Daniel Diet Biblical Fasting As Described in the Bible

The Daniel Diet is not simply a fad diet to lose weight. Instead, it is a spiritual commitment that may result in a drop in pounds. But, first and foremost, it is designed to improve your relationship with God.

The Daniel diet is based on a verse from the Bible. Daniel 1:18 says, Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. At the time, the Hebrews were living in exile in Babylonia. Daniel was an adviser to the Babylonian king.

The Babylonian king ate all kinds of foods restricted to Jews. This included non kosher foods, wine, and foods and drinks that had been offered to idols.

The modern day Daniel diet popularized by author and pastor Rev. Elmer Townes does not require that you follow the same program that the Biblical Daniel did.

The Daniel fast is not a full fast. You are allowed to eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and water, fruit juices and vegetable juices.

You must specifically avoid all meat, white flour or white rice, fried foods, caffeine, carbonated beverages (including diet soda), alcohol, foods with any preservatives or additives, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, chemical sugar substitutes like equal, and margarine, shortening or any product with animal fats.

Before you begin the diet part of the Daniel fast, you need to prepare spiritually through prayer. Make a commitment to stay on the diet for a specified period and publicize it by writing it down and telling your family, friends and faith partners what you have promised God you will do.

You will also need to prepare yourself physically for the diet. If you are addicted to caffeine, it is a good idea to wean yourself off of coffee or soda for two weeks before starting the Daniel diet. Also, begin reducing meat consumption ahead of time so that this is not a shock to your system.

The length of time you stay on the Daniel Diet depends on you. Remember, this is not primarily a weight loss plan but a spiritual redemption. Some people make a commitment to stay on the fast for the rest of their lives. Many churches are doing a church-wide Daniel fast for 21 days encompassing 4 Sundays. This stems from a 21 day fast that Daniel recounted in Daniel chapter 10. Other people fast for the entire 40 days of Lent. However, you can do the Daniel fast for as little as 7 days and see results.

Some people report that they do a one day a week complete fast as a sacrifice to the Lord.

Here are some tips to help you be successful on the Daniel Diet.

1.Be specific about the amount of time you will spend on the diet.
2.Use the fasting as a spiritual commitment not a weight loss plan.
3.Use your external discipline to reflect your internal desire.
4.Pray and ask God to show you what sins role is in your physical problems.
5.Use your fast as a testimony to others.
6.Use your fast to learn the effects of the food you eat on your body.
7.Give praise to God for whatever successes you have on the Daniel Diet.

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Eating healthy is something we all would like to do, although it can be hard. In order to eat healthy, you must first make the right food choices. Eating healthy is all about what you eat, which makes the choices very crucial to your results.

Grains
You should consume 6 ounces of grains per day. To do this, you can eat 3 ounces of whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta. You can get an ounce of grains in a single slice of bread, or 1 cut of cereal.

Vegetables
These should be varied, as you should eat 2 1/2 cups of them each day. You should start eating more of the dark vegetables, such as broccili and spinach. Carrots and
sweet potatoes are good as well. You should also eat more dry beans such as peas, pinto beans, and even kidney beans.

Fruits
Fruits are very important. You should try to eat 2 cups of them each day. Focus on eating a variety, such as fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried fruit. You can drink fruit juices as well, although you should use moderation when doing so.

Milk
Milk is your calcium rich friend. For adults, 3 cups is the ideal goal. For kids 2 – 8, 2 cups is where you want to be. When choosing milk products or yogurt, you should go for fat-free or low-fat. Those of you who don’t like milk or can’t have it, should go for lactose free products or other sources of calcium such as fortified foods and beverages.

Meat and beans
Eating 5 ounces a day is the ideal goal, as you should go lean with your protein. When eating meat, always bake it, grill it, or broil it, as this will prevent grease from
adding to the equation. You should vary your protein as well, with more fish, beans, peas, and nuts.

When cooking your food, you should also limit solid fats such as butter, margarine, shortening, and lard. These foods may add flavor to your dishes, although they can
also help raise your cholesterol as well. Therefore, you should try to add these foods and any foods that happen to contain them.

To help keep your saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium low, you can check the nutrition facts label. This label can be found on the food package and will tell you all the
information you need to know about the food item.

By picking your foods wisely and watching what you eat, you’ll help control your lifestyle. Exercise is great as well, as it goes along perfect with a healthy eating
lifestyle. No matter what your age may be, eating healthy will help you keep your active lifestyle for years and years – even help you and your health in the long run
as well.

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Another diet program that is making the rounds in the American dieting circles is the cabbage soup diet.

From the name itself, the cabbage soup diet is a program that involves the cabbage soup as the central figure. It may seem absurd at first and quite different from other diet programs such as the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet but it actually has a rationale.

The cabbage soup diet is based on the assumption that diets that contain high fiber but low in fat can help the body lose weight. The cabbage soup is usually made of cabbage, onions and tomatoes. The soup is supposed to fat-burning as it has a high fiber content. In fact, the more soup that you take in each day, the more calories you will burn and the more pounds you will lose. The taste will be bland so it has to be taken in with other foods.

Unlike other diet programs, there are no restrictions in the food that you take in as long as you drink the cabbage soup with every meal. From low calorie vegetables to potatoes and beef, you can eat anything you want. Of course, dieters under the program are encouraged to take in fruits and vegetables as well as unsweetened fruit juices.

One guideline, however, that must be strictly met is the fact that all meals should be broiled, baked or boiled. No fried meals for the duration of the diet. Another guideline is to avoid alcohol, bread and other carbonated drinks that hastens weight gain.

One downside to the cabbage soup diet is the fact that it not for the long term. It can only be done for a period of seven days. By the end of the week, the person can lose as much as 15 pounds depending of course on the meal that he or she has eaten during the program and how much you have adhered to the guidelines. Beyond the prescribed week, continuing the program can be dangerous to ones health as too much weight will already be lost.

Because of this, dieters often use the cabbage soup diet if they need to lose weight fast. In fact, most people use the program to get into shape before they enroll in a long term diet program. Some get into the cabbage soup diet program when they need to lose extra pounds for a special occasion.

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