One of which ended up getting breast cancer when we were in our twenties.

She found macrobiotics. I witnessed it truly save her life, and that was my first introduction to the macrobiotic way of life.

I should have, could have accepted it into my life right then and there. But I didn't.

I danced around it for at least another 10 years, always fascinated with the foods related to it, but never ever realizing that there were a group of intelligent and dedicated people learning about and practicing this alternate way of living, eating, and thinking, in a universe parallel to my own that I had yet to fully stumble upon.

Still, vestiges of macrobiotics kept crossing my path.

All throughout the 1970's and 1980's, concurrent with the early study groups related to macrobiotics, Michio Kushi and his wife Aveline were bringing the foods that I was cooking, eating, and loving, from their Japanese roots in the east, to mainstream America in the west.

Foods such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, brown rice, millet, kabocha squash, miso, seaweed and rice cakes found their way into the health food culture via Michio and Aveline Kushi.

Even though I was eating and loving these fun and exotic foods, it was not until the mid 1990's that I fully engaged in macrobiotics myself, for my own health reasons.

After that first full year of cleaning out my diet and lifestyle, throwing out tons of toxic foods and products that were cluttering my life, and kissing the ground I walked upon in gratitude for being alive, I embarked on my first journey to the Kushi Institute to attend my first macrobiotic "Summer Conference."

Kushi Institute

I was shy to meet the famous Michio Kushi and his wife Aveline. I had poured over their books for the past year learning how to heal my body via their food and teachings.  And I expected them to be famous, untouchable, and up on a pedestal.

To my surprise, they were the most friendly, down to earth people imaginable, freely mingling with the crowds of people in attendance.

And by some fortuitous twist of fate, a woman working at that first summer conference of mine asked me if I would "scribe" (take notes), for the various counselors who were working the conference and giving consultations.

I felt so honored and eagerly accepted her offer only to end up in a consultation with Michio, scribing for him.

I was thrilled, and terrified! Terrified, yet so thrilled!

It was an amazing learning experience, and one I was fortunate enough to be able to repeat many times over the next 10 plus years.

There was nothing quite like being in a private consultation with Michio Kushi and hearing his quiet wisdom one on one.

The lectures he gave were great.

The fun I have had, and the great people I have met over the past 20 years since macrobiotics came into my life is beyond my wildest dreams.

The learning has been amazing.

But in those private and intimate consultations with Michio, when I was merely the furiously scribing note taker, I think I gained the most knowledge.

I was able to see the world the way he saw it.

And the way he saw it was so "out there"!

I love that it shook all of my old beliefs to the core, and opened my entire life to grand new horizons.

And at the end of most of those scribing sessions, Michio would turn to me unsolicited, and offer me an amazing pearl of wisdom.

He would see issues that I had talked myself blue in the face about, to what felt like was the entire world, cut right through them without ever hearing a word about them no less, and in one sentence would straighten my entire issue right out!

For example:

I had begun taking a brand of amazon herbal products many years ago because a friend of mine was marketing them, and made them sound like they could cure anything and everything that ails you.

Soon after that I began having much pain in my body, but I couldn't figure out why.

We were cooking privately for a very ill client back then, and he had a private consultation scheduled with Michio.

I was asked to accompany him, take notes, and adjust our cooking to meet his newly recommended needs.

But I felt so sick and achy that I actually did not want to do it. I tried to get out of it, but to no avail.

At the end of our clients private consultation, and I had done nothing but clarify and take notes, I had not said a word about me, Michio turned to me and said "stop taking the herbs".

Well. I almost fell off of my chair.

I had not told him I was taking "the herbs", but I immediately assumed that he meant the amazon herbs.

And in that moment, so much became crystal clear to me.

I kept looking for more and more to add onto my nice clean healthy diet, not trusting that the healthy food was enough, when what I really needed to do was simply simplify. Cut out all of the "products". And focus on the food.

I stopped the herbs, and my pain went away.

Which brings me directly to another of my favorite Michio-isms.

He would always say: Food First.

I love that phrase so much. That is exactly what we do here at Wholly Macro.

We put the food, first.

You will find all that we have learned, from Michio and from so many other great teachers, incorporated into each one of our highly nutritious Wholly Macro Weekly Menu's.

And I will forever be steeped in life changing gratitude, that the parallel universe I was living in, was concurrent with Michio's time and very brilliant teachings on this earth, and that my parallel universe finally collided with his movement, at precisely the time that I needed it most, thus saving my life.

There is a beautiful hand written note from Michio framed on the wall at the Kushi Institute that reads:

I think that just about says it all.

Thank-you for everything Michio.

Rest In Peace.

And to all of you, our lovely readers, 

May health, happiness, and prosperity be your unavoidable natural state and your ongoing daily experience.

Gayle and Jaime / Wholly Macro