Funny how life works. Several years ago, hubby and I were out in Lancaster, PA, for our annual ‘refresher course’ in simpler days. Well, except for the INSANE traffic on Route 30 – back roads are a good thing! We went to Sight & Sound to see Daniel. Still my favorite production there, by the way. Came home and of course reread the book of Daniel. Am amazed by the story once more.
Now fast forward to this year, and almost immediately after my First Place 4 Health group breaks for the summer, my co-leader comes to me and says “How about if we do a 6-week Daniel Plan group?” (Same friend, by the way, who hooked me into FP4H!) So I said I didn’t know much about it, but if it is a way to get healthier, why not? So what happened?
Well, four of us met for 6 weeks for the study and DVD teaching, tried to learn and apply the Daniel Plan eating habits, and the Daniel Strong principles. I found that, God was there and working. While I only lost a couple of pounds, I am able to wear 3 pairs of my shorts which have not seen that light of day for years and a lot of clothes in sizes that I never want to see again are gone from my closet. More importantly, I have developed a stronger relationship with God, as I ask HIM for wisdom about my choices – food and otherwise.
But back to Daniel. Why a Daniel Plan? Who was Daniel? Well, Daniel was not a survivor. He was a conqueror because of who he followed. Who did he follow? His God, the God of Abraham and Isaac. When faced with tempting, rich, extravagant food choices and life choices (while being held a captive in a foreign land) he asked to eat only what God provided – pulse and water. Pulse is mostly translated as vegetables, which is true, but not complete. The Treasury of Scripture notes on Biblehub.com defines pulse as: “Pulse denotes all leguminous plants, which are not reaped but pulled or plucked; which, however wholesome, was not naturally calculated to render them fatter in flesh than the others.” In other words, not gluten, or processed foods, not made by man, not commercially manufactured, not full of added ingredients. (For the story of how this worked for Daniel and his friends, check out the book of Daniel sometime.)
Today, a lot of people call it ‘clean eating.’ And it does change the way you look at food. Your taste buds now taste the natural flavors in foods – the sweetness of a ripe berry, the juicy texture of a lush mango, the fresh goodness of a pea or bean. It’s not deprivation or starvation; it’s not a die-it– it’s a LIVE-IT as they say in FP4H. And I am amazed at how many ways that you can enjoy yummy foods, and live Daniel Strong.
One blog that I stumbled onto yesterday is Made Well. The post about breakfast caught my attention, since, while I don’t skip breakfast, I do struggle to have a proper balance of protein in the morning meal. Her recipe for Coconut Banana Pancakes was the hook, and I will be trying them, but her ideas for breakfast in general have inspired me to seek out other ideas and recipes for gluten-free, clean foods to punch up our mornings!
By the way, if you are interested in this topic, check out Dr. Mark Hyman‘s blog-he is one of the founding doctors of The Daniel Plan.
Jacquie's World 