The Daniel Diet is about as far from a fad diet as you can get. While fad diets are, by definition, very new, the Daniel Diet has roots that go back approximately 2,600 years! Most people may try this eating plan as a way to lose weight, but it is specifically designed to help you have a better relationship with God at the same time.

The diet has its origin in the following Bible verse: “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8 (NIV). During this time, Daniel was a Hebrew living in Babylonia, and was saying that he would stick to the dietary guidelines his people received from God. Babylonians were not under the same rules for eating, and they would eat foods that were off limits to the Jews.

Skipping ahead about 2,600 years…

The Daniel Diet was developed by Rev. Elmer Townes. It does not have the exact restrictions as the Jewish dietary laws mentioned in the Bible. However, it serves the same purpose by putting God first, and the weight loss is secondary.

Partial fasting is a big part of the program. Some of the foods you can eat include fruit and vegetable juices, whole grains, water, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are all healthy foods. You may have also noticed that they are all foods that are derived directly from nature and not a scientific laboratory.

Foods that are not a part of the Daniel Diet include refined sugar, chemical sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, meat, white bread or rice, caffeine, fried foods, shortening, margarine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and additives or preservatives. This can be a big change for a lot of people.

As mentioned, this is more than just a diet. In fact, the first step is prayer so you can be spiritually prepared. You will then commit to staying on the diet for a set amount of time, and then letting others know about your promise to follow through.

Spiritual preparation is only the beginning. You will also have to get ready physically. This can take some doing–weaning yourself off the foods that aren’t allowed–but you have to be ready once you make the commitment.

How long you’re on the Daniel Diet is mostly up to you. Because of the strong spiritual component, a lot of people will tie it in with religious observances; Lent, for example. Others will do it as an entire church, or as part of a church group. That being said, a minimum of seven days is recommended if you want to see any weight loss results. Yet, there are even those who choose to dedicate one day per week to doing the Daniel Diet. As you can see, it’s a flexible plan that is more than just a diet and can be done by anybody.

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There are many things in a person’s life that have a direct impact on their overall health or even specific aspects of their health. One thing that has a serious impact on a person’s health is how they eat.

Good nutrition is a very important part of staying healthy. Healthy food choices mean a healthier body. There are a couple different reasons for this. For one thing if a person consumes large amounts of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean meats their bodies get an abundance of many important vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Another reason that eating healthy keeps a person in good health is not because of what these foods contain but rather what they don’t. For example many prepackaged and processed foods contain large amounts of fats and hydrogenated oils. These are things that not only will cause a person to gain weight but they can lead to issues such as clogged arteries and various other heart problems as well.

Salt is another thing that should be used in moderation. Yes, salt makes our food taste good and give it flavor but it also has its negative points too. One such negative issue that often occurs from the excessive use of salt is high blood pressure. This is especially true if you are already prone to develop this condition due to family history or other risk factors. It is for this reason that there are so many salt free options for seasoning and flavoring food. Many of these taste even better than if salt was used and contain little or no salt.

Sugar is another food that can wreak havoc with a person’s body. While it may be true that a certain amount of sugar is needed to fuel the body, too much can be a very bad thing. Sugar can be particularly dangerous to someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes. For people such as this the amount of sugar which is consumed must be monitored very carefully. Natural sugar such as that found in fruits and other healthy foods is always a much better choice than adding sugar to other types of foods.

Although it may seem that there are a lot of foods that a person should steer clear of or at least limit their intake of there are also a lot of foods that are good to eat and taste just as good as well. For instance fruits such as strawberries, grapes, apples and oranges make great snacks that are much healthier than salty potato chips or super sweet candy bars.

As you can see there are many ways a person can control their health simply by watching what they eat. The healthier the food choices that you make the better your health will be as a result. It is important to remember that eating healthy does not have to taste bad; there are many healthy foods that taste really good too.

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If you are diabetic and overweight, you need a good diabetic weight loss diet to not only control your weight but also deal with leveling off your blood sugar. Keeping your weight and blood sugar under control is imperative to reducing the likelihood you will suffer the very serious complications that are known to be associated with diabetes.

