[.ca] The Self-Healing Cookbook (ISBN 0945668155)

The Search Stops Here:
If you are wanting to explore macrobiotics without giving your life over to cooking, this is the BEST book for you! I fell upon this book about six or seven years ago in our local health food store, and it started me on a beautiful journey of exploring macrobiotics. This cookbook GENTLY explains the use and function of ingredients which might at first seem "strange", but which grow to be comforting "cookfellows" after the author introduces you to their healing powers and how to tastefully unlock them. The recipes are simple and GOOD. For those with a sweet tooth who are looking to "tame" it, the dessert recipes offer a gentle transition to healthier sweetness. And always, throughout, the emphasis on BALANCE and on WHOLE FOODS easily couples with the wonderful explanations of macrobiotic thought and philosophy. The other book which I would highly recommend (for a bit more advanced study) is AVELINE KUSHI'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO MACROBIOTIC COOKING. There is no better or more complete explanation of macrobiotic philosophy and of macrobiotic cooking methods (traditional ones) than those in this book. If I could have only two cookbooks, THE SELF-HEALING COOKBOOK and AVELINE KUSHI'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO MACROBIOTIC COOKING would be the two books which I would cling to for dear life.

Excellent Introduction to Macrobiotics:
For those interested in macrobiotics, I recommend this book. In addition to recipies, the book is packed with easy to understand information on macrobiotics and offers helpful suggestions and easy "experiments" with food. The authour is encouraging, and suggests keeping a journal. The information she presents will answer a lot of "why" questions and she offers a comphrensive explaination of the nutritional value of foods in the macrobiotic diet. I discovered macrobiotics when my own daughter was ill with kidney ailments. This was one of the first books I was intorduced to and 4 years later still refer back to it. It is light and enjoyable reading and a great starting point.

Yes, Ms. Turner's husband died of cancer ...:
But according to the Foreword, pursuing this path gave the author and her husband an additional ten years together on this earth after he began experiencing mysterious symptoms. Who knows if Mr. Turner would have lasted longer, or gone faster, on a different path. Then there's the different question of quality versus quantity of life. We do not ever get completely "healed" in this life. We're all going to die of something, sometime. The fact that the journey ends (and it always will) does not necessarily mean it was a bad one. With respect to this book, I would recommend (please pardon the cliche), "Take what you need and leave the rest." (Or, use any questionable information as a springboard to doing your own research and experiments.) I bought this book the year it was published, and I have needed and taken far more than I have left.

Good book, missing pages:
I'm a novice in the world of macrobiotic cooking and purchased this book in order to educate myself. It supplies just the information I need. The edition I purchased is the 2002, Ninth Revised Edition and, whether it's a one time aberration affecting just the book I received or a larger problem caused when the printer was binding the books, Chapter 6 (pages 115 -130) was missing altogether. I would recommend this book highly, but you might want to physically examine one before buying it.

Excellent transitional book:
Start here if you are seriously considering macrobiotics. With a good balance of philosophy and recipes, author Christina Turner explains why we feel the way we do when we eat certain foods. Her explainations of yin and yang foods corresponding to yin and yang moods and conditions are the best I've seen. Other topics include: eating in season; losing weight; gaining weight; using sea vegetables; using certain foods to alleviate specific symptoms; time saving ideas; salt, fat, and dairy; suggested shopping list; dietary guidelines. I give it four stars because I think the title is misleading: her own husband died of cancer. Because of this, the book is best suited as a transitional book into the macrobiotic lifestyle; it's not a stopping point, but a starting point.