I am about to join my church, Dream City Church, Phoenix on ‘The Daniel Fast’ for 10 days. The purpose of this fast is purely spiritual and has nothing to do with a new weight-loss regime! My first thoughts though are: is this healthy? Can I maintain this for so long? (My church started on 3rd January for 21 days but that wasn’t enough warning for me to clear out the 4 cooked salmons and other meats and yummy goodness in my fridge not allowed in the diet, so I thought I’d wait until I needed to restock before commencing. Waste not, want not after all! THEN, I read the relevant chapter in Daniel about the fast and figured out he and his three friends initially launched onto this diet plan for 10 days. That’s where I get my 10 days from.)
Anyway, as my food supplies are dwindling I thought I’d better get prepared for this Daniel Fast, and my first thoughts of course turned to ‘WHAT WILL I EAT FOR BREAKFAST?’
Download the 21 Day Daniel Fast Cookbook with 7 Days of Bible Study and Devotion through the book of Daniel.
The Daniel Fast in today’s terms is equivalent to a vegan diet, based on my research. And if you know me, you’ll know that I love meat; and any type of vegetable and bean is a struggle for me. The next 10 days from Sunday 10th will be all about trial and error. Hmmm… I’ll let you know how this adventure goes. If Daniel survived (and thrived) eating this way then so can I.
Since my batch-cooked omelette from previous weeks is a no-go according to the fast, I am going to share with you one of my other favourite breakfasts (the original & The Daniel Fast variant)!
Birchers Muesli – Healthy, Hearty Breakfast, Snack & Dessert!
This Bircher’s Muesli was first introduced to me by Glenn Kearney, current Head of Nutrition at LTA. It is honestly super yummy and can even be served as a healthy dessert or snack during the day! I may have varied it a little since he introduced it to me circa. 2009, but this is how I make mine. Try it and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps. of oats
- 1 portion/handful of broken nut pieces (variety, but my favourite and most flavourful are brazil and hazelnuts!)
- 1 tbsp. dried fruit (cranberries, sultanas, raisins, etc.)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (just a dash!)
- 2-3 tbsps. plain yoghurt (try plant-based, soy yoghurts if you are lactose intolerant. I prefer this option because lactose isn’t my friend, but I seem to be managing fine in small doses since I can’t find an alternative anywhere in the USA! Suggestions please?)
- 2 tbsp. hot water/dribble of hot water (I tried to measure it for you guys, but you’ll get used to it as you try it out. Don’t over-saturate your oats combo.)
Directions
Throw all the dry ingredients into your breakfast bowl and toss together. Dribble a little hot water over your ingredients and mix until soggy and oats have fully absorbed the water. Add a large dollop of yoghurt on top. It makes a pretty picture! And stir together. As always, team with your favourite tea or hot drink. Bon Appetit!
Birchers Muesli – The Daniel Fast Variation
So I originally bought these bananas to give the sugar-free banana nut bread baking another try. (Yes I hear what you’re saying, ‘bananas have sugar in them.’ Hold it! Bananas are naturally sweet; their sugary goodness is natural not processed.) The first sugar-free trial was a bit of a fail because I added one too many bananas. But at least my heart was in the right place – a desire to reduce the amount of processed sugar in my diet. I’ll try again another day. ANYWAY….now I have found another, higher purpose for these beauties!
What are your favourite meat-free, fish-free, dairy-free options? The more suggestions the merrier! Please and thank you 😉
Thanks for reading!
Have a healthy, blessed day.
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If a person is interested in doing a fast, cleanse/detox I understand the logic behind it. I do not fully relate to ALL or NOTHING philosophies in most cases. My two examples are Vegan and Ketogenic. The problem with the ALL or NOTHING nutrition plans (even if they offer healthful benefits) is that few people are willing to live their entire lives following these plans. I don’t believe in setting a large percentage of people up for failure. I also believe the discipline and regimen of following such strict guidelines creates an unnecessary STRESS around food that many already experience. Since every diet has its science behind it supporting it, I believe the healthiest approach is a diversified nutrition plan using quality food choices and permitting a 10-20% source of calories from less nutritious foods. Those who incorporate the various components within reasonable moderation needed to living healthy lives seem happier, healthier and better balanced. Those living more “extreme” lifestyles never seem as happy or healthy in the long run.
I think living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle forever would not be something I could tolerate, but I disagree that it sets a large amount of people up for failure. It’s a choice and I think people who choose to be vegan do so for such deep reasons they actually have no problem with restricting their diet in such a way. And I guess they may not even see it as restrictive because they are able to experiment with the choice of foods available to them. And there is more variety than one might think! I also never think of vegan being a weight loss diet per se; rather a way of life for some people. P.s. I think you have misunderstood the reason behind this fast – it is a spiritual focus rather than a physical weight loss diet. So I’ve just realised we may be talking at cross purposes. I should have explained its purpose better in the blog entry!
I completely respect and (now) understand your purpose. I also agree that many choose dietary lifestyles for many reasons and will succeed. The point I so poorly attempted to convey was diversified healthy food choices for the average person is easier to comply over the long haul. I personally believe in the validity of vegan and ketogenic diets. I simply feel the average person has a difficult time remaining committed over a lifetime. Thank you for commenting and pointing out my poor explanation. I did not express myself well. I apologize.
I’m glad we understand each other now. 🙂 Definitely for me the diversified healthy food choices over the long term is a MUST! So thank you for commenting because it made me edit my post a little to avoid confusing other people. Sorry for the confusion!