Obviously the key to losing weight is to choose healthy foods to eat. Foods that also help control insulin production and release are a plus, too. Learning to eat a balanced diet for some can be a little tricky. An important part of keeping you blood sugar levels under control is learning to balance protein, fats, and carbohydrates of every meal you eat.

Keeping carbohydrates under control is key because some carbohydrates convert almost immediately into simple sugars and cause the pancreas to dump insulin into your system to counteract the meteoric rise in blood sugar. If this is not brought under control, you will find yourself with more problems than just diabetes.

Who knows, maybe if you lose the weight you will not have to prick your finger all the time and inject all of that insulin into your body everyday. Maybe your diabetes will even disappear if you become fit and healthy.

Nutritionists and doctors have changed their thinking that all diabetics are the same and all can follow the same general diet. They can’t. A good diabetic weight loss diet today is tailored to the specific patient and promotes optimum nutrition for optimum health. Simple carbohydrates are kept to a minimum and protein that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids are encouraged. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in abundance in fish with the highest concentration found in salmon.

Diets low in fat and cholesterol and high in green leafy vegetables and high fiber foods like whole grain is very important in controlling diabetes. Fruits should only be eaten in moderation due to their high natural sugar content which can make blood sugar levels spike then fall rapidly due to insulin overload.

Blood sugar levels should be checked regularly before and after meals and before bedtime to get an accurate idea of how the food you eat affects your levels especially when trying to lose weight. Diabetes is no laughing matter and when you are trying to lose weight on top of the diabetes you need to be extra careful. Take things slowly, keep careful, accurate records of each blood sugar check and keep a food journal, too.

Get some ideas for planning your meals and snacks by going to the American Diabetes Association’s website and studying the diabetic food pyramid. You should be able to get some good information about diabetes and diet while on the site and learn to put what you learn into practice.

With Type II diabetes now in epidemic proportions in the United States because of the obesity epidemic following a good diabetic weight loss diet is as vital as the insulin you have been prescribed.

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When You Hit A Plateau With Your Weight Loss

Dieters everywhere dread the plateau; the phase of your diet where all your hard work seems to get you no results. It seems that you are dieting and exercising your heart out for nothing. If you feel that you are currently on a dieting plateau, keep in mind that there has to be an up side (your previous weight loss), a leveling off (which you are currently experiencing) and a down side (which you’ll get to soon). Each plateau you come upon in your weight loss journey will have these same characteristics. Learning how to deal with them now will help you in the future.

Follow these guidelines to break through your dieting plateau and get back on the weight loss trail –

Continue to Exercise:
Even if it seems that you are not making progress towards weight loss, it is important to continue to exercise. Not doing so will allow extra pounds to creep back on. In fact, if you are experiencing a plateau, it may be wise to increase the amount or intensity of your exercise, to help you break out of your slump.

Continue to Eat Well:
Maintain the weight that you have lost so far by continuing to eat healthy foods. Do not use your plateau as an excuse for a binge, or drastically reduce your calorie count. Continue to eat the diet that has helped you lose weight so far. Do so consistently, and you will soon be out of the plateau.

Develop a Support Network:
Find a message board or a group of real life friends, and draw on them for support. This will help you to continue towards your weight loss goals, even when it becomes more difficult. If possible, find friends who are also dieting. They will be a great support to you throughout your weight loss journey.

As you fight your way through your dieting plateau, you are responsible for every action you take. Each decision you make will impact your weight loss now and in the future. Do the best you can to continue to make healthy choices, even though the scale may not show it.

If you have been exercising a lot, keep in mind that you may be losing fat and gaining muscle, leading to no drop in scale weight. Use the above guidelines to maintain your diet, and stay strong. Soon youll be breaking through that plateau and soaring on down the scale.

This article isn’t medical advice nor should it be interpreted or substituted as medical advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Prior to making changes to your physical exercise routine and your diet, you should always consult your personal physician. It is much better to be safe than sorry.

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