Feel Good Guru

Chilled buckwheat noodles and greens together make a wonderful salad. Add an ume-apple dressing, a ripe avocado and some toasted seeds, and you have a delish, easy-to-prepare vitamin and protein-filled 5-minute meal you’ll turn to over and over again for lunch or dinner.

Ume plums are powerfully medicinal. Despite their acidity, they have an alkalizing effect on the body, aiding digestion and settling the stomach. (I know someone who swears by umeboshi plums as a hangover cure!) They’re available in the Japanese or macrobiotic section of most health food stores. The sour flavor of the plums is nicely balanced by the sweetness of apple in this light dressing with a hint of sesame. (more…)

This is my favorite super-healthy super-speedy insta-meal. If you have the ingredients on hand, this is a wonderful 5-minute creation.

It’s sometimes hard to find 100% buckwheat noodles. Most so called buckwheat noodles will contain about 30% wheat. Buckwheat isn’t wheat at all, but a seed, and is therefore much easier to digest and acceptable for most people with wheat allergies.

Eden brand makes an excellent quality organic buckwheat noodle you can find at good health food stores. And all Japanese specialty shops will carry them. Slurp on! (more…)

It’s cold in Toronto. A perfect day for lots and lots of ginger tea and some fall macrobiotic foods. Get your macro on!

The macrobiotic philosophy is about finding balance. Not just within your body, but in your life. Local and seasonal foods can help bring that balance.

The balance comes from foods that are neither extreme yin nor extreme yang. If we eat too much salt, for example, which is extremely yang, we will need to balance that with extreme yin foods like sugar. Ever wondered why meat and red wine go together so well? Meat is extremely yang while alcohol is extremely yin. Extremes in our diet will cause cravings. (more…)