received with more concern that at the East West Journal, a
small alternative-lifestyles national magazine published in Brookline.
164

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 pro-
perties, 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 macro-
biotic 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-
 65

ched a writer to investigate; but when he arrived in Texas, T D C

officials not only refused him access to Scott, but they would not even
discuss the case. T h e writer returned to Boston without Scott ever
having known he was there.
Then, in mid-April, Scott wrote that he was feeling better. The
latest tests on his liver and blood showed no trace of cancer and his
energy had returned.
For the next two years, Neil Scott continued his campaign against
T D C treatment of cancer patients. Unable to meet with the news
media in person, he used pen and postage stamp to tell of dying inmates
being forced to polish brass or sweep floors. And he continued his
correspondence with Frank Salvati and Alex Jack, as well as 150 other
inmates, cancer patients, and friends from America and Australia.
Refusing physical labor, Scott again met the wrath of the T D C .
He was placed in Four Building, the dowdy quarters where inmates
wait for reassignment. There, exposed to a series of cellmates stricken
with tuberculosis, he contracted the disease and was hospitalized for
three weeks. " I t amounts to slow legal murder," he lamented in a letter.
Shortly after Scott's recovery and return to Four Building, the Texas
State Legislature passed a bill adding "good time" to inmates with no
disciplinary infractions. Scott learned his parole eligibility date
might be moved up from 1985 to 1984.
On March 7, 1984, a month from the ninth anniversary of the
Cushing bank job, Neil Scott walked out of Huntsville Prison a free
man. He had walked from other prisons at other times only to return
in shackles. But now, at age 56, his plan was to give back to those left
behind some of what others have given to him.
Arriving in Boston after several months with friends on a North
Dakota farm, Neil Scott was greeted by the macrobiotic community
as a hero. Scott's triumph was a credit to their cause. Here, in the flesh,
was the man whose life they had helped save and whose freedom they
had in part secured.
Lecturing at macrobiotic study houses, at the East West Journal, at
prison reform meetings, and even at a local college, Scott scored high
marks with his peers. He got involved in a prison project designed to
set up an inmate correspondence center and a halfway house. And there
was talk of a nationwide speaking tour.
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 Christ-
mas, 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 Publi-
cations 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.

Powhatan: The Story of Chuck Fai-Goon

by Eric Zutrau

Powhatan (American Indian for "meeting on a hill") is a small dot

on the map of central Virginia. T h e town's size belies the activity of
the department of corrections there, where 1,400 men and women
occupy a walled prison that bears the same name.
On July 10, 1984, the gates of Powhatan prison opened to accept
one more who would do time at Virginia's "state farm."
For Powhatan's new resident, Chuck Fai-Goon, the passing of the
distinctive red clay of Virginia under his feet and an unconfined pano-
rama of the surrounding countryside were just a part of his transfer
trip from the Federal Prison in Texas.
The fleeting moments of freedom did not fill Chuck with anxiety,
even though it could be as long as six years before parole.
Still, Chuck was not troubled by the continuation of his sentence.
Even the guards who had accompanied him from Texas thought there
was something different about him. Chuck, surrounded by two guards,
 167

drew closer to the front gate of the prison, not unlike two giant book-
ends 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 seem-
ingly 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 oppor-
tunity 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 train-
ing 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 con-
cern 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 out-
right 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 under-
stand 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
 169

an opportunity. Leave blame and self-judgmental attitudes behind.

Correct yourselves with biological transformation through macrobiotic
principles and practices. In turn you will create a new being. By har-
monizing the imbalances in your body through proper eating and ex-
ercise, you will harmonize the imbalances around you, becoming master
and creator of your own life instead of a blind and punished victim."
The members of the study group were no doubt excited. There were
few who did not see the advantages of applying a grain-based diet and
other macrobiotic practices in their lives.
The top power-lifter in the state prison system, Howard Robinson,
joined the group. He became Chuck's student and close associate, and
together they continued to encourage others at Powhatan.
In a letter to Frank Salvati, Chuck wrote of the progress of his
group: " T h e energy that is being produced by this group is very posi-
tive. This is having a good effect not only on the members of the group,
but on those around us as well. The practice of the arts is secondary
at this stage to the feeling of brotherhood, thereby making all of us
a little better in the process. Prison affords us time to study and
practice, and an opportunity to do it with a great deal of intensity.
We tend to look at this place more as a temple than the prison it may be.
The experience that we are sharing will follow us when we leave,
making us better for having shared in it."
Communicating with someone outside the prison proved to be
a lifeline for the group. It encouraged them in all the work they were
doing. Though they studied and practiced without seeking acknowl-
edgment, the progress they made in developing themselves could have
been like the proverbial "tree falling in the forest with no one around
to hear it." Would the tree make a sound? Would their accomplish-
ments be the same without encouragement from the outside? Their
correspondence with Frank Salvati provided a vital link with the out-
side and reinforced their vision and enthusiasm.
With the support of Frank Salvati, the group went to work creating
a new and bigger dream. They knew they could reach others around
them. This was apparent from the growing number of people who
were interested in their activities.
For Chuck and the others, macrobiotics had become one of the most
170

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 recom-
mended 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 ex-
emplary 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 in-
cludes 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 adminis-
tration 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 promot-
ing value, and to the prison administrators who knew of its cost effec-
tiveness 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 com-
bining 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.

Macrobiotic Encounters at Powhatan

by L. Xenovia Zarinah

My transformation began at a place called " T h e Little House on the

Prairie," or the North Housing Unit (NHU), located right behind the
172

Powhatan Correctional Center (PCC). I was the Unit Supply Clerk

at N H U . While at work issuing supplies one evening in September,
1983, the officer brought over an oriental gentleman. Immediately
I knew that the teacher had arrived. Later on that evening, I sauntered
over to the new oriental's area in the dorm. We got acquainted. In
a short while I learned that he was a Tai Chi Chuan instructor and into
something called macrobiotics, which I had never heard of. Quickly
I found out that it was something that had to do with getting and
remaining in good physical, mental, and spiritual health.
So this orientalChuck Fai-Goonbegan teaching me Tai Chi
Chuan, and about the different aspects of macrobioticsthe great way
of life.
I drew up a proposal and together we petitioned the prison adminis-
tration to form a religious organization. From that effort our study
group at N H U was born. We had to organize something formal and
recognizable by the administration, because after he began teaching
me, other prisoners became interested, too. We also planned to have
different people come in and give lectures, seminars, and talks. These
plans were formulated because it wasn't just me he was teaching.
As we talked to many of the other convicts about the unifying principle,
a lot of them wanted to come and investigate and/or join our group.
It wasn't very long before we had a sizeable group of students. Shortly,
following the actual formation of the group, I began giving talks during
a portion of the classes and then I began instructing some of the time.
The prison administration didn't know what to make of our group.
Initially, they thought that Chuck and I were trying to form a coup to
overthrow the administration of the unit. So they transferred Chuck
to the main institutionPCC. They thought that the class would
disband, but by that time I had learned enough to completely take
over the classes.
All the while, I was trying to keep up correspondence with Frank
Salvati of the Kushi Foundation Prison Project and Murray Snyder
of the macrobiotic center in Joppa, Maryland. They, along with many
others, were very instrumental in fostering my endless transformation
along the great path of life. With Chuck and these marvelous friends
to help keep me centered, I continued to blossom macrobiotically.
Frank at the Kushi Foundation Prison Project was an extremely im-
 173

portant vehicle toward my transformation. Frank and Chuck are the

two sure enough brothers who stuck with me.
So, it was while I was physically confined in prison that I began
studying macrobiotics via the various course books, mostly books writ-
ten by Mr. Michio Kushi. Also, I had xerox copies of other relevant
material Frank sent to me, and Frank's in-depth lettersall of which
I still have.
Whenever it was time for me to go up for parole, I'd apply for
a scholarship to the Kushi Institute. For two years in a row I did this.
The third time I went up for parole, I didn't apply for the scholarship.
I was always cautiously conscious not to set myself up for a let down
if I happened not to make parole. On the third time up I just didn't
apply. After two years of being involved in the Prison Project, I finally
made parole. So I immediately applied after finding out I had "made
paper"parole. Almost as soon as I actually got released, I applied to
attend Virginia State University (VSU). The paperwork for VSU
came through first. I began the second semester on the third of
January, 1986. On the twelth of January, the scholarship was issued
for me to attend the Kushi Institute, in Brookline. So I decided to
complete the semester at VSU while preparing to move to Massachu-
setts, in the fall of 1986. On several occasions I was offered invitations
to attend macrobiotic seminars and summer camps. But I humbly
declined while I kept my head in the books at VSU.
Thomas Cahn, my parole officer, is very pleased with my having
achieved my short range goals in Virginia. So he allowed me to transfer
my parole to Boston. It's been a very long time coming, but I ' m finally
going to school at the Kushi Institute.
None of my transformation to this point has been easy, although it
may sound as if it has been. There have been and are many obstacles
in and along my path. I hope and pray that with macrobiotics, I will
be able to make balance and realize the dream of a peaceful and healthy
life.
 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 275-
pound 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 introduc-
ing 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.
 i7S
"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 mil-
lions 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 pro-
cessed foods, said Steevensz.
"All the modern foods, including modern medicine, are not time-
proven 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 macro-
biotic 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.
176

The Powhatan Banquet

by Denise Bennett

On a humid Saturday night this past July, I was dancing in the dining
hall of the Powhatan Correctional Facility to the music of a very hot
all-inmate band. We had just finished a delicious macrobiotic meal
and when the band cut loose with James Brown's "Living in America,"
the dance floor was flooded. The energy was high and positively
charged; a combination of good food, good music, and love.
The occasion that brought all these elements together was the "Food
for Freedom" banquet which introduced macrobiotic food to inmates,
their guests, and prison officials. It was the culmination of efforts made
by a small group of inmates who have been studying macrobiotics for
the past year with Roy Steevensz, a senior teacher, to share what they
have learnt with other inmates and loved ones on "the outside." About
425 people were present at the banquet which was sponsored by the
Kushi Foundation Prison Project, a prison outreach group, and dona-
tions from individuals and* health related businesses. A team of ex-
perienced macrobiotic cooks headed by T o m Iglehart of the Prison

Fig. 22 Inmates in Linho's Cadeia Central de Lisboa

listen to a lecture on t h e benefits of a whole-
grain diet.
 7 7

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 ex-
ample 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 pri-
soners in Portugal."
178

group, reported to the Richmond Leader in an article about the banquet

that he had shed 50 excess pounds and freed himself of a drug addiction
through his practice of macrobiotics. He went on to say, "Everyone
who eats with us or around us has no problems . . . there's no aggres-
sion. People who eat right, think right. Believe me." Ultimately it is
hoped that the study program that helped Robert and the other inmates
at Powhatan can be set up statewide in the Virginia Corrections Pro-
gram and that macrobiotic food becomes part of the prison diet. The
banquet was a step toward that goal.
My own experience of the banquet existed on several levels. On
a purely sensorial level, we had a great time. The food and the music
were wonderful. My husband and I are professional musicians (pianist
and singer respectively), so we don't often get the chance to go out for

Fig. 24 Lazaro Fernandes credits the macrobiotic

diet with "changing my outlook on life."

Fig. 25 After his release f r o m Linho, Joao Geado

began work in the U n i m a v e kitchen.
 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
i8o

was the childish desire to shock or be different. The reactions of

friends and relatives when I told them where we were going Saturday
night ranged from a frightened "Oh really" to "I wouldn't get any-
where near a prison." At first I could feel superior to those people for
having those reactions, but in truth their feelings mirrored my own.
Another man I talked to had been in prison for ten years for armed
robbery. He had been studying with Roy, and while he realized that
the food he had eaten had certainly affected his behavior, he told me
that he accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, he
was very grateful to have been caught; it had prevented him from
really hurting someone and had given him the opportunity to learn
so much. To meet someone who so embodied the macrobiotic spirit
was truly uplifting.
To be sure there were some small problems with the evening: some
food was wasted because the portions were too big. Things got started
late so the band started to play while people were still eating; not very
conducive to peaceful chewing. Overall for me though and for others,
there was an energy generated that evening that carried through until
the next morning and in fact has carried me to study at the Kushi
Institute. I hope to take the knowledge and experience I gain here
and use it to further the work just being started in the prison system
right now. I'm not sure in what capacity I will proceed; whether
through teaching, writing, or even cooking in a prison, but I am sure
of the enormous potential for transformation there. What has a front
has a back in this exciting ever changing world and today's prisoners
will be tomorrow's leaders.

Teaching Macrobiotics at Powhatan

by Murray Snyder

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 re-
ceived 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 inter-
ests. Martial arts were disallowed because it could be used against the
guards.
But the group led by Chuck Fai-Goon and Xenovia Zarinah per-
severed 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 lite-
rature, as had others, so they were fairly knowledgeable about macro-
biotic 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 bat-
tery, murder, forgery, and so on. While listening to their brief stories,
I began to sense where they were coming from and why they were
182

interested in macrobiotics, diet, and spiritual training. They admitted

their actions were wrong and they wanted to change. These young
menblack, white, and orientalfrom different backgrounds but
together in prison, were opening up to real change. I was immediately
impressed.
I talked with them about macrobiotic philosophy, yin-yang and its
applications to diet, healing, and the spirit of macrobiotics. They asked
questions on various topics and for the next three hours we talked
about many things. They were open and willing and eager to learn,
to hear different perspectives. I never met a more open and eager group.
Again I began to feel that a unique thing was happening at Powhatan.
Each man asked me to evaluate his condition and give him some
advice. At first I was hesitant. If I told the men things about their
health for which they could do nothing because of the circumstances,
they could become depressed. So I decided to point out one thing
about themselves that they could change. I went around the room
saying, "You are eating too much sugar," and I showed them the
signs, or "You are consuming too much milk and dairy products,"
and I pointed out how they could recognize that. Each man gained
insights into his health and what could be done about it. They were all
eager to know and to understand.
After looking over the prison diet, Dave and I were just amazed at
how the men tried to eat well. They had so little to work with. They
were primarily vegetarian. The prison food was poorhigh in refined
carbohydrates and animal fats, plus overcooked, oversalted, and over-
seasoned vegetables. The macrobiotic group tried to make do with
whole wheat bread, peanut butter, vegetables, fish, some fruits, and
rice cakes which they got from the commissary.
I gave the men some hints about their diet and suggested ways they
might be able to get more natural foods into the commissary. I agreed
to call local area people to see if they could take good food to them on
Sundays, and left phone numbers for the commissary to call about
ordering more natural foods.
I suggested other people to contact and promised to call Frank Kern
who was active in securing quality foods and in positive rehabilitation
at other Virginia prisons. The men were elated with the opening pos-
sibilities. Near the end of our time together, we sat in a circle while
 83

I showed them a deep-breathing method and we sat in silent medita-

tion 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 pris-
oners 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 philo-
sophy.
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)

It is my pleasure to write my feelings on macrobiotics, or as we call

it at Powhatan Correctional Center, food for freedom.

