daniel diet

honestly, the first time i heard about such a "diet" was four years ago.  we were attending one of bay area fellowships services (in their old building) and pastor bil was encouraging and challenging the congregation and staff to partake in the daniel diet.  i.e. our body is a temple and it should be cared for. (1 cor 6:19-20; 1 cor 10:31)  this fast is based on scripture in the book of daniel.

but daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food,

or with the wine that he drank.

daniel 1:8

"test your servants for 10 days; let us be given vegetables

to eat and water to drink."

daniel 1:12

at the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance

and fatter in flesh than all the youth's who ate the king's food.

daniel 1:15

i (daniel) ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth...

daniel 10:3

my main reason for wanting to do this "fast" was because of my recent stresses. (normal mommy woes) i had been drinking way too much diet soda and eating too much candy.  overall, i was cranky, tired & no where near as healthy as i need to be.  

last tuesday (march 1st) was the big day!  pay day, grocery shopping day, daniel diet supply day.  we went to our heb plus in corpus and got all the goods.  lots of fruit, veggies, frozen berries, dehydrated fruits like raisins, cranberries & apricots, beans, whole wheat tortillas, oatmeal, garden burgers, nuts,  WATER, tea...i was going to be realistic and allow myself caffeine via unsweetened tea...the whole shebang.  

limes & lemons for tea and sliced apple w/natural peanut butter for snacks

yummy sweet bell pepers, red onion & garlic jazz up your meals
w/ carrots &  cauliflower for crunchy snacking 

garden burgers wrapped w/whole wheat tortilla, spinach & home made salsa...yum!

herb roasted potato fries

plain oatmeal with blueberries

egg white omelet with sauteed onions, bell pepper & spinach

tuesday was great!  wednesday the reality set in and the normal stresses were too stressful and i cheated.  (i got some ice cream!  sigh.) back on track for thursday.  i can't remember what day it was, but i realized i needed to allow myself my morning coffee with truvia sweetener and a tablespoon of creamer.  much better.  one day over the weekend, i had another stress meltdown and had TWO thin mint girl scout cookies!  darn you girl scouts...and my sweet mother for bringing them to our house...i kid, i kid.  

at the week mark, i had had some break downs, but overall i thought i did pretty well.  i had reached my goal of no soda's or candy!  on wednesday i introduced dairy back in via hard boiled eggs, and milk for go to snacks and after workout protein.  it has been harder than i thought it would be, but with His help, i think i've turned a corner with my eating habits.  i'll keep this up and look forward to yummy fresh foods and feeling better.  not to mention this has propelled me back into working out.  woo!

 if you are interested in trying it, there are a lot of online resources.  just search "daniel diet" and you'll see plenty of sites to choose from.  they have tons of helpful info, testimonies & recipes.  check 'em out!  here are some food do's and don'ts:  

Foods to include in your diet during the Daniel Fast

All fruits. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Fruits include but are not limited to apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon

All vegetables. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Vegetables include but are not limited to artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, veggie burgers are an option if you are not allergic to soy.

All whole grains, including but not limited to whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats, barley, grits, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes and popcorn.

All nuts and seeds, including but not limited to sunflower seeds, cashews, peanuts, sesame. Also nut butters including peanut butter.

All legumes. These can be canned or dried. Legumes include but are not limited to dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, white beans.

All quality oils including but not limited to olive, canola, grape seed, peanut, and sesame.

Beverages: spring water, distilled water or other pure waters.

Other: tofu, soy products, vinegar, seasonings, salt, herbs and spices.

Foods to avoid on the Daniel Fast

All meat and animal products including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.

All dairy products including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.

All sweeteners including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.

All leavened bread including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.

All refined and processed food products including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.

All deep fried foods including but not limited to potato chips, French fries, corn chips.

All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.

Beverages including but not limited to coffee, tea, herbal teas, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.

source

here's to a healthy you,

libby