Its day two of the Lent Season and this year I’ve decided to give up sweets and snacks, to fast and pray, and get my health and diet back on track. To make this achievable, I’m going to take three approaches: making my own snacks and desserts, participating in the Daniel Fast and giving the Raw Foods Diet another shot.
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Snack-tastic!
This is going to be tough because I love snacks. Sweet snacks, savory snack, my snacks, your snack, his snacks, her snacks…I love snacks! And, that’s the problem. They are my go to “food” which isn’t good for my waistline. Overdoing it is bad, but the sugar and sodium is worse. They are both usually high in the good tasting, red dye #40 laced treats. Instead of denying myself a snack by going cold turkey, I’m going to make my own.
Using healthy recipes, I’m planning to make snacking health-ful & tasty. Not convinced? Need some examples? Ok, how about 94% fat free popcorn spiced up with herbs and seasoning, or sprinkled with a little cheese. I especially like it with a little cayenne pepper on it. And I mean a little. If you use too much, you’ll be coughing your head off every time you pop some in your mouth. You do not want that.
I’ve also been making dehydrated apple and banana slices that everyone in the house seems to like. I can’t make them fast enough. They’re perfect for travelling, that 3:00 munchie attack, snack when in my night class, and the really ripe fruit doesn’t go to waste. That, my friend, is a win-win.
Daniel Fast
I’m also going to be apart of the Daniel Fast. This fast is based on Daniel 10:2, 3 in which Daniel fasted and prayed for 3 weeks eating only fruits, veggies. It was during this time that he received a vision and the revelation that explained it.
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
What better time than this to get clarity in a few areas of my world. So, what can I eat? As Monique put it, “you can’t eat anything that has a mother.” Sounds fun right? Yeah, well my mental and physical health says that it will be. If you think about it, this is basically calling for a vegetarian diet for three weeks. I have enough cookbooks and recipes on hand to keep this interesting. I won’t be doing this alone, which is always good for staying on track, and I plan to get going tonight with Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce. Sounds so good, I can’t wait to taste it.
Living Foods Diet
This is also referred to as the Raw Foods Diet. You’ve heard me talk about this before when I took a raw foods class with Krista. It’s not as gross as it sounds, and no you’re not eating raw meat (it’s not allowed on the fast anyway!). You are actually eating fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and sprout, but in their raw state. That means no cooking and no temps higher than 118 degrees (getting mixed info on this one) when using the food dehydrator.
I gave this a try last summer and lasted about 2 weeks. I felt great and my skin glowed. Then I got a nasty summer cold from all the running around and went back to my Standard American Diet (SAD). At the time, I was trying to do it 100%, but this time I’m going to incorporate it into the meal rotation and work my way up.
That’s it! Sounds challenging, but I’m going to do my best to stay the course. I’ll post some of the foods I’m making so you can give them a try as well. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to clearing the mental clutter and getting back on a healthier path.
What sacrifice are you making this Lent Season? Let me know in the comments below.