I had never heard the word macrobiotics until two years ago, when
it was introduced to me by Chuck Fai-Goon and Howard Robinson.
Chuck gave me a small booklet on the subject, which I read and then
put aside. Shortly after this, Chuck was paroled and Howard Robinson
more or less took over. He brought me several books, and Howard and
I struck up a friendly relationship. Howard then introduced me to
Frank Kern, who has been a real asset to us, along with Ray Collier
and Roy Steevensz. Roy Steevensz has been a very faithful person in
coming up to Powhatan to teach classes on macrobiotics and working
very closely with the men. He averages two visits a week to Powhatan
and has done a tremendous amount of work to promote macrobiotics.
I began to change my own diet and now virtually eat no meat. I have
started eating brown rice, fish, fruit salad, and wheat products. These
foods have given me more endurance and have helped me in my most
stressful job. We have tried many things in the forum of rehabilitation
and they have basically failed. Why then not try something new. That
is what we are trying to do here at Powhatan.
On July 26, 1986, we had, as far as I know, the first Macrobiotic
Banquet ever held in a prison in the United States. As a follow-up,
Howard Robinson and Robert King asked the inmates who attended
the banquet, as well as the other interested parties, the following three
questions:
 1. What do you think about the Macrobiotic Banquet being used
as a sounding board to improve the food service at Powhatan
Correctional Center ? All prisons ?
2. How did you like the banquet, and the people present?
3. What is your opinion of the food that was served?

Some of the responses follow:

Paul X (Mullins)
1. The food served would have to be prepared by a food service
that takes pride in its work. The present employees look at
kitchen work as being a "do-it-as-quick-as-you-can" proposi-
tion. To improve food service would take a change in the
mind and heart of the food service personnel.
2. The banquet was a "festival affair" and the atmosphere was
joyous. People who attended seemed to be very energetic and
very easy to mingle with, in relation to how "inhibited"
outside guests usually act.
3. The food served requires one to develop a taste for, after so
many years of eating chemically treated, smoked, preserved,
highly seasoned commercial foods. This transition is neces-
sary for anyone trying to change over to natural foods, which
can preserve life if the natural and proper foods are eaten in
proper moderation.

Matthew X (Priester)
1. I thought the banquet was a good idea, because it gave people
from both communities (internal and external) a chance to
participate. The same purpose would be served in all prisons.
2. The banquet was nice; it just wasn't long enough. The people
were a joy to be around and, with their pleasant attitude, I
forgot where I was for a while.
3. Anything that's new takes a while to get used to but, overall,
the food was well prepared; and should be served on a trial
basis at this prison.
 87

Tom Higgins
1. I think the banquet was an excellent idea because it gave all
concerned parties (prisoners as well as staff) the opportunity
to work together on an idea whose time has come. In addition,
it gave everyone involved the chance to work out problems
related to this new way of cooking and eating.
2. The banquet itself was a well run and enjoyable event. And
the people were friendly and truly seemed concerned for
everyone's welfare, not just one particular group.
3. The food was entirely different but delicious. And the nutri-
tional value of the food had to surpass what we normally eat
by a wide margin. I favor changing to it on a regular basis.

Aazirn Sulaymann
1. I feel the banquet was a good idea and should be implemented
at all prisons.
2. I enjoyed the banquet, and the people who attended were
a joy to be around.
3. The food was good and it's my hope that it will become a part
of our regular diet at this prison.

Charlie Williamson
1. I feel that one must understand what to eat, and that the
macrobiotic diet is just that type of food needed to maintain
health.
2. The banquet was real good, because the purpose was to im-
prove the quality of one's diet. The people were great but
didn't understand the type of food being served.
3. 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

who or where one is. I really had a great time attending the
banquet.
3. The food was very good. Being a Rastafarian, the food coin-
cides 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. It's very important for everyonenot only myselfto see
that there are people, such as the "Macrobiotic Community,"
who understand through cause and effect that such programs
are needed. Eating from the tree of knowledge gives l i f e -
eating from desires is punishable by slow sickness and disease.
2. The banquet held July 26, 1986, was the second I've attended
since my incarceration, and it was the best. T h e guests moved
my old spirit to heights, highs, and dreams I'll never forget.
3. The food was very tasty and agreeable to the palate. Prisoners
saw it being prepared without additives or germ-causing
agents.

Robert King
1. Food quality improvement at Powhatan Correctional Center
(all prisons) is drastically needed. The macrobiotic way is the
best approach ever, and the most practical in regard to human
beings, their health, finances, and overall behavior. The ban-
quet and its purpose is the very best first step ever taken
towards improving the quality of life in any and all prisons.
2. The banquet was a beautiful gathering of people, all who
were oblivious to differences, having a good time for a most
worthy cause. The outside guests were fantastic, the most
honest, sincere, and caring group of people that I have ever
encountered in my life.
3. I helped prepare the food; my opinion of the food is that it
was superb, nutritious, tasty, and healthy. It was the best
meal ever served at Powhatan Correctional Center, maybe in
any prison.
 189

K. Shifflett
1. I think it is a wonderful idea. I think it will help inmates feel
better, think better, and live longer.
2. I thought the banquet was something too good for words.
The people that came were very nice people. They made me
want to go home so I could be among friendly people like
them.
3. To tell the truth, before I went into the banquet, I thought
I would just drink coffee. But the smell of the food was
wonderful so I tried it and I think it was the best meal I've had
in five years.

Rikk Allen
1. I personally feel that anything done to at least try to improve
the food that we, as a whole, have to eat is a definite and posi-
tive move, and the banquet was such a move. Touche.
2. Though I helped all day long preparing each and every dish
I did not attend the banquet itself. But I not only talked with
our guests, I worked with them, and I can honestly say that
I enjoyed myself abundantly.
3. Everyone has foods that they like and dislike. Kids hate
vegetables that are good for them. I did not sample every
dish. However, the ones I did sample I enjoyed. People
should remember not to say they don't like something until
they've tried it.

Jack Darden
1. The Macrobiotic Banquet was a new experience for all of us.
Macrobiotics is the art of prolonging life. Now any diet that
can prolong life should be accepted anywhere in America.
2. The banquet was excellent, and the people who attended the
banquet were superb.
3. Eating the well prepared food brought tears to my eyes to
see what I had been missing all these years. A well balanced
nutritious diet.
190

On October 15, 1986, the general population was invited to partici-

pate 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.

Evidence of Food-Health-Behavior Link

Revealed in Prison Experiments
by Donald Byrnes (Assistant District Attorney,
Suffolk County, N e w York)

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 ?
 IQI

We can pause for a moment in our headlong mental perception of

criminals as separate from us and try to perceive them as part of the
same whole of humanity. We can begin that quantum leap in spirit
whereby we break our arrogance habit.
Yes, we are arrogant. We think in terms of us and them. And this
division persists in our thought in spite of the fact that each of us knows
in secret we possess that hubris or flaw of character which could easily
make us a criminal.
We think we are antagonistic to and separate from our criminals.
We can, if we wish, realize that our oppositeness to criminals is
complementary, and we balance each other in the large picture. Every
crime has a victim.
Before you rush on ahead and guess wrongly that I am working up
to a proposal of general amnesty for all criminalswaitI'm not.
I only want to break us out of the habit of analyzing our problems in
parts which can be eliminated with money. I seek the development of
our intuition. I propose more right brain activity to balance the ex-
treme of our present left brain frustration.
Less "rationality" will enable us to enlist total brain power in our
common goal to improve the Criminal Justice System. Let's look at
our mental activity as the total balanced use of right and left brain
capacities. Is there any doubt that it will require excellent physical
health as well ?
In this writing, I concentrate on our Penal System as " t h e " most
chronic malady requiring immediate attention.
I propose that we make an analogy. Let's consider that by now each
of us has been touched by cancer. We have all felt the loss of someone
close to that mysterious illness which defies remission or cure. Please
read on.
The analogy I propose is that our Criminal Justice System be looked
at as a cancer patient. The cancer has spread into different areas of the
body. Overcrowded prisons, clogged courtrooms, appeals swamping
appellate courts.
If we today were to be diagnosed as having cancer as thoroughly
throughout our bodies as our criminal justice system, we would be
ready for an alternative. We would not be satisfied with the prospect
of a painful death in spite of treatment.
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. Powhatan Correctional Center, State Farm, Virginia State

Prison Administration which is presently participating in a
nutritional and educational project for the Virginia Depart-
ment of Corrections. The project was approved for the follow-
ing reasons.

1. Cost savings
2. Long and short term health benefits
3. The potential rehabilitative effects

2. Massachusetts Department of Corrections has sought advice

from the Kushi Foundation Prison Project in establishing an
A I D S remission unit for state prisoners which would use
dietary therapy which university research is showing to be
the most promising (and least risky) of all therapies under
study.
3. Central Prison, Linhd, Portugal. (See article in East West
Journal, July 1982.)
4. Cayahoga Falls Municipal Probation Department, 2310, 2nd
Street, Cayahoga Falls, Ohio 44221.
 193

5. Montgomery County Detention Center, Maryland, 1976. (Men-

tioned 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 vege-
tables, 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
 9 4

disease, diabetes, alcoholism, and AIDS behind us when we leave be-

hind 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 chap-
ters 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 regulat-
ing 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 . "

Overfed and UndernourishedThe Importance

of Diet in the Rehabilitative Process
b y F r a n k J . K e r n (Assistant D i r e c t o r , T i d e w a t e r
D e t e n t i o n H o m e s , Chesapeake, Virginia)

Needless to say, one of the most striking developments in the criminal

justice system (in particular the juvenile component) over the past 20
years has been the increasing rapidity and widening scope of change
in theories, goals, and knowledge about crime and its prevention or
control.
Many competing biological, psychological, social, and cultural
theories have emerged in the last two decades, yet none is sufficient
to account for the demonstrated rate and forms of crime and delin-
quency today.
The current numerical indictment includes over 12 million arrests
of children for delinquent acts. Of these, more than 2,500,000 are
formalized in the courts and criminal justice network. It might also be
added that 85 percent of adult offenders were part of the juvenile
justice system while growing up.
196

Many ages ago, Dostoevski made a very sage, a very visionary state-
ment. 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 con-
sequences, particularly on our children. Less than 35 years ago, hyper-
active 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 anti-
social behavior can be limitless. It is most unfortunate that the pro-
verbial "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 com-
pounded 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 aware-
ness of them." Fortunately, the back of this restrictive and pigeon-
holing 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

The blight of crime and mental health in America, as well as

throughout the entire planet, is an incredibly misunderstood issue
because it has become a maneuvered symbol of, and venting system
for, public outcry and anger. It has become over the years, one of the
most politicized social issues of the federal, state, and local campaign
trails.
The correctional and mental health systems are the only industries
that succeed by their failures. Our prisons and mental health popula-
tions grow larger because the people crammed into our prisons and
institutions come out worse, commit more crimes, return to prisons
and institutions, and continue through the revolving door of social
rehabilitation in an endless cycle of crime, institution . . . crime, in-
stitution. This is a system for the propagation of crime, not for the
administration of justice and rehabilitation. It is a perverted caricature
of help and social evolution. We are all double victims. We pay in-
creased taxes to maintain these failing institutions and we also pay
with our money, property, and lives as the objects of crime.
In most states, 90 percent or more of prison expenditures are spent
for custodial care in the form of guards, facilities, and new-wave prison
technology. The leftovers are judiciously spent for counseling, job
training, and education.
Obviously, there has to be a better way, and there is. We have come
to find out that sometimes the most obvious solution is the most
obscure. Antisocial behavior and crime are similar in mental energies
as sickness and disease are in the physical energies. They are analogous
from the viewpoint that we are what we eat and that the mind and
body are an inseparable entity.
The importance of diet and nutrition in rehabilitation of any design
is of paramount importance. This is tremendously critical when we
understand just who commits crimes. Three out of four persons ar-
rested for serious offenses are under 25 years of age, and most of these
a
re under 21 years of age. This statistic alone verifies that much of
the so-called crime wave is the result of the postwar baby boom,
a
bulging of the social age groups most prone to violence and deviate
behavior.
When we couple this with the fact that this time warp was the pivot
Point for the technological change and perversion of the American
food supply, it is no small wonder that devitalized food and disastrous
198

amounts of sugar are causal effects on unacceptable behavior patterns.

It is in this context that we must become aware of the direct cause
and effect of food and nutrition on the rehabilitative process. It is the
events of the present that are crucial.
T h e current research has enlightened as well as angered many of
the mega food industries and their allies. T h e results are in and they
continue to mount an irreversible attack on the stability of the quality
of our food supply systems. What was once built on steel is now stand-
ing on sand. Dietary patterns and the quality of food can impact, im-
prove, and lay the ground-work for curing not only physical maladies,
but mental and criminal manifestations as well. The brain is the most
chemically sensitive organ in the body. The fact that our food supply
is outrageously over-chemicalized seems to establish a deductive logic
that desperately needs to be investigated. Without first gounding our
nervous systems through whole foods, primarily complex carbo-
hydrates, the entire spectrum of rehabilitative processes at best, will
be mediocre.
It is our contention, that with whole foods as the first step, we will
establish new and creative methods for the meaningfulness of holistic
rehabilitation.

