Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Epiphany: My Life-Changing Decision to Go Macro

I've been inspired.  By Alicia Silverston.  Wait!  Before you start quoting lines from Clueless, let me explain.

Learning of my quest to enter into a vegetarian lifestyle, a friend of mine lent me the book The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet, and that was it.  I am now a convert to the macrobiotic diet.  That's right, I've finally discovered what the theme of this blog should be!  After only 6 posts!  It's enlightening and liberating, to say the least.  I'm thrilled!

So why this book, you ask?

First of all, it made sense.  I actually get why some foods are bad for you and why.  All the other macro books out there were so hard to understand.  Then, once I felt like I was actually getting it, I would think, "Now what?  Tell me what I'm allowed to eat!  And make it sound delicious!"  Alicia did that for me.

Next, the recipes sounded doable, not to mention delicious!  In two days, I've already tried 2 recipes and loved them.  One was Alicia's Magical Healing Soup, and the other was:

Rice Waffle with Vegetable Melange


Quick and easy, these recipes both took about 30 minutes max to make.  Plus, they were both in the Superhero (macro) section of her cookbook.  Huh?  Superhero?  Yes, and that brings me to the next reason I love this book:

Based on your knowledge of the vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic diet, you can decide where you want to start your journey to healthy eating, and then work your way up from there.  You can start out as a Flirt (low-pressure choice to give veganism a try and see where it takes you), a Vegan (no animal-based products at all), or a full-fledged Superhero (a macrobiotic superstar).  There are enough recipes in each category to keep you interested well beyond a few weeks.

If anyone else is interested, this is her website, and this is her book:
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the PlanetClick here to save a few bucks at amazon.com
I'm buying one for myself and my mother-in-law today.  So, from here on out you'll find recipes and lifestyle tips on this blog that can hopefully help you enjoy eating a plant-based, and maybe even a macrobiotic, diet.  Another interesting thing is that, since macrobiotics has its roots in Japanese cooking, you'll still get to see a lot of Asian-influenced food here!

On a sad note, today was my last cup of coffee...... *sniff*  RIP Espresso Machine.

5 comments:

  1. No more bean roasting??? I do not understand??? Do you need to unload it to a hethen coffee drinker like myself? When alicia was doing her book tour when it first came out I saw her on a few talk shows and I have always thought she was a cool girl and it seemed...just doable and right! Love the name of the book and concept behind it! Now--Emily...tell me what to do with the fennel I just bought from Sprouts because it looked so green and bright and yummy!

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  2. I will roast for you, my lovely heathen. I will roast the beans, take a big whiff of them before sealing them in a nice jar and delivering them to Cafe Bold.
    My fave fennel recipe:
    Slice fennel bulb into half moons, toss with tomatoes of all sizes and colors, then toss with generous amounts of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, salt & fresh ground pepper, and minced garlic, chop fennel fronds and sprinkle over salad, let flavors combine before serving.

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  3. Funny ... Your Dad, and a handful of others, have often told me that Alicia Silverstone and I resemble each other! We evidently make the same facial expressions when we talk and share the same kinda persona.

    I am sorry for the loss of coffee in ur diet. I know how much you love it. Isnt it a "plant based" product? At least Starbucks still has TEA!

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  4. Hi Emily.A mutual friend Susanne turned me on to your blog. I too recently purchased the Book, The Kind Diet. I really enjoyed her take on food and the fact that we all will slip from time to time but we can get right back on our good healthy food routine. Looking forward to reading and seeing recipes you have discovered.

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  5. Hi LostLibby! I loved Alicia's book for that very same reason. I will never eat perfectly but I try to do my best so that I feel better. I hope you find some things in my blog that will be helpful to you. And feel free to share your comments with me as I'm always learning new things :)

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