Portland Press Herald, Maine, Natural Foodie column.(Column)

Byline: Avery Yale Kamila

Aug. 24--When a serious illness caused Jean Twomey to seek more than conventional medicinal treatment, she found herself at the Five Seasons Cooking School in Portland learning to prepare macrobiotic meals.

"I came from a meat and potatoes background," said Twomey of South Portland. "I love dairy products, butter, meat and chocolate." At the school on Munjoy Hill, Twomey discovered how to push those ingredients aside in favor of tempting ways to prepare whole grains and vegetables.

"I learned about grains I've never used before," she said, "such as amaranth, quinoa and rye berries. I realized I hadn't tried many vegetables over the years -- mustard greens, bok …