Excerpted from Overfed and UndernourishedThe Importance of Diet in the

Rehabilitative Process (Paper by Frank J. Kern, Assistant Director, TDH,
at the American Society of Criminology-Toronto, Canada 1982.)
 9 9

A View of Corrections
by Toni Atmore (Director of C o m m u n i t y Reintegration
Programs, H a m p d e n C o u n t y Jail and H o u s e of
Correction, Springfield, Massachusetts)

The corrections field is very concerned with the problem of over-

crowding. 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 men-
tioned elsewhere in this book. Imagine, simply taking sugar out of the
diet cut the incidents of infraction in half, and substantial improve-
ments 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

improvements and also reduction and prevention of physical health

problems (which are also rampant in our daily prison setting).
AIDS is a disease that is causing great concern and even panic within
many correctional settings and the Kushi Foundation, in collaboration
with the Boston University School of Medicine, is having some signi-
ficant positive results with its A I D S Project in New York City.
Would inmates choose healthier food if they had the opportunity?
The responsiveness of the prison population to the offering of natural
whole foods is well documented at the correctional facility in Virginia.
This project, which was implemented by the Kushi Foundation, not
only proved to be feasible and popular, but also highly economical.
The Kushi Foundation had the opportunity to present well re-
searched material on the benefits of a whole foods diet within the
institutional setting to criminal justice workers at the 1986 annual
training conference of the Correctional Association of Massachusetts.
Affiliated with the national American Correctional Association, the
Correctional Association of Massachusetts (also known as CAM) is
a key professional association for many criminal justice personnel.
Offering an exciting workshop entitled, "Diet, Health and Nutrition
Within the Correctional Setting," the Kushi Foundation addressed
a topic that is so crucial to inmate behavior and well being, but yet
has received little attention in the past in the corrections field.
The participants at the conference received a wealth of information
in a packet entitled, "Institutional Alternatives in Rehabilitation,"
which offered vital material on the methodology, economics, and
benefits of implementing a natural whole foods program along macro-
biotic principles in an institutional setting.
Those of us in the correctional field can no longer afford not to
support the change to a healthier diet and lifestyle for ourselves and
for the inmates we work with. Degenerative diseases such as cancer,
diabetes, and heart disease are rampant, and A I D S will be the cancer
of the 21 st century. Our state and county correctional facilities are
overflowing with men and women who possess a range of disorders
of which blood sugar problems are epidemic. And on a daily basis we
see problematic behavior which is made worse by the large consump-
tion of sugar, additives, preservatives, and refined and processed
foods.
 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 improve-
ments 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.
 5. The Shattuck Model:
Macrobiotics
in an Institution
by Tom Iglehart

In human affairs there is probably no area more mysterious and

frustrating than that of human behavior. The subject is usually identi-
fied as being restricted to health or sickness, when what we are more
often talking about is sociability. We often fail to recognize, in trying
to objectively evaluate ourselves or someone else, that we are asking
ourselves the question " I s this person sociable, able to participate
in society in a productive way that is satisfying to himself and others?"
When symptoms are not acute and physical, it is perhaps the ultimate
subjective and unscientific question.
It also happens to represent the challenge we have faced through-
out the ages in trying to live together as a civilization. Breakdowns in
sociability are breakdowns in our families, our communities, and in
our society as a whole: a fundamental threat to the ability of human
beingsindividually and collectivelyto fulfill requirements of sur-
vival more fundamental than those of prosperity.
Because we are so compelled to cope well with these breakdowns
and the fact that we most often try to do so with permanent scientific
"solutions"behavior and its stepchild "mental health" are fields of
inquiry that have been dominated by primitive conjecture and ex-
perimentation, psuedo-scientific thinking, destructive medicines, and
often cruel therapies. These have been offered, and accepted, out of
what can only be called desperation. From the 17th century prisons
for the insane (criminal or not) to the modern super-warehouses called
mental health, corrections, and geriatric facilities, there is littleaside
from minimal standards of physical decencythat can distinguish us
from our superstitious ancestors.
Today we appear to be blessed with the powerful combination of
superstition and industrial/pharmaceutical technology. These together
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 incom-
petent" 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. Ironic-
ally, 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 perma-

nently 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 super-
vision," 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 off-
spring 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 super-
stition 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
206

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 behav-
ioral 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 in-
stitutional 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
 207

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 environ-
ment, 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 pre-
vention of over 500,000 deaths per year from cancer, heart disease,
and a multitude of other illnesses. Hospitals do not offer a diet match-
ing this description. Given the failure of hospitals and all other institu-
tions to change their dietary practices, any person who asks himself
the question "How will this place affect my own well-being?" has a
208

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 nutri-
tional 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 con-
vinced 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 examina-
tions 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 differ-
ences of the two perspectives even more worthy of examination.
There will be no other way to separate fact from speculation in either.
 209

What is just beginning todaymore than thirty years after humanity

began to benefit by the work of the Kushis, and ten years after scien-
tific 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 dis-
played that one could call superior to the "Four Food Group" men-
tality which has made us a nation of lifetime consumers of deadly food.
I consult to institutions of varying sizes from time to time, and inevi-
tably 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 "nutri-
tion," the theoretical fulfillment of biological definitions which con-
sistently 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
210

of its possibilities for particular problems exclusive to the practice of

mental health.
The Shattuck was exemplary of nearly every comment I have made
about institutions. It was built in the early 1950s with public tax money
by a Navy admiral who designed it to withstand, from the second
floor down, a direct nuclear strike on downtown Boston. It seems that
long after the faces on Mount Rushmore have been worn away, the
Shattuck Hospital will remain its own kind of monument. This twelve-
story brick battleship overlooks Boston's largest, greenest, and least-
used public park.
But the two most compelling features of the Shattuck Hospital are
in fact the people inside it: State employees and chronic (now called
"long term") illness patients. Here, people with no other hope for their
debilitating sickness comesome staying as long as thirty yearsto be
cared for by health professionals who every day perform the miracle
of operating a 225-bed unit on less money every year, and do what
they can for the widest variety of patients to be found in the institu-
tional world: mental patients, geriatric patients, mental geriatric
patients, AIDS, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cerebral palsy, Parkin-
son's disease, muscular dystrophy, obesity, pain and stress patients,
and every single inmate of the State prison system who needs any kind
of hospital care.
It is in this same way, and in this same spirit, that the nation's first
alcohol detoxification program was invented and developed at the
Shattuck Hospital. Prior to that time, alcoholism was still talked about
under the voodoo of morals and character. There, in the 1960s, alco-
holism was looked at from a radically innovative point of view: as a
question of the body and of individual attitude toward life. When this
therapy was shown to be successful, it was given away to private
enterprise, and the public to this day knows well of this emergency
treatment.
T h e Shattuck was deploying, in that summer of 1980, another
health innovation, the likes of which are probably still not found within
any other hospital in the country: the Pain and Stress Acupuncture
Clinic, headed by author, acupuncturist, and humanitarian Ted
Kaptchuk, where those with chronic pain still go for drug-free relief.
The Pain and Stress clinic was recently featured in a special one-hour
 211

documentary about health innovations, broadcast over most of the

world by the BBC.
Little or none of this was known to us when we first visited the
Shattuck and observed lunch being served: spaghetti and meat balls,
and Jello with no whipped cream was the entire menu. We wondered
"Is this what people want ? What chance do whole grains, beans, fresh
vegetables, or dairy-free foods have here?" These questions were
rendered less important by the facts before us: that institutions ex-
emplify the kind of menu which has probably put more people in
America on their backs with illness than any other single practice. And
here was a public health hospital, representing the very issue that had
brought us into that cafeteria in the first place: the rapidly declining
health of humanity, which has characterized the end of this century
as a biological holocaust.

Superintendent of the Shattuck Hospital, Paul Schulman, and then

Chief of Psychiatry, Dr. Jonathan Lieff, had been asking each other
the institutional question on behalf of their patients and staff for some
time. Schulman had brought his interest in "nonmedical" health
promotion to the workplace, and Dr. Lieff had recommended he
investigate alternative food approaches, especially macrobiotic, which
could fulfill the health-promoting responsibilities of the Hospital.
Having heard of these conversations, we requested a meeting with
Dr. Lieff and Superintendent Schulman.
My associate Eric Zutrau and I were armed for that meeting with
a homemade, school-style display of grains and beans, some con-
sulting experience with the Cambridge City Hospital benevolent as-
sociation coffee shop (which had reopened with my and friend Jim
Harris's "vegie-burger"-style menu), a generous letter of introduction
from Michio Kushi, enormous hopes, and an appreciation for the
unlikely. Our operating principle since that time has been: what is
unlikely today may be commonplace tomorrow.
In short, Paul Schulman looked at us, at the grains and beans, at
his commitment to do something useful for the public health, and
agreed that we would consult to the Shattuck Hospital to create a new
line of food offerings. He also looked at his "03" (contract) account,
saw there was no money there for several months, and asked if we
212

wouldn't mind being State employees for the job. We took this per-
sonally 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 Food-
service (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 pro-
gram 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 produc-
ing 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 Ameri-
cans 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
 213

as no more than a meal consumed in a minute or a plate thrown against

a wall. Prison inmates invest a great deal of time and energy so that they
may be fed as individuals, as is partly described in other sections of this
book. Hospital kitchen employees often prepare dinner for all the
patients with no two trays quite the same.
Whether it takes place in the home or on a park bench, what we
choose to eat, and our right to do so, is less frequently questioned than
for whom we vote.
The patients and the staff of the Shattuck Hospital were obviously
no different, and they tolerated a narrow range of freedom of choice
that was typical for institutions but apparently unpopular, perhaps
even unbearable. We noticed that the cafeteria (which sold meals for
90 cents) had at most 60 patrons a day out of a staff of seven to eight
hundred, and that the food vending machines groaned with overwork.
How many paper bags carried by employees contained daily homemade
lunches was anybody's guess.
The patients were clearly the ones for our most imminent interest.
The hospital existed for their benefit and they had only one source
of food: the kitchen. But bringing to them new foods before (or at the
same time as) the staff would have produced acute suspicion of manage-
ment's intentions, at least until the staff had witnessed some possible
benefit.
Paul Schulman knew this well and knew that, in matters so per-
sonally sacred to people, time was the most vital ingredient. He pro-
posed a five-day per week lunch program restricted to the staff until
the conceptand the rest of its ingredientswere socially accepted.
With staff support, the patients would have the best chance of truly
enjoying some new alternatives. In this way, the first aspect of our job
would be to present new foods for the staff in a manner which would
speak to the distrust with which people greet something new that will
be associated with one of their basic freedoms.
Naturally we concluded that a barrage of educational materials,
lectures, and other intellectual festivities was the answer. Sound advice
came from Tom Kelly on this idea; it was to forget that shortcut. He
had never seen anyone at the Shattuck attracted to preaching. A little
reflection on this revealed what is perhaps most sacred to people and
most sensitive: what they believe. The sacredness of what they eat is
214

often no more than an indicator of the most sacrosanct of allpersonal

opinion. We were left with only cooking skills and presentation in-
genuity to increase our odds for popularity with an apparently un-
friendly audience. No convincing, no "enlightening," no persuasion,
no statistics, no formulas. Just physical factfood on the tableand
personal experience would tell the tale. It was out of this, each day
when the meal was ready and the patrons were waiting, that I would
announce the serving hour to our crew as "showtime." It was a game,
it seemed, with cards up everyone's sleeves.
By the time Paul Schulman announced his imminent and unexpected
departure from the Shattuck Hospital, we had situated ourselves in
the Hospital kitchen, held a successful introductory buffet lunch for
all the curious, found five more people to bring our macrobiotic crew
to a total of seven, set the first week's menu, and drawn up our first
order list. Paul had lived up to his self-described identity of "health
entrepreneur" to us, and that such a person could not find a permanent
place in the State public health system was absolutely demoralizing
for us at the time. Without the authority of a fair referee, we anticipated
the game becoming brutal. Before departing, however, he officially
hired our requested personnel and sent out our first food orderpro-
viding a lifeboat, as it were, supplied with bread and water. In effect,
we jumped in and started rowing as fast as we could. T h e first of
hundreds of macrobiotic staff lunches was served on March 9, 1981.
The last one was served three years later, throughout two more changes
in the Hospital's top brass, and no two menus were quite the same.
Two vital aspects of the program's workability came into question
almost immediately: cost and popularity. William Goyette, Paul
Schulman's successor, wasted no time in informing us that we had one
month to show that our food costs were no more than the State norm.
We also had two to three months to show that people were interested
and eating the food. These were the minimal criteria before going on
to other implications which hea representative of tight institutional
management with a good reputation for thatalso questioned later.
We had already estimated, by theoretical calculation, that the raw
food cost could be competitive. Whole grains, beans, fresh vegetables,
and all other foods of the macrobiotic profile are fundamentally efficient
(and therefore inexpensive) sources of nutrients. This is one of the
 215

