THE DANIEL DIET

THE DANIEL DIET

“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. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age: The king would then have my head because of you’ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.’ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” Daniel 1:8-21 NIV

Many people would be helped by a change to a vegetarian diet. I have learned to make the most of illness to reform my diet. On April 5th I awoke realizing that my stomach was upset by what I had eaten the night before. I had a piece of lemon meringue pie which soon caused further upset and loss of appetite. Rather than fight the symptoms, I decided to study them and see where they led me. It took three days for my appetite to return, and I ate an apple to celebrate. I then ate an orange and followed that with a banana. I followed this order and fruit diet, eating only fruit and juice and one salad and one vegetable soup for the next 3 weeks. Then I switched to only vegetable salad for one week and this week I alternated, eating first fruit and then a vegetable salad, as my appetite allowed me. The logic was that by eating freely of fruits and vegetables, I could minimize my cravings and maximize the internal cleansing process. Ultimately, I would like to lose 50 lbs, but my main concern is to eliminate any potential for health crises by improving my body’s ability to defend itself. I feel that by July 5th I will have reached my weight-loss goal and established a good foundation for a better diet. Tomorrow begins my 6th week and I have already reduced by one full pants size. I have also increased my walking routine by one mile per day, and I hope to increase from 7 to 14 miles per day by the end of September. My energy level has improved and so I have eliminated caffeine from my diet, with the hope of deriving my energy from a combination of a vegetarian diet and a regular program of exercise. I added a multi-vitamin to my diet this week and this helped to increase my energy still further. I plan to add some forms of omega-3 in a modest amount, in order to supply other ingredients that my body starts craving. If you have any other recommendations for me, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks!

Mark Overt Skilbred