Aveline Kushi

Aveline Kushi (February 27, 1923 – July 23, 2001) was a Japanese teacher who was an advocate for macrobiotic diets and world peace. She opened Erewhon, considered the first natural food store, in Brookline, Massachusetts in the early 1960s.[1] Kushi promoted the macrobiotic philosophy and diet, a Taoist-influenced spiritual practice emphasizing organic and seasonal foods.[2]

Background

Kushi was born with the name Tomoko Yokoyama in Yokota, Japan. She worked as a school teacher until the end of World War II, when she joined noted macrobiotic activist George Ohsawa's World Government Association and changed her name to Aveline.[1] Kushi moved to the United States on behalf of the group in 1951, and studied at the University of Illinois and Columbia University.[1] Kushi married fellow macrobiotic advocate Michio Kushi in 1954.[1]

Career

Together, Aveline and Michio Kushi moved to Boston, where Aveline opened a health food store, Erehwon, among the first in the nation. The store soon expanded to Los Angeles, and Kushi sold the company in 1983.[3] Aveline also wrote cookbooks, such as Aveline Kushi's Complete Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking for Health, Harmony and Peace in 1985 and The Changing Seasons Cookbook in 1987.[1]

Kushi was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1992. Initially, this was treated with chemotherapy, but Kushi shifted to acupuncture and eastern remedies after being told she had reached the limit of traditional therapies. She died of the disease in 2001.[3]

Aveline and Michio Kushi founded the Kushi Foundation, the Kushi Institute and One Peaceful World organizations, all dedicated to the promotion of a macrobiotic philosophy.[1] The Kushi Institute was founded in 1978 to teach macrobiotics. It operates in Becket, Massachusetts and Amsterdam.[3]

References
  1. Martin, Douglas (July 23, 2001). "Aveline Kushi, 78, Advocate of Macrobiotic Diet for Health". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  2. Kohn, Livia (2008). Chinese healing exercises: the tradition of Daoyin. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. p. 226. ISBN 9780824832346. Retrieved August 27, 2016 – via Project MUSE.
  3. "Aveline Kushi; Leader in Macrobiotic Diet". Los Angeles Times. The Associated Press. July 6, 2001. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
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