phenomenal two-fold advantages of macrobiotic-style eating that had

brought us to the Shattuck in the first place: when we eat the grains
and beans (instead of giving them to the pigs, cows, and chickens, and
then eating the animal version) we eliminate the middleman, save
money, and become healthier besides. The interesting, and skillful,
part is making it delicious, especially within a culture that is fond of
eating the middleman.
In our first month of the program, we began collecting thorough
data on cost, eventually showing an average 30 percent lower food
cost than the quoted (but unverified) $1.08 per meal of the State norm.
As to popularity, we were at first serving macrobiotic food from
a separate, previously unused serving line. This was done to avoid
appearances of encroachment. Staff were allowed either what became
popularly known as the "nature" food only, or the regular American
menu only. For workplace harmony, the separate line was an inter-
esting temporary solution. As a way to promote alternative foods, it
was a terrifically bad idea, and everyone was fortunate that it lasted
one short month. The abrupt "either/or" nature of this arrangement
served two minorities only of the institution: those that wanted only
the typically American menu and those that wanted only macrobiotic,
natural, or vegetarian-style meals. It left no "window of opportunity"
open to the great majority who wanted to exercise a full spectrum of
choice, to discover at their own pace and make their own decisions.
It excluded those who were, in fact, our largest and therefore most
interesting target group: employees who were open to new foods and
an education about them, but were eating the standard fare because
they were not ready to jump so large a chasm. Consequently, the
patrons of our separate food serving line were an unimpressive per-
centage of the cafeteria as a whole at first.
The regular American and the macrobiotic menus were offered after
the first month on a different basis: literally side-by-side. Patrons in
this way were now allowed to select items to create their own "diet":
one type of soup, one type of entree, two types of vegetable, one type
of dessert, from either menu, combined on their plate as they liked
and so on. This simple rule became familiar to all customers very
shortly. Within two months after starting this method of offering
lunches, the cafeteria patronage doubled. A later survey showed that
2l6

the great majority of this increased group were including macrobiotic

food in their diet on an impressive scale.
For the skill in making it appealing, we initially relied heavily on
man/womanpower. This can be expensive when there is no ready-
made formula and procedure. We were inventing the procedure, which
had to take into account the cultural, nutritional, and institutional
management issues, making it predictable that such initial costs would
be higher than for something known as ordinary. At first the labor
expenditure to do this was approximately $100,000 per year. Within
20 months it was less than half that. Today, it would be even less by
using training and policy procedures discovered at the Shattuck during
the program and the cost would be offset by the food cost savings alone.
It required a group of people serious about their work to develop
something so practical. On that subject, one good fortune of starting
the program in Boston was the availability of skilled, creative, and
dedicated macrobiotic cooks who had the capacity to invent on a large
scale. Allow me to mention now several people prominent in the new
profession of whole-foods service: Debra Dewire, Mary Buscher,
Rick Hochsprung, Kim Bright, Vicki Sanabria, Chris Ryan, Paul
Marks, Michael Brandt, Sarah Umberger, Michael Vitti, and Eric
Zutrau. These people, and others, formed at different times the core
of the most ingenious team of people I have ever had the pleasure to
work with. As this narrative continues, the reader may better be able
to understand how this group won a kind of food service Olympics at
the Shattuck. To this day, they can do good things with simple foods
that are nearly unbelievable. In addition, they can do them on a institu-
tional scale. They are the future of food service.
The development of this teamand the technology we invented
togethereasily justified the investment of public money into their
employment. Yet, the Superintendent still openly expressed his dis-
satisfaction with that and another issue even while continuing to support
the program. He operated, like anyone, with certain assumptions.
Part of the story of the emergence of the Shattuck model for the
following three yearsand which will be vital to the impact any
institution has on the public health-was some measure of openness
about such assumptions.
One of them involves the misuse of the word "cost," which has
 217

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 com-
mercial 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 hyper-
expensive 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. Indi-
vidual 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
2l8

natural sugar-free desserts, or all of the above in their daily diets,

and for most it was the first such personal innovation in their lifetime.
Half of the sheer food quantity consumed by the staff from the serving
line were macrobiotic dishes.
The popularity of the macrobiotic food provided convincing evi-
dence about the "one menu" assumption (again, related to the "cost"
assumption). If there was neither a "one menu" restriction or pro-
motional propaganda used to elicit such popularity, then why did
people, many of them devoted to American foods in the extreme,
beginand continueto eat this way? Why wasn't it necessary to
" p u s h " (and annoy) people (some of whom had never even eaten in
a Chinese restaurant in their lives) to eat what the perplexed often
called " f u n n y " food? In any institutional system, something as trivial
as a change in the brand of chicken can foment rebellion and anger
of the first order. Where, then, were the giant committees, the high-
priced consultants and psychology experts, the months and years of
high level (and union and departmental and "all invited") meetings,
and the bitter battles between the "health nuts" and the "status quo?"
Indeed, where were the millions of dollars of public monies that would
have otherwise been spent just researching and developing a one-
menu plan for health promotion that might not even work ?
They were all put aside in favor of operating on a truly less costly
basis overall. This required a recognition of both individual dignity
and the most predictable aspect of human behavior that one can name:
people will ultimately do what they choose to do. As such, the Shattuck
model represented a delightful change in the daily lives of those who
worked there, instead of something that simply "happened" to them
and in which they could have no active part. It was an invitation to
something, made every day and made openly. All of Madison Avenue
and Barnum & Bailey put together would not have been able to dress
anything else up well enough to make use of the most driving force in
the human being: exercising free will. Because we live in a time in
which our biological foundation is eroding, those who feed others live
up to their own professional potential by making the effort of extend-
ing such an invitation. And because we live in a time of freedom of
food choice, the question that we must answer to is: "Which choices
will make any difference ?"
 219

As to the Superintendent's other, more private concerns, sagging

organizational morale was already definitely costing money, an incalcu-
lable 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 oc-
cupied a large part of their waking lives.
All of this added up to these enormous potentials for the staff popula-
tion alone:

1) Immediate improvement in morale, through a new employee

perception that the management cared about their individual
choices and preferences as well as their health.
2) Ongoing improvement in morale as staff health improved
through an overall improved diet.
3) Enormous potential cost savings in improved job perform-
ance, reduced absenteeism from illness, and medical treat-
ment made unnecessary by the prevention or alleviation of
illnesses.
4) Permanency in all of the above improvements as staff, over
time, learned about new foods and incorporated them into
their lives outside of the hospital.
5) The potential for a reduced overall cost for the food service
operation itself.

For the first time, the true cost of food in its greater scope was
being considered. For the first time, a large institution was asking
220

"What does it take to truly feed people well by all criteria and, there-
fore, 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 op-
portunity it would be to cut through many impasses blocking the inte-
gration 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 pro-
spects 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
 221

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 Ameri-
cans (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 respect-
able 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 ex-
bakerya 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
222

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 there-
fore 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 macro-
biotic 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 ex-
plain 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 con-
sider 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-
 223

ever it is said, we were producing something that was not trivial to

the average person.
As the public became more and more interested, and I sought the
endorsement of the highest medical and nutritional authorities (which
I eventually won) for the program's concept, we began to talk about
what to call the program. When we would say it was a "macrobiotic"
program to the average person, it sounded cult-like to many of them.
I received an open letter of support from the head of a prominent
school of nutrition only after I made it very clear to him that what we
were doing was feeding people, not telling them what to think. I had
guessed his concern: that his endorsement of this food as a leap for-
ward for the public health would be publicly (and professionally)
mistaken as an abondonment of science in favor of holism. What
could we say about the program that would represent its tangible
character and importance to the individual and to the institutional
world, and which would allow it to be accepted and talked about with-
out discussions comparing the pros and cons of the Cartesian and
holistic models of the universe?
It was a simple solution that served at the time: the "whole foods"
programa dietary concept that owed its origin to macrobiotic
philosophy and the traditional food practices of that philosophy. As to
the rest, the medical profession and the leading thinkers of our time
would have to work it out.
Perhaps the greatest innovation of the Shattuck Hospital macrobiotic
whole foods program was not in the dining room. It was in the home,
the boardroom, and the office, in fact anywhere that people are con-
cerned with and talk about health and the quality of life. In that dis-
cussion, the limits of the institutional role have been permanently
widened. It is now more than sheer speculation as to how an institu-
tion can provide both temporary crisis solutions as well as long term
prevention; emergency interventions along with nurturing of the
body's natural healing ability; the public institution as a stimulus for
self-motivated health and living, rather than as only an uncertain
refuge from illness and death.
As the semblance of this success finally took shape, we were offered
a second challenge: to see what this food could do for treatment of
mental illness.
224

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 ingre-
dients 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 with-
out 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 "play-
ing" with the lives of these elderly, some of whom had been institu-
tionalized for as long as sixty years? Menu design and nutritional
investigation of those menus (showing them to be quite safe) quelled
 225

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, con-
sidered 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 neces-
sary 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 improve-
ments in patient behavior.
The recipes used for this gigantic menu renovation are far too exten-
sive to be fully published in this volume and are probably of little
interest for general use. By way of general description: the meat be-
came 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.
226

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 pre-
pared 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 indi-
cated, 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,

 227

gave anyonenurses and nonpsychiatric M.D.swith any say in

patient care the chance to attribute a problem with a patient to the
"new diet." As there was no post-study chain of command already
set up, orders (apparently from various people with authority over
the Dietary department) came week by week to give this patient or
that back his old diet. It was a skeptic's free-for-all. When a majority
of the subject group had been so placed back on the standard fare, and
there was no policy otherwise forthcoming, the macrobiotic crew
voted to call it a victory and go back to feeding only staff temporarily.
At this point, the increased involvement of all the Dietitians and
their assistants engendered their enthusiasm to integrate the whole
foods into the regular patient menu. In the following months, 3-week
cycle menus were proposed, kitchen, kitchen logistics worked out,
and the means for maximum flexibility in allowing patients macrobiotic
foods were clear and theoretically in place: transition to all fresh
vegetables, pause, substitute whole grains for potatoes, pause, try
macrobiotic lasagna, pauseeach pause being a time to listen for
complaints and problems and make any individual revisions for various
patients. Yvonne Matthews headed up this initiative and encouraged
us to work closely with her and all others to make it work.
However, the budgetary restrictions of the Hospital, we were in
effect told, were steadily making it impossible to do our job well. For
example, the "hiring freeze," which was not in effect only when it
was announced as such (which it never was) caused our crew of seven
to shrink to three: each time someone moved on from the Shattuck
program, we were not allowed to replace them. Purchasing of food
ingredients became a process out of the eighteenth century, taking
(without any warning) four months or more from day of request to day
of delivery. We were told there was not enough money in the correct
account. During the entire final four months of the program, the three
of us made meals out of the following ingredients: U S D A corn meal,
USDA barley, leftover miso, fish once in a great while, and fresh
vegetables (these too now limited). We learned how to serve barley
fifty-five different ways.
To this day, the true source of this turn of events appears to have
been little more than administrative indifference to the prospect of
a permanent niche in the Hospital for health promotion From our
228

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 con-
vinced 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 re-
questing funding be set aside of $95,000 per year to maintain the pro-
gram (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
 229

the Shattuck while helping guide exploratory talks with Department

of Public Health about designing a dietary program for A I D S patients.
I have given consultations and passed on advice to other institutions,
and have had the pleasure of leading the preparation of a macrobiotic
banquet at a maximum security prison in Powhatan, Virginia. My
work, and that of many others with whom I have had the fortune to
be associated, has been very much about this: to this day, there is still
no more serious single institutional failure than in food.
It doesn't have to be that way.

The Shattuck Research

(The complete article on this study, authored by Dr. Jonathan LiefF, is under
consideration for medical journal publication. We are grateful to Dr. Lieff
for his permission to publish the following study summary, prepared by the
editors.)

Study Results of Dietary Change in Shattuck Hospital Geropsychiatric

Wards, 5 North and 6 North

This study concept was designed, executed and evaluated by a team

of the following people:

Jonathan, D. Lieff, M.D., Director of Psychiatry, Lemuel Shattuck

Hospital
Mitlesh Garg, Ph.D., Neuropsychology, Tufts Medical School
Ellen Langer, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology of Aging, Harvard
University
Ben Zion Chanowitz, Ph.D., Psychology of Aging, Harvard
University
Stuart Hartz, Ph.D., Biostatistics Department, Tufts Medical
School
Rene Spurber, Ph.D., Nutrition Department, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Steve Kaufman, (Ph.D. Candidate), Psychology
230

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

ABSTRACT : 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 in-
included psychosis, dementia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Behav-
ioral and clinical assessments were made before and after the eight-
week period during which the experimental group received the modi-
fied diet.

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 experi-
mental 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
 231

assertions from proponents of " f a d " diets and representatives of con-

ventional 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 con-
trol 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.

PROCEDURE: An experimental group numbering 16 and a control

group numbering 18 were assigned by a stratified randomization pro-
cedure 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 com-
plete 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 ex-
ceptions 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
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.

RESULTS : 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.

Table 1 Seven Staff Members' Guesses About Group Status

of All Subjects

Correct Incorrect
Ward A 69 43
Ward B 75 Si

Table 2 shows responses to a Nurse Observation Scale for Inpatient

Evaluation (NOSIE-30) both before and after the eight-week experi-
mental period by attendants. These results were subjected to Analysis
of Variance Procedures (ANOVA). An ANOVA performed on these
data indicate significant improvement in experimental group coopera-
tiveness when compared to the control group. (Therapist's ratings of
this aspect replicated the same pattern, but failed to achieve statistical
significance.)

Table a Attendants' Mean Ratings of Patient Co-operativeness*

Experimental Control
Before 45 57
After 51 48
* Higher numbers signify greater co-operativeness
 233

Table 3 and 4 respectively present attendants' and therapists' mean

assessment of patient irritability, again in response to, and as a subscale
of, the N O S I E (which was then subjected to the ANOVA) before and
after the experimental period. In both tables, these statistical analyses
indicate that experimental subjects were significantly less irritable than
control subjects. In addition, they indicate that irritability increased
for the control group while it decreased for the experimental group.
(Nurses' ratings of irritability replicated this pattern but failed to
achieve statistical significance.)

