[Leenie]

Tofumania~ I have been adding a little ginger to some of my meals. I haven't had soba for some time now, so it looks like a good choice for lunch today.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Klara-

As heart disease runs in both my parents' families, I have a full physical (traditional American medicine) done every other year. Last year everything checked out fine. I have been exploring the idea of going to the KI for an evaluation (about 2 1/2 hours away), but I have a high need 4 year old and have no one to watch him or to come with me to help manage him. My husband and I are polar opposites, so he is not hugely supportive of macrobiotics partly because he likes to eat out and this severely limits his choices on where we can go (Chinese/Thai). He's a meat and potatoes guy, and I'm sure on a first name basis with the folks at BK or McDonalds even though I still make his meals in addition to mine and the kids.

As for what I have been eating...I have almost every day some sort of stew with chickpeas/beans/lentils with root veggies coupled with short grain brown rice and a side of veggies (kale, broccoli, cauliflower etc.). I probably eat something like 20% beans, 30% veggies, 45% grains and 5% miscellaneous nuts, fruit, condiment etc.

I am not a big raw salad eater except for the summer. I do find that occasionally after a meal I might want something a little sweet, so I grab a small handful of organic raisins or 2-3 dried prunes. I choose a good portion of the recipes I use out of Christina Pirello's book 'Cooking the Whole foods way' and the rest from various other marco books. I seem to be on a sesame seed kick now and am putting toasted ones on my veggies, eating up the gomasio, and even bought a 'kelp crunch' bar (sesame seed, brown rice syrup and kelp) for myself while searching for 'acceptable treats' for my son for Halloween.

I do not eat alot of sea veggies; other than when I cook beans I put 1/3-1/2 a piece of kombu in the pressure cooker with them, make miso soup using 4-5 pieces of wakame and using dulse flakes as a condiment. I have tried several recipes for arame and hiziki and can only eat a little before I feel a bit nauseated. The smell is a bit strong for me. I do still try to make and eat something at least once a month.

I suppose that I am not seeking out being warm (like snug in a blanket), just comfortable without feeling I need to have a hot cup of tea in my hands, having goose bumps and shivers or 3 layers of shirts on. In the past I have been fairly comfortable. Warm only happened in pregnancy and when I was doing some pretty hard core weight training (think of Cory Everson/Monica Brant but not remotely in their league) for ~8 years prior to my last child. Speaking of him, he's up and I have to go.

Thanks again for your insight.
Eileen