About Us

We are a small family-run business organization with a big vision in a very beautiful state.

Center for Natural Living

Center for Natural Living is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a better world through promoting a natural lifestyle. We strongly advocate and support the creation of local self-sufficient communities that are formed around plant-based food systems. Rhapsody Cafe is the restaurant and Rhapsody Natural Foods the production arm of Center for Natural Living.

Our philosophy is based on the macrobiotic principle that the quality of our lives is directly affected by
1) our thinking,
2) what we take in, and
3) our environment.
Although all life originates in Spirit and is reflected through our body, our thinking and our environment, macrobiotics' focus is on food first, because food is the densest and easiest part of our make-up to change. The practical application of the macrobiotic principles in our lives and the dietary guidelines in our kitchen helps us to get to that place where our body, mind, and spirit are more in tune with each other.

(See below, to find out about the macrobiotic dietary guidelines or visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobiotic.)

Our definition of natural foods is that which can be made at home using home-grown edibles, and be prepared with simple tools and equipment. A natural lifestyle is not only a sustainable way of living; it enhances quality of life; promotes awareness, growth, and realization; and supports the environment around us. In order to maintain our health and that of our ecosystems, it is essential that we are constantly mindful of the vitality of the foods we eat. That is why we advocate a plant-based diet made up of foods that are organic, minimally processed, and lovingly grown nearby, because it influences us most directly in a positive manner.

OUR CURRENT PROJECTS

Rhapsody Restaurant, on 28 Main Street in Montpelier, offers a wide variety of freshly made foods that are vegetable based, tasty and healthy at the same time, and proof every day again that they are appealing to a broad public.

Rhapsody Natural Foods produces tempeh (a high protein cultured soyfood) and amazake (a fermented rice drink), available through two distributors and our own delivery service in Central Vermont and throughout New England. Also produces smoothies and maple syrup sweetened cookies since 1997 for the restaurant. The introduction into our diets of the many traditional fermented foods that have proven their value over the centuries, such as pickles, miso, soy sauce, sourdough and other fermented grain and soy foods is also an important goal of this particular project.

Rhapsody Farm is an initiative that came to fruition in 2008 with the start of a ¼ acre farm lot where we grow organic vegetables for the restaurant. This year we also will be experimenting with growing wheat and rice. Another fascinating aspect we are looking at is the use of copper gardening tools instead of the iron tools and implements. Viktor Schauberger did some revealing discoveries in that regard. We are working with a local blacksmith to develop a line of copper gardening tools. For more information please email us.

Cooking Classes
With over 50 combined years of experience in Macrobiotic Cooking, Jana, Oliver and Madelief Welters are bringing basic cooking principles to the Central Vermont area. For more information follow the link on our home page.

This website: an information source for what we do and an online store for our products. Eventually it will include a resource center for natural living, recipes and product information.

These projects are aimed at showing that when we eat an organic plant-based diet, which is produced locally, and preferably from crops grown in our region or on our latitude, a more sustainable and much healthier way of living is created. A lifestyle that brings us closer together as a community, is more in tune with our natural environment, and ultimately creates peace.

Farmers wanted: Currently we are looking for one or more organic farmers who are interested in farming plots of land in Cabot, Vermont. We have access to 40-80 acres of land that can be used for organic farming, but need people to farm the land. We are especially interested in grains, beans, and flax. Email us if you are interested.

The Macrobiotic Dietary Guidelines:

1) Learn to see the magic of yin and yang

Ancient oriental medicine recognizes two basic life forces: an expanding force, yin, and a contracting force, called yang. Spring is a time of expansion, Fall is a time of contraction. Sugar is expanding, salt is contracting. Love is expanding, anger is contracting. Roots are more yang, greens vegetables are more yin. When you are tired, you’re contracted and naturally drawn to rest, an expanding, relaxing state. Nothing is fixed, everything is fluid; yin and yang are always relative to each other. To get a feeling for it ask yourself whether something is yin or yang throughout the day. Knowing about yin and yang will help tremendously in making the choices necessary to create the food that will make you healthy and happy. Knowing about yin and yang is also like having a universal frame of reference that applies to all fields of life, including cooking.

2) Make whole grains the core of your diet.

Eat on a daily basis and in each meal, brown rice, genuine wholegrain sourdough bread, rolled oat porridge, millet, pearled barley, fresh corn, buckwheat, quinoa, or rye in one form or another. Learn how to cook them properly, though. (We’ll cover that later) Improperly cooked grain is unappetizing and counterproductive to your effort to eat well.

3) Eat lots of greens.

The average American does not eat enough vegetables. Change that by starting to eat a cup of steamed greens a day. Greens such as kale, collards, arugula, cabbage, broccoli, pak choy, etc are miracle foods, yet so simple and easy to prepare. Include also roots, squash, and many of the other seasonal vegetables.

4) Include a daily portion of tofu, tempeh, beans, and toasted seeds or nuts.

Pan fry tofu or tempeh with a little soy sauce in toasted sesame oil, or cook a different bean every week. Seeds and nuts for protein and fats, micro-nutrients, and the sake of variety. These foods will supply you with all the protein your body ever needs, and satisfy you.

5) Eat your miso soup.

Have a cup of miso soup every day. Add an onion, carrots, wakame*, or fortify it with any other vegetable or protein food you like. Miso soup is a great way to kick start your day with.

6) Get used to eating pickles.

Pickles are a staple in the macrobiotic kitchen; they stimulate digestion and add a vital, living dimension to your diet. Learn to make them yourself, or buy Eden sauerkraut, Real Foods pickles, or any other natural, preferably unpasteurized pickle that is on the market.

7) Moderate you intake of extremes.

Cut down or eliminate completely: sweets, out-of-season, out-of your region fruit, juices, salty, fatty foods, dry baked foods, red meat and fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, alcohol, processed foods.

In our experience, there is no substitute for a diet based on the macrobiotic guidelines; it is universal and valid for anyone looking to improve their condition and achieve vibrant health and happiness. This, exercise and the right frame of mind and you can handle virtually anything.