Table 3 Attendants' Mean Ratings of Patient Irritability*

Experimental Control
Before 10.9 8.6
After 8.9 12.7
Lower numbers signify less irritability

Table 4 Therapists' Mean Ratings of Patient Irritability*

Experimental Control
Before 10.38 6.7
After 7.8 7-2
* Lower numbers signify less irritability

Tables 5 and 6 respectively present nurses' and therapists' mean

assessment of patients' manifest psychosis, calculated in the same
manner. The data here indicate in both evaluations that there was
significantly greater improvement upon manifest psychosis among
experimental subjects. (In this case, attendants' ratings of manifest
psychosis replicated this pattern but failed to achieve statistical
significance.)
234

Table 5 Nurses' Mean Ratings of Patient Manifest Psychosis*

Experimental Control
Before 7.3 5-2
After 7.0 5-9
* Lower numbers signify less manifest psychosis

Table 6 Therapists' Mean Ratings of Patient Manifest Psychosis*

Experimental Control
Before 6.4 3-3
After 5.2 2-9
Lower numbers signify less manifest psychosis

DISCUSSION : These data show that the described change in total diet
does have a significantly favorable effect on the health and behavior
of geropsychiatric patients.
This pilot study examined the effect of such broad change in diet,
did not hypothesize any specific health or behavioral improvements
and consequently relied on a group of broad assessment instruments
that would indicate which factors might be affected by such a change.
Therefore, the data indicating improvement in cooperativeness,
irritability, and manifest psychosis will be regarded as suggestive.
Further study using more refined assessment instruments and pos-
sibly focusing on different elements of the dietary factors may be re-
producible in repeated experimentation, in which case there are im-
plications both for clinical treatment of mental disorder, health care
financing, and public health policy.
 6. Prisoner Correspon-
dence and Projects
by Frank Salvati

The Kushi Foundation Prisoner Correspondence Project began as

an informal personal endeavor of this writer. I first started to cor-
respond with prisoners in 1976, in response to an article in East West
Journal that appealed to readers to write to prisoners who had written
requesting a free subscription. The June 1976 issue of the Journal
listed over two hundred prisoners who were receiving a free sub-
scription.
East West Journal is a Kushi Foundation magazine that publishes
articles on macrobiotics, natural healing, natural lifestyles, diet, agri-
culture, spirituality, and the arts.
The Journal started to print personal ads from prisoners seeking
correspondence in 1976, and then instituted a Prisoner Pen Pals Cor-
respondence section in 1979. I would write to these prisoners. Then
in 1980 I met with the Director of the Foundation and offered to
respond to any prisoner who wrote requesting information about
macrobiotics.
The Prisoner Correspondence Project evolved from this beginning.
In 1982, while cooperating with the editor of East West Journal, Alex
Jack, on behalf of a prisoner in Texas, Neil Scott, who had cancer
and had written seeking help, the Foundation assumed responsibility
for the administration of the Journal's Prisoner Subscription Program
and the Prisoner Pen Pals Correspondence listing.
The Journal's Prisoner Subscription Program is at the present time
funded by donations received from readers who respond to appeals
printed in the magazine. For every $9.00 received a free subscription
*s given to a prisoner on the waiting list. At the time of this writing
there are over 300 prisoners on the waiting list. However, these
prisoners do receive a monthly copy of the Journal, from a selection
236

of back issues that are donated by the magazine. This supplementary

program was implemented in 1982 when the requests for free sub-
scriptions from prisoners greatly increased, and the waiting list began
to grow. The Prisoner Correspondence Project sends a back issue of
the Journal to every prisoner on the waiting list, every month, until
that prisoner has received a regular sponsored subscription.
At the present time this writer estimates that monthly copies of the
Journal are sent to over 600 prisoners, in about 70 correctional facili-
ties all over the country. (This estimate includes both prisoners who
are receiving regular subcription and those who are receiving a back
issue.)
In addition to sending the Journal to prisoners, the Correspondence
Project also sends literature on such subjects as macrobiotics, natural
healing, self-healing techniques (such as massage and Yoga), spiritual
practices (such as Do-In), and related topics. Prisoners write to both
the Journal and the Kushi Foundation requesting information and free
literature. The Prisoner Correspondence Project responds to all of
these requests.
In addition to administering these programs, the Prisoner Cor-
respondence Project also serves as a personal contact for prisoners who
write to us seeking something other than free literature. We receive
many letters from prisoners who are seeking dietary advice, have
questions of a health nature, and also questions or requests on topics
unrelated to "health." The Prisoner Correspondence Project tries to
serve the needs of prisoners, whatever the need may be. We provide
referrals to other prison projects and self-help organizations, and also
refer prisoners to the macrobiotic center near their prison or home.
This writer considers the personal correspondence activity of the
Prison Project as especially important and worthy of note here. Having
corresponded with prisoners for ten years now, I have come to realize
how much individuals in prison need contact with the "free world."
There are hundreds of people in prisons in this country who are seek-
ing a better way to live. T h e increase in requests for free subscriptions
to East West Journal and for literature, and also for personal cor-
respondence, clearly indicates that there are a growing number of
people in prisons in this country who are interested in health, natural
foods, macrobiotics, and natural ways of living in harmony (and in
 237

peace). Correspondence that the Prison Project receives from prisoners

clearly indicates that these individuals need and want help in order to
overcome their problems, whether the problem be one of a specific
disease or many other kinds of addictions, habits, and negative patterns
of thinking and behavior. However, our brothers and sisters in prison
need not just something to read or to help "rehabilitate" themselves,
but the human contact with someone who provides something that is
lacking in the prison environment. To illustrate my point here I will
offer a quote from a recent letter from a prisoner who had this to say
about his prison: "This place suffers from a lack of love and light."
In essence, what the Prison Project is trying to do, with our mailing
of literature and information, and with personal correspondence, is
to send a little love and enlightenment into the darkness of our society's
prisons. Hopefully this effort will serve to provide our brothers and
sisters with the knowledge and encouragement that they need to help
them with their "work" of self-transformation and quest for freedom,
and to help them create a more healthful and peaceful life for them-
selves and for our global society. And if personal correspondence be-
tween this writer and prisoners is any indication, there are many indi-
viduals who have benefited from this experience in sharing. We have
received many letters from prisoners reporting how they have ex-
perienced improvements in health and consciousness, thanks to the
knowledge that we have shared with them and their putting it into
practice.

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,
 2
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 pro-
grams 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 ex-
pense 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 limita-
tions 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 sub-

scription 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 ap-
pearing 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 imprison-
ment, 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 con-
tinuing future riding on the criminal justice merry-go-round has been
242

transformed into the expectation of a whole new life. Of course, I have

learned ever so much more from reading EWJ, but for now this one
stands out with greatest importance. I owe it all to EWJ and people
like yourself, who not only provided the spark, but sustained and
engendered a part of me that was sadly previously lacking.
"Once again I thank you for your concern; I only hope that some
day I might find the means to repay your generosity."
L. T . , Philadelphia, PA

"Neil Scott couldn't have said it better when he said, 'I am over-
whelmingly impressed with the macrobiotic way of life.' My temporary
incarceration here at Ashland FCI could very well be the best thing
that ever happened to me. It gives me the time and opportunity to
study and practice this fantastic way of living.
"I have eaten no beef or pork for a period of five months now. It
was kind of weird at first because in my family, there has always been
meat on the table. My grandparents are 85 years old and still kill hogs
every year. I did, however, occasionally eat poultry and dairy products.
This will cease as of today.
"When I lived on the 'outside,' I very much lived in the fast lane.
I consumed an enormous amount of alcohol and occasional drugs.
I continuously overate.
"Utilizing macrobiotic principles, I am proud to tell you that I have
lost 11 pounds and already decreased my waist size by three inches.
I feel absolutely great. I am more at peace with myself and with God
than I have been in years. This is the kind of happiness that I pre-
viously tried to find through alcohol and drugs. When I discussed
macrobiotics with a friend several months ago, he didn't tell me of the
great psychological changes that would take place. (Probably because
he knew I wouldn't have believed him.) My wife is overjoyed with
her 'new husband!' We both feel as if we're in love all over again. She
drives 225 miles and visits me twice per month, six hours per visit.
"I am generating macrobiotic interests here at Ashland, among my
fellow inmates.
"However, upon my arrival here, I asked the Director of Food
Service if I could obtain a meatless diet. He informed me that the US
BOP (Bureau of Prisons) didn't recognize 'vegetarians.' Being totally
 243

new here and not adequately educated enough in macrobiotics, I did

not pursue the matter at that particular time. In the meantime, I am
somewhat fortunate that Ashland has a cafeteria style facility and offers
somewhat of a salad bar. We have a new Associate Warden here who
has a reputation for being fair to the inmates as far as their legitimate
requests are concerned. It is my hope that by combining yours and
my efforts we may educate him somewhat in the macrobiotic way of
life and persuade him to initiate a nutritious diet line here at Ashland.
"I may obtain any magazines and/or literature that you wish to send.
However, they have a package policy that states that I must obtain a
permit from the mail room if I am to receive a package in the mail.
So, if you ever care to send a package, please send a postcard at least
two days in advance so as I may obtain a permit.
" T h e macrobiotic approach has absolutely changed my life . . . far
to the better. I am at this stage, fairly ignorant of the extent of macro-
biotic principles. I am only vaguely aware of some of the basic sugges-
tions, such as what toand what not toeat. But even still, this alone
has brought about a great transformation in the way I think and feel.
I am more relaxed, more tolerant, less aggressive, and much more
appreciative of what I do have to be thankful for."
R. G., Ashland, KY

The Kushi Foundation Prison Project

The Prison Project began as the correspondence work of Frank

Salvati, as a vital lifeline to the resigned and even desperate. The re-
sponse that he continues to send to the world of the prisoner speaks
of a new way of living, an understanding of personal responsibility for
everything in one's life, even sickness and health. We cannot live in
harmony long with one another or be at peace with ourselves while
avoiding any area of our health: physical, mental, or spiritual. We
cannot hope to exist as a community of healthy individuals in the pre-
sent or the future while ignoring the question, "What can I do to live
fully as a human being among other human beings?" The prisoner is
accountable; the warden is accountable; the Congressman and voter
244

are accountable; we are all accountable: we are responsible for the

consequences (to ourselves and others) of our actions.
After five thousand letters from 47 states and five foreign countries,
exchanging thousands of pieces of literatureincluding books, maga-
zines, and resource liststhe Prison Project was formed to follow
Frank Salvati's lead.
There is no better place for any of us to learn more about crime than
in our prisons. T h e focus of the Prison Project is in the prisons, to
promote the better use of human (and institutional) resources for the
end of a human suffering called crime.
Accumulating scientific evidence verifies the existence of a strong
connection between poor physical health and social breakdowns, in-
cluding what is called antisocial behavior. Our premise here is that,
whatever the circumstances, to begin a new life one must be healthy,
strong and clear-minded. This condition is efficiently promoted by
informing individuals of opportunities to choose a healthier personal
lifestyle, particularly through diet. T h e Prison Project assists both
inmates and institutions in creating such opportunities for change
through health-promoting food programs (such as the macrobiotic
food program at the Powhatan State Penitentiary in Virginia), in-house
education and training for prisoners and staff, and direct informa-
tional assistance by mail to inmates interested in choosing a funda-
mental tool for self-development.
The Prison Project brings another new message to prisoners and
administrators alike: there is the potential for personal and social
development, greater productivity, a sounder economy (including new
business potentials), and improved family and community relations
through the reviving of traditional lifestyle practices that are easy to
learn and cost little or nothing to begin. Some examples are: the study,
practice and teaching of Tai Chia remarkably useful, healthful and
satisfying form of exercise movement; the development of prison and
community industries in the natural foods fieldsuch as our proposal
for prison soyfoods industries; the practical use of the rising technology
of natural agricultureparticularly in the redevelopment of prison
farms; and the sponsoring of prison and community forums for in-
venting new solutions to old problems. Perhaps the prime example of
such a solution is this: by promotion of the lifestyle practices we have
 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 pro-
duction.
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 food-
oriented 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 correc-
tions 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 establish-
ing an A I D S remission unit for state prisoners which would use macro-
biotic 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

communities have prisons in them, and hardly any community can

say that there are no inmates from that community planning to some-
day return, it is of practical concern to ordinary citizens that prisons
play an effective role in ending the vicious cycle of crime and re-
cidivism, as opposed to simply temporarily confining the criminal.
Through such community action, new opportunities may be realized
for the hand-in-hand cooperation of citizens, businesses, and govern-
ment agencies and institutions to create rigorous prisoner and parolee
support as they go from the prison world to the outside world. From
this interchange, new understandingand truly innovative action
may be developed regarding the functioning of government in relation-
ship with a socially committed citizenry, and in the social implications
of being, or having been, a prisoner. In this way, the Prison Project
represents an effort to break down walls, not of prisons themselves,
but those we imagine to be between us, and to produce immediately
needed results for everyone concerned: for the prisoner, unprecedented
opportunities for self-development; for the parolee, a broader range
of social contact and work; for the citizen, a growing familiarity with
his community as a whole and playing a more distinct part in his or
her vision of it. By responding to and coordinating the concerns and
actions of people around the nation, the Prison Project is endeavoring
to bring forth more of the power in each one of us to perfect life
together: to realize our greatest dreams of peace and freedom.
In the sections that follow, we discuss possible projects the Kushi
Foundation hopes to begin in the near future:

Macrobiotic Nutritional Programs: The Project has successfully

supported the initiation of institutionally funded programs for dietary
health promotion in the Virginia Departments of Juvenile Justice and
Criminal Justice. These program concepts are at the leading edge of
institutional technology for the prevention of chronic illnesses and the
promotion of mental health and socially productive behavior. This
form of nutritional intervention has been cited by Hippchen, et al, of
the American Correctional Association in the Handbook On Correc-
tional Classification (1978) as being an essential component of inmate
treatment and successful reentry.
In accordance with the macrobiotic thesis for rehabilitation (which
 247

is supported by the current body of knowledge on nutrition and

behavior), the establishment of health-promoting prison dietary pro-
grams is perhaps most fundamental to long-term success in reducing
recidivism.
These programs are intended to provide inmates with alternatives
in diet in the prison setting, which they will be encouraged to choose
of their own volition by background educational programs. The condi-
tion of free choice is not only more effective in establishing long-term
physical and mental health gains (through improved "food behaviors")
and obviating group inmate resistance (since nothing is taken away),
it also allows for the ongoing development of optimally appropriate
menus to maximize authentic and lasting participation.
Research by the Virginia Department of Corrections has also re-
vealed that the foods promoted at their Powhatan program (following
Prison Project recommendations) are consistent with every religious
canon observed by the entire inmate spectrum, a major consideration in
their decision to begin the program due to the possible consequent
resolution of related inmate litigation now before the courts, and
costing perhaps millions of dollars annually in court time nationwide.

