We are what we eat, and for followers of the macrobiotic lifestyle that means returning to a simpler, more harmonious way of life which includes ingesting only natural foods.

"The term of macrobiotics was used in ancient Greece to mean the art of health and longevity through living in harmony with the environment,'' Mrs.

Wendy Kyle explained. "In modern times, the term was recovered by the Japanese philosopher, Mr. George Ohsawa, to represent the healthy way of life, and he spent the better part of his life spreading macrobiotic philosophy and dietary reform throughout the world.'' A convert to macrobiotics while fighting cancer (see separate story), Mrs.

Kyle attributes her "second chance'' at life to its benefits.

"The macrobiotic approach is one which takes into account the evolution of humanity, our relationship to the environment and our individual needs,'' she explained. "The diet is not only a preventive one, aimed at maintaining good health and decreasing the incidence of sickness, but is also used therapeutically for those who are already ill and wish to use natural means of healing.'' Describing the dietary approach as "different'' rather than a modification of today's popular eating habits, Mrs. Kyle said macrobiotic fare represented a return to the simpler fare of our forefathers, where natural ingredients were the norm.

"The importance of proper diet for good health has been largely lost in modern times,'' she said. "Among more primitive societies this basic fact was well recognised and used as the basis of medicine.

"Food is our source of being. Through the vegetal kingdom all the basic forces of life are combined in a form which can be used by the human organism.

Sunlight, soil, water and air are taken in through the vegetal kingdom. To eat is to take in the whole environment.'' While not specifically defined, the macrobiotic diet excludes foods which contain chemicals, additives, preservatives, and other trappings of modern food technology. It also excludes meat, fowl and the derivatives thereof; dairy products, animal fats and refined carbohydrates such as sugar and refined flour.

"Macrobiotics is really a common sense approach to eating which provides a (healthy) alternative to our over-processed and devitalised foods,'' Mrs. Kyle explained. "The return to a diet more in keeping with that of our ancestors is in order if humanity is to regain its health and vitality.'' Certainly, she has regained both following her harrowing bout with cancer.

"Macrobiotics makes you feel so energetic and so good,'' she enthused of her new lifestyle. "The difference is quite incredible.'' Whole grains are the principal food of each meal, comprising at least half the total volume by weight of the meal.

"Cereal grains are both the beginning and end of the vegetal cycle, combining seed and fruit. It is for these reasons, as well as the great ability of cereals to combine well with other vegetables to provide a wholesome diet that they form the most important single food in the macrobiotic regimen,'' Mrs.

Kyle explained.

Cooked whole grains and whole grain products include brown rice, millet, barley, corn, oats, whole wheat pastas, unyeasted whole wheat bread and rice cakes.

One or two bowls of soup seasoned with miso or tamari-soy sauce is recommended every day.

Fresh vegetables make up at least another 25 to 30 percent by weight of daily meals, while cooked beans represent a ten percent portion.

A small amount of fresh, white meat fish (i.e. non-oily) or seafood may be eaten once or twice per week.

Desserts, largely using fresh and dried fruits, are sweetened with a high quality sweetener, such as rice syrup or barley malt, which are made from grain.

Macriobiotic snackers enjoy rice cakes, popcorn, puffed grains, roasted beans and grains, and roasted seeds and nuts lightly salted with sea salt or seasoned with tamari.

Part of the concept includes eating ingredients from the region in which one lives.

"People in the north of North America, for example, would not drink orange juice because oranges don't come from there,'' Mrs. Kyle noted.

To get into the macrobiotic way of cooking, Mrs. Kyle said beginners should first gain proper instruction because it was not simply a matter of adapting existing recipes, but learning an entirely new approach. There are special cookbooks on the market.

"Macrobiotic cooking is unique and offers endless variety,'' she said. "The ingredients are simple, and cooking is the key to producing meals which are both nutritious, tasty and attractive. You are not trying to concoct a meal that looks like a piece of meat with potatoes and vegetables, but is a meal in its own right.'' Mrs. Kyle explained that a good macrobiotic cook controlled the health of those for whom he or she cooked by varying the cooking styles.

"More cooking, the use of pressure, salt, heat, and time makes the energy of food more concentrated,'' she said. "Quick cooking and little salt preserves its lighter qualities.'' Describing gas as a "natural'' heat, she said cooking by electricity and microwave is incompatible with the macrobiotic concept.

Eating your way to a healthier, more fit you Because of its Eastern origins, many of the ingredients in macrobiotic cooking are quite different to those found in the normal western kitchen. Thus, stocking up initially could be expensive.

"Lots of the basics, however, like sea-vegetables, miso, vinegar and teas last a long time,'' Mrs. Kyle said. "After the initial outlay, the savings from not buying meat, dairy produce, expensive pre-packaged foods and snacks will result in a healthier bank balance as well as a healthier body.'' Acquiring the unusual ingredients in Bermuda is not a problem, she noted. Most can be found in health food stores and some supermarkets.

Stressing that the all-embracing macrobiotic lifestyle is not written in stone, Mrs. Kyle said some flexibility is permissible, although those who are on the much stricter "healing diet'' have to be rigid about fol lowing the regimen in order to gain optimum results.

In her own family, for example, she followed the regimen to the letter during her healing process, but is now a little more flexible on occasion. Her husband and three children eat a mixture of macrobiotic and non-macrobiotic but healthy foods.

Mrs. Kyle cautioned that, while the macrobiotic diet had played a pivotal role in her recovery, she said it should not be considered a magic cure-all for cancer. Conventional medical treatment is also necessary.

"You don't drop conventional medicine, but you will cope much better if you follow a natural foods diet,'' she said.

Nor will every cancer patient respond as successfully to the macrobiotic lifestyle as she has, but there are benefits nonetheless.

"No matter how bad a person's health is, macrobiotics is always going to make them feel better,'' she assured.

Photos by David Foreskin HEALTHY AND HAPPY -- Mrs. Wendy Kyle (photo at left) proves that macrobiotic cooking is as visually attractive as it is tasty. For Jonathan Kempe, Peter Kyle and Zoe Kempe (above photo left to right), macrobiotic lunchboxes are a normal way of life and contain treats all youngsters enjoy.