Lowering Cholesterol

Before I consulted with Jeremy and Maria, I was completely ignorant about a macrobiotic lifestyle. Now I understand the importance of incorporating whole grains into my diet and the significance of avoiding processed foods.

When I shop, I purchase seasonal, locally grown produce. Although my husband and I still eat conventional foods (some fish, lean meat and poultry), overall we are eating a much healthier diet. My husband, who is predisposed to abnormally high cholesterol levels, has reduced his cholesterol level during the last few months.

          -- Helen (Boston)

Arthritis & Personal Chef Service

I first got in touch with Jeremy & Maria at the recommendation of my doctor in October of 2007. I was looking for a way to improve my health and my doctor believed that a Macro-Mediterranean diet would be very beneficial to me. At the time I did not feel ready to change my diet. I was worried I would not like the food or I would feel deprived, so, although I did initially contact Jeremy & Maria to learn about their program, I decided that changing how I ate was not a challenge I was ready for at that time.

In the beginning of May of 2008 I suddenly had to stop working as I believed that I had contracted Tuberculosis at the lab where I work. This forced me to stop my arthritis medication, which put me into a lot of pain, so much that I was rendered almost immobile. At this point my doctor urged me again to get in touch with Jeremy & Maria. She knew that they had helped others to improve arthritis pain through dietary changes and she thought that this could be one of my only chances for relief from the situation I was enduring. She made me aware that Jeremy & Maria offered a personal chef service and that I could use it to get the food I needed since I was in too much pain to either go to the store or do my own cooking at that time.

At this point I had a consultation with Jeremy & Maria over the phone and they designed a meal plan to target my specific conditions and then setup to have their personal chef start preparing the food they recommended for me.

I was still worried about liking the food, but as soon as my first week of food was prepared for me, my fears went away. The recipes were so delicious that some of them (like the veggie burgers), I loved so much that I was hesitant to share them with my family. I also was not hungry ever and so the experience was not like with diets I had tried in the past. I had so much food, actually, that my daughter even started taking my leftovers to work for lunch. Once she tried the food, she realized, as I did, that it was as enjoyable as eating the food we used to eat before, but with added health benefits.

The improvements in my health were quick to come. At the end of just the first week of food from the meal service, my arthritis pain had significantly improved. After eating like this for a month and a half, I lost 19 lbs. Now after 4 months I have lost 26 lbs. I had suffered for a long time from a lot of pain in my stomach and lower digestive tract. That has completely stopped. I have had trouble for the past few years with my liver and now my tests are suddenly improving as is my diabetes control. The only change I have made is how I eat. I also have developed an overall sensation of feeling better that I found totally unexpected and is almost the best thing I have gotten out of changing the way I eat. From these improvements I am convinced that this is the best way I can be eating and plan to continue eating this way from now, going forward.

After just four weeks using the Macro-Mediterranean personal chef service I now feel well enough to go to the store and cook for myself and my family. Through using the personal chef service I now feel familiar with the food and feel confident that I can learn to make it for myself. I have been given a new lease on life and am enjoying every minute of it.

I hope that my story can help someone else who was suffering like me to get the help they need.

          -- Marcia (Boston)

Inflammation and Chronic Diarrhea

After personally experiencing three months of rapid weight loss and failed diagnoses, my primary care physician suggested I try eating a macrobiotic diet. A daily journal of my eating habits and poor health events suggested my body was reacting as though everything I ate was an allergen. Biopsies eventually confirmed the widespread inflammation.

My physician put me in touch with Jeremy and Maria who helped me tremendously. Their insight into what changes in one’s lifestyle must take place, their availability and their patience and nurturing along the way, week after week, made the transition actually do able for me.

They supported me with readings, recipes, anecdotes and respect. The changes in my eating are still taking place as I come to accept that I must be fastidious in my dietary choices in order to maintain my health. I was unable to work for 3 months. I am now back at work and approaching the level of stamina I had previous to my body’s attack on me.

           -- Nancy (Boston)

Weight Loss & Off Blood Pressure Medication

Earlier this week the drug regime that aimed at treating my persistent hypertension was changed.  My physician dropped the drug, Diltiagem (180 mg daily), from my prescriptions.  He feels it is likely that my 20lb weight loss, the consequence of my diet changes since early October 2007, is a likely reason my current blood pressure readings have been consistently normal for several weeks.  Thus the decision to drop this drug from my medications list. The changes in my diet have been due to my working with Macro-Mediterranean Holistic Nutrition. They have helped me to achieve things I never would have thought possible at my age (77). I feel the best I have in years. The tireless energy and increased mental clarity have been things I wouldn't have expected. Thank You!

           -- Charles (Boston)

Gall Stones, Weight Loss, No Bloating & More Energy

I was having severe pain in my abdomen and my doctor diagnosed me with having gall stones.  I did not want to have surgery, at least at that time, and she suggested a change in diet might help. 

My doctor introduced me to Jeremy and Maria (J&M), who introduced me to the macrobiotic way of eating.  They immediately e-mailed information to read about macrobiotics, and sent several simple recipes to get me started.   

My husband was willing to change his way of eating with me... and so we started immediately.  The recipes from Jeremy and Maria were simple, and once I found the ingredients, with help from J&M, were simple and quick to make.  The most difficult part for me was cooking a new way, but once I settled in my mind to look at this as learning to cook for the first time, it became easier.  The pain I was feeling in my abdomen was almost gone.  J&M spoke with me weekly, encouraged me constantly.   

As the weeks went by, more recipes arrived by e-mail, and J&M kept in touch with me.  What was helpful is they asked me to keep a journal of what I was eating daily, e-mail it to them, along with questions I had, and they would respond letting me know what I was missing in my diet, and foods to add to it.  Recipes were a constant, delicious, easy to make, and very much appreciated. 

Soon, my husband and I noticed we were losing weight - what a bonus, especially for my husband who has always struggled with his weight and constantly trying new diets.  The bonus.... this wasn't even a diet.  We were enjoying what we were eating.  We found we had more energy.  We never felt that bloated feeling you have when you eat too much at dinner.  And some of the recipes were so delicious, that we did eat a lot - just never felt bloated. 

Jeremy & Maria taught us how to change our diets without having to become fanatics. We do not miss the foods we removed from our diet, don't even think about them.  

J&M taught me a lot about the foods we eat, and how our system digests and uses the nutrients from them.  We feel lucky to have met Jeremy and Maria, they have changed the way we look at food, and what to look for when checking ingredients.  We are happy to have changed our way of eating and feeling much better about it.  Can't even imagine eating the way we used to. 

As I look back, J&M made the change in eating go quite smoothly.

           -- Carol (Boston)