Study Groups: Individual study for personal development is en-

hanced by group study in three ways:

1) The sharing of information and insight in a language appro-

priate and possibly more useful to the individuals (appropriate
to their "semantic program," as referred to by Hippchen,
et al. as being essential to rehabilitative efforts);
2) Stimulating creative initiative for actual practice; and
3) Increasing the sense of self-esteem of the individual.

The Kushi Foundation has encouraged and materially supported

the formation of study groups in prison, both those operated entirely
by inmates and those including the instruction of macrobiotic teachers
volunteering to provide in-house lectures.
These study groups will continue to form as a result of Foundation
support, and are essential to initiating the holistic rehabilitative pro-
cess, especially of inmate awareness of the importance of sound diet
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) Inability to maintain a coherent focus for self-development

and productive living which may have begun in the prison
environment.
2) Inability to establish social support (including work) that will
contribute to that focus and their successful reentry into
society, and prevent their return to crime and prison.

The Kushi Foundation wishes to support the opening of half-way

houses to continue the work that parolees began with the Prison Project
(and other rehabilitative efforts). Included in the lifestyle and personal
development resources of the half-way houses can be:

1) Diet optimally appropriate to physical and mental health,

as determined by the resident parolees in accordance with
macrobiotic dietary recommendations;
2) Community and in-house education resources (such as classes,
consultations, and study groups) that will address the ongoing
concerns of the parolees (including examinations of their
"semantic programming" (Hippchen, et al.) which may have
contributed to previous offenses). These comprise a continua-
tion of elective study begun in prison;
3) Social contact with other community citizens sharing similar
concerns with holistic health and human development;
4) Regular lectures, classes, and study groups on various aspects
of macrobiotics, including cooking classes, self-health main-
tenance, and the development of a positive and constructive
view of life.
 249

Scholarships: In concert with parolee support through half-way

houses, the Foundation would like to promote continued education in
lifestyle and personal development through scholarships.
The first scholarships to be made available could include courses
of study at the Kushi Institute in Boston, and at community-based
regional affiliates of the Kushi Institute. Future scholarships could
include vocational and higher-education training selected by parolees
at institutions of their choice.

Resource Handbook: The Foundation would like to produce a re-

ference book for inmates summarizing both the services of the Prison
Project and associated affiliates throughout the world and the services
of other organizations which may support their comprehensive rehabili-
tation and reentry into society.
Inmates would be able to use the Handbook to inquire about publi-
cations and services which might not have otherwise been available,
and would find community support contacts to rely on after their
release.

Soyfoods Program: This program is to establish an agriculturally

based prison industry which is consistent with the Project's thesis of
health promotion. It was originated by the Prison Project, has received
grant approval from the USDA, is now sponsored by the American
Farm Federation, and is endorsed by the Center For Innovations In
Corrections. This program also has judicial and legislative support
in Virginia, as increasing numbers of correctional institutions are
adopting cost-effective measures of rehabilitation. It provides inmates
with a "work ethic" environment, the main principle for prison refor-
mation of former Chief Justice Warren Burger's Task Force On
Prison Reform.
Soyfoods are an increasing ingredient in conventional "fast-food"
technology as well as an extremely health-promoting aspect of a whole
foods diet. They represent perhaps the most promising source of both
economical and healthful protein available today. The U.S. stockpile
of surplus soybeans is second only to corn.
The development of the soyfoods market is contingent upon growing
consumer acceptance. We may expect a phenomenal growth in the
250

market through the end of the century as soyfoods become acculturated

as an ordinary part of the American diet. They are also an essential
part of the diet in progressive nutrition programs such as those pro-
moted by the Kushi Foundation.
The concept of prison industries has been prevalent in foreign
prisons for decades (as early as 1780 in Japan) and has proven to be
a cost-effective method of providing inmate job-skill training as well
as a method of providing revenue for prison operation.
T h e gradual establishment of soyfoods factories in prisons, which
require relatively little capital investment and may derive their raw
material at no cost from the USDA, would provide inmates with job-
skills training which is increasingly marketable and would also be
consistent with their training in personal dietary improvements.

International Conferences: The president of the American Correc-

tional Association recently praised the operation of Japanese prisons
in an article in the AC A Journal. His praise was of both the methods
and the results of the Japanese system.
In accordance with promoting correctional and rehabilitative con-
cepts that emphasize the comprehensive development of the inmate,
such as the Japanese model, the Prison Project seeks to sponsor, in
association with the ACA, a conference between American and
Japanese correctional leaders which may lead to further initiation of
macrobiotic rehabilitation programs in the United States.
Following the substantial initiation of those conference arrange-
ments, the Prison Project would like to begin preparing protocols for
an International Conference of five nations to include innovative
European perspectives and experience.

Public Forums: The Foundation would like to sponsor public

forums in key regional communities to stimulate public participation
in its activities, establish regional offices of the Prison Project, and
offer opportunities for action on any other community initiatives sup-
portive of inmate rehabilitation.
The forums would also increase Prison Project visibility to the
general public, provide opportunities for fund-raising, and develop
a member network. This growing national member network can com-
 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.

Sample Proposal for I n m a t e

Nutrition and Training

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to support Massachusetts

Correctional Institution offender populations in optimum health
maintenance through exposure to foods recognized by the U.S.
Surgeon General and the National Academy of Science as being most
conducive to long-term health promotion. Many of these foods are
not now available in the correctional system.
The potentially rehabilitative characteristics of this measure would
be enhanced by the inclusion of concurrent related education and train-
ing for these same offenders at the incarceration, pre-release and
release levels.
The purpose of related education and training is to develop client
self-reliance in personal health maintenance so as to optimize physical
and mental vitality necessary for reentry.

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 transi-

tion and related education at M C I Framingham.
The program includes offering alternative foods in the M C I Fram-
ingham 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 post-

incarceration supportin pre-release and upon reentry into the com-
munityfor 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 estab-
lished 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 Nutri-
tion 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 be-
havioral disorders (potential unknown) and many other chronic illnes-
ses. 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 ap-
pliedespecially 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 child-
raising and family income production. There is perhaps no other role
in society for which there is less agreement or support. A woman (with
 253

or without children) must, upon reentry from incarceration, not only

face a greater challenge in the job market as a result of her gender,
but must also reorient her personal life toward a productive daily
routine that is supported by optimum health, a positive attitude, and
a strong self-esteem in order to overcome the stigma of the ex-offender.
One way in which everyday nutrition at M C I Framingham alone
may be seen to not contribute to such optimum health and self-esteem
is the weight gain of between 20 to 40 pounds by most inmates between
incarceration and release (this achieved, in most cases, during a 3-
month stay). A diet high in fatty foods and simple sugars combined
with a sedentary lifestylein the home or the institutioncontributes
not only to this result, but also to more serious long-term health
problems (particularly ovarian and breast) that present a major ob-
stacle to leading a full and vital life. This medical phenomenon has
been irrefutably established for the U.S. population in the reports
mentioned above.
The reduction or elimination of such physiological obstacles to the
development of a positive attitude toward life and self-esteem (which
is essential for self-motivation) would be a major contribution to the
successful reentry of any inmate. That inmates of M C I Framingham
inevitably represent a strong influence upon their community (begin-
ning with their current or future roles in their families) makes their
reentry success a crucial component to halting the cycle of crime-
institution-crime in the community as a whole.
In terms of psychological development, the experience of a self-
chosen, self-motivated (nutritional) improvement in the quality of
their lives could alone prove to be a very powerful vehicle for improved
self-esteem.
The multiple issues facing the criminal justice field justify the ex-
amination and application of innovative treatment modalities that
offer little or no risk to the institutional status quo. Progressive nutri-
tion policies fulfill this criterion as well as those of very promising
efficacy in physiological and behavioral improvement, small initial
capitalization, and a probability of direct overall savings in the long
term.
254

METHODOLOGY
Background: In Massachusetts, perhaps the most significant appli-
cation 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 alter-
native foods to hospital staff on a daily basis, as well as experimental
transition for psycho-geriatric patients involved in double-blind re-
search 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 transi-
tion. 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 appro-
priate, 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 prepara-
tion 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 con-

sumption 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 in-
formation 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 hands-
on 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, moti-

vated and well-trained clients would encounter obstacles to the main-
tenance 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 ex-
periences 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 ex-
offender'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 im-
provement 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

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Aihara, Herman. Basic Macrobiotics. Tokyo & New York: Japan
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Benedict, Dirk. Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy. Van Nuys, Calif.:
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Brown, Virginia, with Susan Stayman. Macrobiotic Miracle: How a
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260

Hippocrates. Hippocratic Writings. Edited by G. E. R. Lloyd. Trans-

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 261

Kushi, Aveline, and Wendy Esko. Macrobiotic Family Favorites. Tokyo

and New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1987.
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. Cancer and Heart Disease: The Macrobiotic Approach to
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262

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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.
Price, Western A., D. D. S. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Santa Monica, Calif.: Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation,
1945-
Sattilaro, Anthony, M. D., with Tom Monte. Recalled by Life: The
Story of My Recovery from Cancer. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1982.
Schauss, Alexander. Diet, Crime, and Delinquency. Berkeley, Calif.:
Parker House, 1980.
Scott, Neil E., with Jean Farmer. Eating with Angels. Tokyo & New
York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1986.
Tara, William. Macrobiotics and Human Behavior. Tokyo & New York:
Japan Publications, Inc., 1985.
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.
The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. Translated by Ilza
Veith, Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 1949.
 263

Periodicals

East West Journal. Brookline, Mass.

Macromuse. Washington, D. C.
Nutrition Action. Washington, D. C.
" T h e People's Doctor" by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M. D. and Marian
Tompson, Evanston, 111.
 Macrobiotic Resources

The Kushi Foundation in Boston and related educational centers in

the United States, Canada, and around the world offer ongoing classes
for the general public in macrobiotic cooking and traditional food pre-
paration and natural processing. They also offer instruction in Oriental
medicine, shiatsu massage, pregnancy and natural child care, yoga,
meditation, science, culture and the arts, and world peace and world
government activities. They also provide way of life guidance services
with trained and certified consultants, make referrals to professional
health care associates, and cooperate in research and food programs in
hospitals, medical schools, prisons, drug rehabilitation clinics, nursing
homes, and other institutions. In scores of other cities and communities,
there are smaller learning centers, residential centers, and information
centers offering some classes and services.
Most of the foods mentioned in this book are available at natural
foods stores, selected health food stores, and a growing number of
supermarkets around the world. Macrobiotic specialty items are also
available by mail order from various distributors and retailers.
Please contact the Kushi Foundation in Boston or other national
centers listed below for information on regional and local activities in
your area, as well as whole foods outlets and mail order sources.

The Kushi Foundation

17 Station Street
Brookline, Mass. 02147
617-738-0045

For those who wish to study further, the Kushi Institute, an educa-
tional institution founded in Boston in 1979 with affiliates in London,
Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Florence, offers full- and part-time instruc-
266

tion for individuals who wish to become trained and certified macro-
biotic 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 ex-
tension 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,
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
potential number of acute cases
i n the U.S., 26
potential number of carriers
w o r l d w i d e , 27
potential number of cases
w o r l d w i d e , 27
projected increases in, 26
relationship of d r u g use to, 52
spread o f , 26
view of, 38
alcohol abuse, 53, 61
relationship of to accidents,
69
relationship of to crime, 69
relationship of to suicide, 69
alcohol and d r u g law, v i o l a t i o n of,
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
200 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 macrobiotic view of, 65

American Correctional Association, arame, 87
200, 246, 250 ARC, 26, 28, 73
American Diabetes Association, Areal, Antonio, 116, 117
77 arepas, 80
American Diabetes Association, armed robbery, 180
dietary recommendation of, 133 arson, 18, 24
American diet, profile of, 145 artificial foods, 31
American Farm Federation, 245, ascorbic acid, 123
249 Ashland FCI, 242
American Heart Association, 77 aspirin, 49
American Humane Association, 17 assault, 17, 138, 181
American Medical Association, 6 asthma, 52
American Psychiatric Association, Atmore, Toni, 199
204 autism, 67
American Society for Clinical auto theft, 18
Nutrition, 77 autonomic nervous system, 50
American Society of Criminology, axon, 42
198 azuki beans, 86
amine neurotransmitters, 45
amino acids, 45, 122 B-cells, 42, 52
amphetamines, 50 B-complex vitamins, 60
Analysis of Variance Procedures, B-vitamins, role of in schizophrenia,
232 69
androgens, 45 role of in thought process, 69
anemia, 52 baby boom, relationship of to
angel dust, 20 crime, 197
animal foods, effect of on behavior, baked dessert, 98
47 baking, 95
effect of on thinking, 72 balanced diet, effect of on behavior,
effects of, 40 75
ratio of to vegetable food, 114 effect of on blood sugar levels,
yin and yang classification of, 75
40 effect of on substance abuse, 75
animal protein, 76 bancha stem tea, 98
effect of on brain chemistry, 147 barley, 79
animals, use of in medical research, barley malt, 96
112 barley miso, 96
annual crime index, 23 barley tea, 99
antibiotics, use of in cattle feed, 33 basic human consciousness, 109
antidepressant drugs, 63 battery, 181
antidiuretic hormones, 69 BBC, 210, 228
anti-insulin, 58, 65 bean based snacks, 95
antisocial behavior, 61, 65 bean products, list of for regular
and sugar consumption, 64 use, 86
recovery from, 104 bean sprouts, 86
antisocial personality disorder, 205 beans, cooking styles for, 86
anxiety, 36, 39, 53, 59, 65, 106 cooking variations for, 87
 269

