Q&A with Yoko Inoue

In Japanese, shokuiku means ‘food education’. That’s exactly what Yoko Inoue, the founder behind Melbourne’s organic raw and living food café Shokuiku, wants to achieve, teaching people about what it means to live a balanced, healthy life. We chatted with Yoko about healthy lifestyle tips, macrobiotics, and the one thing she’d eat for the rest of her life.

Tell me a bit about your health journey and creating Shokuiku.

My health journey started when I was pregnant with my daughter, Iayla, now 13 years old. Like many mums, I wanted to eat healthy for her and myself. While I was studying holistic nutrition, I found raw and living foods, which I fell in love with.

I wanted to create a space that offers exactly what I was looking for: consciously-created foods that are made with unprocessed, ethical ingredients, foods that are full of vitality and also taste good. Shokuiku is a place that serves foods I want to eat myself and share with loved ones.

What does healthy eating mean to you?

Healthy eating to me is choosing foods that nourish, build, cleanse, heal, and balance your body. I believe it is more empowering and healthier if it comes from wanting to be the best version of yourself.

Healthy foods may look slightly different for different people. Most people will benefit from eating less-processed and refined foods and adding more whole foods with an abundance of vegetables.

Best healthy lifestyle tips?

Find out why you want to be healthy. Many of us already know what is healthy for us. Knowing why you want to eat healthier, sleep better, move your body more or have some sort of spiritual practice can be a great motivation and keep you on track in a healthy way.

How did you get involved with macrobiotics?

Even though my current diet is predominantly raw, I still love the philosophy and teaching of macrobiotic. The basic teaching — around foods — is eating locally, seasonally, and learning how foods are part of us and the universe.

What is the connection between a healthy body and a healthy soul?

I like to see that they are intertwined in the way that can be seen as just one thing. A healthy body does not exist without a healthy soul and vice versa.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life — what would it be?

It is too hard to pick just one, but maybe seaweed. (If you could have let me have one more, I’d take cacao!)

Favourite Australian escape?

I had a beautiful time down in Mornington Peninsula, where the Hot Spring is. I also enjoyed staying at Byron Bay, which I visited a while back.

Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?

I would like to remind [them] to connect again. When your body and mind are not numb anymore, you will start reaching out for more nutrient-dense foods and know that certain foods will affect you and our planet in so many ways. Reach out to the community and keep learning and be creative in the kitchen.

To keep connected with Shokuiku, follow them on Instagram (@shokuiku), Facebook (@shokuiku), YouTube for free recipes (@shokuikuaustralia), their websites here and here.

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