Have you met Daniel?

I fast... a lot. For the past 10 years, I've fasted from certain foods during Lent. For the past year, I have made this a regular habit. Each month, I along with several people worldwide, complete a Daniel's Fast known as holdFAST during the first three days of the month. There have also been times throughout the year when I've completed 21 and 40 day Daniel's fasts and have planned out fasting menus for others.

For those unfamiliar with this type of fast, it's in reference to the Old Testament book of Daniel. In this piece of scripture, Daniel "ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine" (Daniel 10:2-3) for three weeks.  The fast itself requires that you only eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes. No dairy, no sugar, no meat. My rule of thumb is if it doesn't grow that way, I have no business eating it. I do, however, incorporate foods derived from allowable items (brown rice pasta, yellow corn meal, etc.)

If you're still reading and I haven't lost your attention, I bring up the subject of fasting because it not only has improved my walk with God and spiritual life, but has also improved my health.

Being that this is a hair blog, I wanted to share a side effect of having a plant based eating preference. When I stopped eating dairy, processed food, and meat and started eating fruits, veggies, and nuts/ legumes, my hair grew like weeds, my skin was soft, dewy, and clear, and I had tons of energy.

Throughout these past few years, I have met several who don't know when to fast, how to fast, or what to fast from. Fasting isn't impossible, it just takes discipline, (tons of) prayer, and strength. 

Not ready to take the plunge? Here are a few baby steps to get you on your way:

1. Begin by drinking half your weight in water daily (if you weight 10 lbs, drink 5 oz of water) or 64oz of water - whichever is greater. 

2. Once you've mastered drinking more water, move onto reading food labels to identify disallowed foods (you would be surprised at how man things contain processed sugar, cane juice, additives, and corn syrup).

3. Begin eating more leafy greens. I make my own salads and green smoothies with Romaine, Spinach, or Kale. If you ever move onto completing the full Daniels, or eating raw this will be your source of protein. 

Here's a sample weekly menu that I use, I'm a leftover fanatic so my dinners often double as lunch the next day. I don't measure when making my meals, and often google the recipes. If any dish piques your interest, I can provide my recipe.

Happy fasting, happy eating, happy living.