list of for regular use, 86 transmitter production, 65

seasonings for, 86 body care products, 102
use of garnishes for, 86 body, energetic quality of, 37
use of in macrobiotics, 86 body rigidity, 48
use of in soup, 83 body scrubbing, 102
beefsteak plant, 95 boiled salad, 85
behavior, influence of hormones on, boiling, 85
45 bok choy, 84
behavior and diet, 35, 46 bone marrow, 52
behavior modification, 49 Boston Commission for Safe Public
behavior modifying drugs, 53 Schools, 19
behavioral disturbances, 67 Boston Herald, 160
behavioral problems, approach to, Boston University School of
141 Medicine, 28, 200
behind closed doors: violence in brain, condition of in hyperactivity,
the American family, 137 51
Beldekas, John, 29 effect of drugs on, 51
Bell, John, 71 motion centers of, 50
Berger, Barbara, 155 overstimulation on in
beta-carotene, 125 schizophrenia, 68
sources of in macrobiotic diet, brain chemistry, influence of diet
125 on, 146
beverages, consumption of, 100 brain damage, 144
beverages, use of in macrobiotics, 98 bran pickles, 92
BHA, 49 bran products, use of in macro-
BHT, 49 biotics, 86
biochemical improvement, 118 breakfast porridge, 81
biological clocks, 57 breast cancer, 73
biological degeneration, 26 breast feeding, and natural
biological degeneration, crisis of, immunity, 74
101 brine pickles, 92
biosocial decline, 34 Briscoe, David, 104
bipolar depression, 57 British Medical Journal, 6
bipolar disorder, 230 broccoli, 84
births outside of marriage, 17 Brown, Carolyn, 33
black sesame seeds, 93 brown rice, 79
black soybeans, 86 brown-rice diet, difference from
black turtle beans, 86 standard macrobiotic diet, 122
Blackburn, George, 207 brown rice vinegar, 96
black-eyed peas, 86 buckwheat, 80
Bleuler, Eugen, 66 Buddha, 111
blood cells, yin and yang classifica- Buddhist temples, 111
tion of, 42 bulgur, 79
blood cholesterol levels, 132 burdock, 95
blood pressure, 132 burdock root, 84
blood quality, effect of drug on, 52 burdock root tea, 99
blood sugar disorders, 61 burglary, 18, 24, 151
blood sugar, effect of on neuro- buttercup squash, 84
270
Butterworth, Charles, 207
Byrnes, Donald, 190
cabbage, 84
caffeine, 148
calcium, F A O / W H O standard for,
127
calcium deficiency, 127
calcium depletion, 68
caloric intake, 123
C A M conference, macrobiotic
presentation at, 200
cancer, 15, 24, 65, 73, 75, 101, 107,
112, 194, 200, 210
estimated incidence in the U.S.,
38
increase in incidence of, 38
modern approach to, 38
cancer and diet, 38
Cancer News Journal, 163
cancer of the colon, 160
cancer prevention, 228
cancer prevention, dietary guidelines
for, 77
cancer research, 38
canine teeth, use of in human diet,
114
canned foods, 31
car theft, 24
carbohydrate consumption, in
American diet, 128
carcinogens, 131
cardiovascular disease, 145
risk factors for, 132
cardiovascular illness, 15
carrot tops, 84
carrots, 84
cast-iron cookware, 128
catecholamines, 44
cauliflower, 84
Cayahoga Falls Municipal Proba-
tion Department, 192
celery, 84
celery root, 84
Center for Innovations in Correc-
tions, 249
centers for diesease control, 73
cereal grain coffee, 99
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 hypo-
glycemia to, 60
childhood development, abnormal-
ities 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

colon cancer, 160
colostrum, 74
coltsfoot, 84
communication, problems with, 67
complex carbohydrates, 41, 59, 64,
75, 76
effect of on blood glucose, 59
influence of on brain chemistry,
146
condiments, list of for regular use,
95
use of in macrobiotics, 95
confessions of a medical heretic, 142
Confucius, 111
consciousness, levels of, 108
revolution in, 113
conservative approach, 72
control, loss of, 69
cooking, decline of, 101
cooking attitude, 100
cooking in prison, 117
corn, 80
corn oil, 96
corn on the cob, 80
cornerstone coalition, 171
Correctional Association of
Massachusetts, 245
correctional system, failure of, 197
corrections, innovations in, 245
cosmic law, 9
counseling, 49
couscous, 79
cows, population of in the U.S., 31
cow's mifk formula, 144
cravings, for alcohol, 60
for sweets, 60
crime, 15, 18, 109
cause of, 10, 112
complimentary tendencies in,
115
cost of, 196
frequency of in U.S., 204
fundamental cause of, 116
increases in, 21
macrobiotic approach to, 104
metabolic causes of, 196
propagation of, 197
psychodynamic explanations of,
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
cyclic nature of, 57
dietary approach for, 64
dietary management of, 148
estimated incidence of, 58
increasing incidence of, 64
macrobiotic view of, 65
relationship of to blood sugar
level, 58
relationship of to hypoglycemia,
58
relationship of to pancreas, 58
unipolar form, 57
DES, 33
dessert, list of for occasional use, 98
use of in macrobiotics, 98
destruction of property, 48
destructive behavior, 48
dexedrine, 49, 50
diabetes, 15, 24, 52, 129, 194, 210
management of, 133
diabetes and hypoglycemia, 58
diabetes diets, 133
Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of
Mental Disorders, 205
diet, adjustment of to weather
conditions, 115
and blood sugar level, 59
crime and delinquency, 61, 70,
149
effect of on dreams, 71
effect of on social problems, 30
health and nutrition within the
correctional setting, 200
in treatment of depression, 147
influence of on behavior, 47
influence of on hormones, 45
influence of on learning, 47
link to degenerative illness, 146
nutrition and cancer, 77, 129,
131, 208
seasonal adjustment of, 115
diet and behavior, 35, 46, 135
diet and cancer, 207
diet and chronic illness, 15
diet and depression, 59
diet and heart disease, 207
diet and mental health, 34
diet in prison, 153
diet therapists, 113
dietary change, in prison, 169
dietary education, 134
dietary extremes, effect of on
immune system, 73
Dietary Goals for the United States,
34, 77, 192
dietary guidelines, for a temperate
climate, 77
dietary iron, source of, 127
dietary modification, institutional
experiment with, 62
dietary pattern, effect of on
thinking, 72
individual variations in, 65
dietary supplement, 130
disaccharides, 59
disease, prevention of, 200
disorderly conduct, 151
divorce, 16
divorce, effect on children, 16
divorce, number of, 137
divorce note, 16
divorce rates, 34, 136
divorce statistics, 16
D M S III, 205
Do-In, 236
domestic violence, 17
Donne, John, 190
Don't Drink Your Milk, 71
dopamine, 44, 68
dopamine hypothesis, 68
Dostoevski, 196
dream state, 108
dreams, dietary cause of, 71
dried tofu, 86
drug abuse, 18, 20
cause of, 41
dietary program for, 55
prevention of, 194
drug and alcohol abuse, 15, 117
drug and alcohol abuse clinics, 117
drug dependency, 174
drug therapy, 49, 142
drug use, amount of time needed
to recover from, 56
dietary guidelines for recovery
from, 56

symptoms that occur during
recovery from, 56
drugs, effects of, 55
drugs, effects of on immune
response, 52
effect of on immune system, 73
effects of, 55
possession of, 116
psychological effects of, 52
side effects of, 50
toxic effects of, 55
use of in America, 142
use of in treating hyperactivity,
50
yin and yang classification of,
50
dualism, 141, 150
origin of, 36
dulse, 88
Dupree, James, 64
early man, diet of, 114
East West Journal, 10, 64, 104, 117,
135, 192, 235, 238, 239, 241, 266
eating, attitude toward, 100
manner of, 100
eating habits, 100
eating out, effect of on family, 73
increase in, 33
eating patterns, 20th century
changes in, 31
eating, regular times for, 100
Eating with Angels, 166
education, of people in prison, 118
quality of, 19
ego-centeredness, 48
egocentric thinking, 112
egocentric world view, 112
egocentricity, as cause of sickness,
113
electric stove, 102
electric utensils, 102
electro-convulsive shock treatment,
141
electroshock, 143
emotional response, 67
endive, 84
endocrine system, yin and yang in
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 gas cooking, 102

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 Organiza-
tion, 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 Hartz, Stuart, 229
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
Gelles, Richard J., 137
generation gap, 72
Gertsen, Tue, 155
glucose tolerance test, 7
glucose, 133, 147
glucose-containing disaccharides,
133
glutamic acid, 69
glycine, 44
gomashio, 95
grains, percentage of in macro-
biotics, 100
use in dessert, 98
use of in soup, 82
grain based snacks, 94
grain tea, 99
grated daikon, 96, 97
grated ginger root, 96
grated radish, 96, 97
great northern beans, 86
Greater Manchester Mental
Health, 10
green beans, 84
green mustard paste, 96
green nori, 95
green peas, 85
half-way houses, 248
hallucination, 67, 142
hallucinogens, 21, 23
Hampden County Jail and House of
Correction, 199
Handbook on Correctional Classi-
fication, 246
harmony with nature, 113
Harnish, Stephen, 8, 10
Harris, Peter, 107
health, relationship of to mental
condition, 38
health care, cost of, 129
health food, 106
Healthy People: Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention, 77
heart attacks, 65
heart disease, 15, 24, 64, 73, 101,
114, 194, 200, 210

incidence of in America, 145
heart illness, 15
heroin, 21, 53, 56
estimated rate of, 21
herpes, 73, 75
estimated incidence of, 73
high crime areas, 117
higher consciousness, 111
hijiki, 88
Hiroshima, 110
Hokkaido pumpkin, 85
holistic rehabilitation, 198
homelessness, 204
hormone secretion, 52
hormones, effect of drug on, 52
effect of on behavior, 45
influence of diet on, 45
yin and yang classification of,
45
horseradish, 96, 97
hospital food, quality of, 207
House Subcommittee on Health
and Long Term Care, 120
HTLV-3, 26
potential number of carriers in
the U.S., 26
hubbard squash, 85
human law, 9
human potential movement, 144
human survival, 113
human teeth, structure of, 114
humanity, possible extinction of,
113
hunter-gatherers, 114
Huntsville Prison, 160, 161
hyperactive children, 148
hyperactivity, 35, 46, 73
current approaches to, 49
definition of, 47
dietary management of, 49, 148
dietary recommendations for,
54
Feingold approach to, 64
holistic approach to, 53
incidence of, 196
influence of diet on, 47
macrobiotic approach to, 53
role of family in, 53
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

inmate populations, growth of, 199 Kaptchuk, Ted, 210

insecurity, 36, 59 Kaufman, Steve, 230
Institute for Biosocial Research, Kelly, Thomas J., 212, 230
149 Kephart, William, 19
institutional alternatives in rehabili- Kern, Frank, 61, 116, 182, 185, 195
tation, 200 kidney beans, 86
institutional diets, controlled studies kids and cocaine, 21
of, 62 King, Robert, 174, 177, 185, 188
institutional food, 153 kohlrabi, 84
quality of, 207 kombu, 81, 88
institutional management, 207 kombu root, 87
insulin, 58, 65 kombu tea, 99
intellectual crimes, dietary cause of, Kramer, Morton, 136
118 Kushi, Aveline, 208
International AIDS Conference, 28 Kushi, Lawrence, H., 11
International Life Science Institute, Kushi, Michio, 164, 173, 208, 211,
6 226
intestinal flora, 52 Kushi Foundation, 10, 11, 200,
intuition, 111, 115 241, 265
intuition, recovery of, 111 Kushi Foundation Prison Project,
Irish moss, 88 116, 176, 195, 243
iron, sources of in macrobiotic Kushi Foundation Prisoner
diet, 127 Correspondence Project, 235
iron-deficiency anemia, 127 Kushi Institute, 61, 101, 118, 180,
irradiation, effects of on humanity, 183, 249, 266
110 kuzu, use in dessert, 98

Jack, Alex, 11, 164, 235, 240 lactose intolerance, 71

Jerusalem artichoke, 85 lactose, 133
Jesus, 9 lambsquarter, 84
jinenjo, 85 Lancet, 28
John Hopkins University School of Langer, Ellen, 229
Medicine, 135 Lao Tzu, 111
Journal of the American Dietetic larceny, 151
Association, 5 learning disabilities, 47
Journal of the American Medical law, human, 9
Association, 6 natural, 9
judges, future role of, 118 laws of nature, 40
junk foods, 175 lead, relationship of to behavioral
juvenile delinquency, 15, 18, 34, 35, disorders, 71, 144
117 learning disability, incidence of,
and sugar consumption, 62 196
juvenile institutions, dietary ex- leeks, 84
periments in, 63 Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, 207,
reduction of sugars in, 63 229, 230
lentils, 86
kale, 84 Lesser, Michael, 140, 148
Kaposi's sarcoma, 28, 74 Letters from Prisoners, 237

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, modifica-
tion of, 113
277
Macrobiotic International, 100, 120
macrobiotic philosophy, 182
macrobiotic rehabilitation, 250
macrobiotic rehabilitation center,
need for, 104
macrobiotic spirit, 180
macrobiotic vegetarian meals, 111
macrobiotic-AIDS, ongoing study
of, 29
macrobiotics, 208
criticism of, 134
difference between Zen macro-
biotics and, 6
in Linho Prison, 117
lack of information about, 76
origin of, 208
spirit of, 182
use of in institutions, 76
macrobiotics, misunderstanding of,
76
magnesium, 69
major depressive illness, 58
malnutrition, 121
malpractice suits, 142
manganese, 69
mania, 57, 59
maniac depressive psychosis, 57
manic depression, 8
marijuana, 22, 53, 55, 56, 107
marriage, instability of, 16
marriage contracts, 112
martial arts, 102, 181
Massachusetts Correctional
Institution, 251
Massachusetts Department of
Corrections, 192
Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology, 135, 146, 229
matter, present view of, 37
Matthews, Yvonne, 230
McGovern, George, 34
MCI Framingham, 251
meals, frequency of, 100
meat consumption, increase in, 31
meat eating, 113
meat substitutes, 154
medical and insurance system, 112
medical research, 112
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 hyper-
activity, 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

national survey of drug abuse, 21 Nutrition Foundation, 6

natto, 86 nutrition research, 35
natural lifestyle, 101 nuritional deficiency in the U.S.,
natural immunity, 38 127
and breast feeding, 74 nutritional management, 49
effect of drug on, 52 nutritional science, principles of,
effects of colostrum on, 74 128
effects of tonsillectomy on, 74 nuts, kinds of, 93
weakening of, 52 serving styles for, 93
natural law, 9 use of in macrobiotics, 92
navy beans, 86
nekombu, 87 oats, 80
nervous system, condition of in obesity, 15, 129
hyperactivity, 51 Ohsawa, George, 164
nervous system, effect of drugs on, OI, 8
50 oil sauteing, 85
yin and yang in functioning of, okara, 86
44 olive oil, 96
nervous tension, 147 onion, 84
neurotransmitter, role of in operations, effects of on natural
behavior, 44 immunity, 74
neurotransmitters, 6, 44, 65, 252 opportunistic infections, 28
and depression, 65 order of the universe, 40, 109, 115,
in schizophrenia, 68 177
yin and yang classification of, organic farming, 31
44 organs, effect of drugs on, 51
neurons, 43 Oski, Frank A., 71
functioning of, 43 Osteoporosis, 127
yin and yang in structure of, 43 outdoor activity, 101
new wave thinking, 72 Overfed and UndernourishedThe
New York Center for Macrobiotics, Importance of Diet in the Rehabil-
10 itative Process, 198
New York Penal System, 192 oxalates, 127
Newsweek, 20, 21, 139
nightmares, dietary causes of, 71 paella, 81
N I M H , 137, 143 pain and stress acupuncture clinic,
noodles, 79, 80, 94 210
norepinephrine, 44, 45 pain and stress clinic, 228
nori, 87 pancreas, 58, 63, 64, 65, 75
nori condiment, 95 cancer of, 64
nuclear family, breakdown of, 137 pancreatic hormones, 58
nuclear testing, 33 paranoia, 102, 104
Nurse Observation Scale for dietary causes of, 66
Inpatient Evaluation, 232 recovery from, 103
nut based snacks, 95 paranoid schizophrenia, 67
nutrition action, 146 dietary causes of, 67
nutrition and human health, 34 yin and yang classification of,
nutrition and mental health, 35 67
275
Parlett, Tom, 170, 171, 175, 185
parsley, 84
pasta, 79, 80, 94
patty pan squash, 84
PCC, 171
pearl barley, 79
pellegra, 69
penicillin, 33
pepper, 97
persecution, delusion of, 67
pharmaceutical technology, 201
phobias, 39
physical activity, 102
physical assault, 17
pickled plum, 95
pickles, foods used in making, 92
use of in macrobiotics, 91
pickling, 85
pinto beans, 86
pneumocystic carinii pneumonia, 28
polyunsaturated fats, 130
pornography, 116
Position Paper of the American
Dietetic Association on Diet and
Criminal Behavior, 5
potassium, functioning of in
nervous system, 44
poultry consumption, 31
Powhatan Correctional Center,
171, 174, 185
Powhatan State Penitentiary, 244,
245
Powhatan State Prison, 116
premature babies, 14
President's Commission on
Organized Crime, 21
Presidential Commission on Mental
Health, 137
pressed pickles, 92
prevention of degenerative sickness,
macrobiotic approach to, 128
principal foods, 108
prison, diet in, 104
number of people in, 204
prison diet, 152, 153, 182
prison expenditures, 197
prison farms, 244
prison industry, 249
prison nutrition, 190
prison population, 18
prison population, costs of feeding,
193
Prison Project, 243
Prison Soyfoods Industries, 244, 250
Prisoner Correspondence Project,
235, 236
Prisoner Pen Pals Correspondence,
235
Prisoner Subscription Program, 235
prisoners, health of, 118
involuntary experiments on, 152
Prisoners, Letters from, 237
prisons, future role of, 118
probationers, dietary survey of, 149
processed food, consumption of, 196
effect of on natural immunity,
75
professional crimes, 116
property crime, 23
increases in, 23
prophets of Israel, 111
prosecutions, future role of, 118
protective measures, 112
protein, 41, 122
availability of in macrobiotic
diet, 122
availability of in vegetarian
diet, 122
F A O / W H O standards for, 123
R D A for, 122
protein consumption, in American
diet, 128
protein deficiency, 123
protein quality, 122
provera, 46
psychiatric care, number of persons
requiring, 39
psychiatric disorders, 137
psychiatric profession, 142
psychiatrists, number of, 39
psychoactive drugs, 50
psychoanalysis, 39, 142
psychologists, number of, 39
psychosis, 230
psychosurgery, incidence of, 143
psychotherapies, 142
puberty, 52 rice malt, 96
pumpkin seeds, 93 rice miso, 96
pumpkin, 84 rice tea, 99
punishment, 9, 119 rice vinegar, 96
rice wine, 96
Quincy Health Care Medical Richmond News Leader, 174, 178
Associates of Greater Boston, 171 ricket, 126
ritalin, 50
radiation, 110 side effects of, 53
as a cause of AIDS, 110 roasted grains, 94
as cause of sterility, 110 roasted sesame seeds, 95
yin and yang classification of, robbery, 181
110 1984-1985 rates of, 23
radiation exposure, 33 Robinson, Howard, 169, 171, 175,
radiation sickness, 110 185, 188
radiotherapy, 38 romaine lettuce, 84
radish, 84 runaway children, 72, 137
rape, 135 rye, 80
1984-1985 increases in, 23
R D A , 121 safflower oil, 96
recidivism, 193, 246 sak6, 96, 99
recommended dietary allowances, sake lees, 96
121 salad, 85
red cabbage, 84 salicylates, 49, 148
red pepper, 96 salt, consumption of, 130
Reed, Barbara, 149 salt and water pickles, 92
rehabilitation, current approach to, Salvati, Frank, 116, 168, 169, 172,
10 235, 243
importance of diet in, 197 SAT, 34, 136
macrobiotic thesis for, 246 SAT, decline in scores of, 34
Rehabilitation Center, Morristown, saturated fat, 64, 76, 114
New Jersey, 61 sauerkraut, 92
remedial teaching programs, 55 scallion, 84
reproductive ability, effect of drug Schauss, Alexander, 61, 70
on, 51 schizophrenia, 35, 65, 73, 75, 102,
reproductive disorders, 26 104
responsibility for actions, 115 definition of, 139
retinol, 125 dietary causes of, 66
sources of in macrobiotic diet, dietary management of, 148
125 external signs of, 68
riboflavin, availability of in macro- recovery from, 107
biotics, 124 recovery story of, 103
F A O / W H O standard for, 124 role of blood sugar in, 68
R D A for, 124 role of excessive sugar con-
sources of in modern diet, 124 sumption in, 68
riboflavin deficiency, 124 symptoms of, 66
rice balls, 94 yin and yang classification of,
rice cakes, 94 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 Nutri-
tion 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

seafood used in, 83 effect of on thinking, 72

seasonings used in, 83 influence of on behavior, 47
vegetables used in, 82 intake of by inmates, 199
soybean milk, 99 source of in macrobiotic diet,
soybean miso, 95, 96 130
soybeans, 86 sugar addiction, among inmates, 61
special education, 49 Sugar Blues, 238
spirit of adventure, 118 sugar cravings, cause of, 59
spiritual consciousness, 108 sugar consumption, 31
spiritual development, cuisine for, sugar industry, 152
111 sugar reduction, behavioral im-
split beans, 86 provements resulting from, 62
sports, 102 experiments with, 62
spouse abuse, 17 sugars, effects of on behavior, 62
relationship of hypoglycemia suicide, 19
to, 60 incidence of, 58
spring water, 99 increase in, 137
Spurber, Rene, 229 increase of among young
squash seeds, 93 people, 34
standard American diet, 130 rate of among yound people, 19
standard macrobiotic diet, 76, 120 relationship of to depression,
definition of, 120 137
differences from brown-rice summer squash, 84
diet, 122 sunflower seeds, 93
flexibility of, 77 surface consciousness, 109
guidelines of, 120 Surgeon General, 146
nutritional adequacy of, 121 survival, struggle for, 112
outline of, 77 sushi, 94
purpose of, 77 sweet brown rice, 79
use of additional foods in, 99 sweet brown rice beverage, 96
Star Wars, 72 sweeteners, use in desserts, 98
steaming, 85 synapse, 44
Steevensz, Roy, 171, 174, 176, 185 synthetic estrogen, 33, 45
Steinmetz, Suzanne, 137 synthetic foods, 141, 150
stelazine, 108 synthetic organs, 141
stimulant drugs, 50
Strauss, Murray A., 137 T-cells, 42, 52
stress, 145 T4/T8 ration, 29
struggle for survival, 112 tai chi chuan, 167, 244
stubbornness, 48 tai chi exercises, 181
Study Results of Dietary Change in takuan pickles, 92
Shattuck Hospital Geropsychiatric tamari soy sauce, 96
Wards 5, North and 6 North, 229 tamari soy sauce pickles, 92
sucrose, 133, 147 Taoist temples, 111
sucrose, effect of on behavior, 62 Taoist yoga, 164
sugar, consumption of in macro- tardive dyskinesia, 143
biotic diet, 130 Taub, Mary Pat, 230
cravings for, 63 Texas Department of Corrections, 161
24

TDC, 161 U.S. Department of Health and

teen suicide, 19 Human Services, 21, 39
teenage runaway, 72 U.S. Senate Select Committee on
tekka, 95 Nutrition and Human Needs,
television, effects of, 33, 102 208, 252
tempeh, 86 U.S. surgeon general, 77, 208, 251,
tension, 145 252
testosterone, 45, 52 umeboshi paste, 96
influence of diet on, 45 umeboshi pickles, 92
influence of on behavior, 45 umeboshi plum, 95, 96
tetracycline, 33 umeboshi plum seeds, 93
Texas Board of Paroles and undernutrition during pregnancy, 35
Pardons, 163 unipolar depression, 57
textured soybeans, 154 United States, crime rates in, 21
The Anatomy of Human Destruc- universal consciousness, 109
tive ss, 139 University of Minnesota School of
The History of Shock Treatment, 143 Medicine, 28
the plague among us, 20 University of Southern Mississippi,
The Tempest, 37 62
theft, 24 unrefind carbohydrates, as part of
cost of, 24 diabetic diet, 133
thorazine, 105, 106 unsaturated fat, 76
thought disturbances, 67 unusual punishment, 161
thoughts, energetic quality of, 37 USBOP (Bureau of Prisons), 242
thyroidities, 7
Tidewater Detention Home, 61, valium, 142
116, 195, 245 vandalism, 18
Tidewater Juvenile Detention Home, variety, importance of in diet, 100
170 vegetable dishes, seasonings for, 85
Tidewater Research, 61, 116 vegetable food, preference for, 121
Time, 17, 74 ratio of to animal food, 114
time and space, 109 yin and yang classification of, 40
tonsils, and natural immunity, 74 vegetable juice, use of in macro-
tooth care, 102 biotics, 99
Torrey, Fulton, 142 vegetable quality protein, 76
toxic metals, relationship of to vegetables, cooking styles for, 85
schizophrenia, 70 list of for regular use, 84
traditional values, loss of, 141 serving styles for, 86
traffic accidents, 61 use of in macrobiotics, 84
tranquilizers, 105, 142 use of in soup, 82
triple-bypass surgery, 217 victimless crimes, 116
tropical fruits, effects of on natural violence, relationship of hypo-
immunity, 75 glycemia to, 60
tryptophan, 146 within the family, 137
Tufts Medical School, 229 violent behavior, 147
turnip, 84 violent crimes, 23, 116, 135
Virginia Department of Corrections,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 77 192
 285

Virginia Departments of Juvenile whole cereal grains, emphasis on,

Justice and Criminal Justice, 246 121
Virginia State Prison System, 193 whole dried beans, 86
Virginia Wesleyan College, 62 whole grains, cooking styles for, 80
virus, 112 cooking varieties for, 81
visualization, 163 list of, 79
vitamin A, 125 percentage of in macrobiotic
F A O / W H O standard for, 126 diet, 78, 79
R D A for, 126 whole wheat, 79
sources of in macrobiotic diet, Why Your Child is Hyperactive, 148
125 Wilbollt, Anne-Marie, 155
vitamin B deficiencies, in wild rice, 79
schizophrenia, 69 winter melon, 84
vitamin B 2 F A O / W H O standard Wisconsin State Prison, 239
for, 124 women, leading causes of injury to,
R D A for, 124 17
vitamin B12, 124 World Health Organization, 121
F A O / W H O standard for, 125 Worldwide Macrobiotic Directory,
producing microorganisms, 125 266
R D A for, 125 Wurtman, Richard, 146
sources for, 124 Wuth, Jackie, 159
vitamin C, 123
vitamin C deficiency, 123 yang extremes, effect of on thinking,
vitamin D, 126 65
sources of, 126 yellow mustard paste, 96
vitamin industry, 31 yin and yang, 40
vitamins, 76 yin and yang in food, 40
vitamins A, B12, and C, 122 principles of, 177
yin extremes, effect of on thinking,
wakame, 81, 88 65
war, cause of, 112 yin-yang, 105
Wasa, 154 yoga, 102
Washack, Miriam, 230
water sauteing, 85 Zarinah, L. Xenovia, 171, 181
watercress, 84 Zen, 105
waterless cooking, 85 Zen macrobiotic cooking, 105
wax beans, 84 Zen macrobiotics, difference between
white blood cells, 73 macrobiotics and, 6
white sesame seeds, 93 zinc, 69
WHO, 121 Zutrau, Eric, 10, 211, 230, 245