Heal and cleanse your body in 10 Days

IM NOT TOXIC, NOT ME!

Guess what? I bet you are toxic! Yes… that’s right… I said I bet you are toxic. Whether you realize it or not, most of the food we eat is nutritionally void, the air and water is polluted and most of us have some sort of stress that we experience. The result of all this is detrimental to our health and vitality. The ill health that most people experience is a direct result of the actions we either take or don’t take. It is up to us to make a choice to have a healthier lifestyle and adopt positive success habits that will ensure longevity for the future. We must have an attitude that says:

“I am committed to a healthy lifestyle.”

“I am internally vital, emotionally centered and physically strong.”

“Every day in every way I am healthier and happier.”

“I am in control of my eating habits and choose to have a healthy lifestyle.”

“I choose to eats foods that cleanse my body not clog my body.”

The polluted air and water, chemicals, caffeine, allergies, stress, alcohol (which I like on occasions too), cigarettes, sugar and negative attitudes are all TOXIC and have a horrific effect on us. It is bad enough that most of the food additives are toxic… what about the pesticide and chemicals that are left on the foods we eat? Before the food even gets to the supermarket… foods are stored, frozen, refined, and cooked incorrectly…until they finally reach us often containing zero nutritional benefit. In reality… most of us are eating unhealthy foods that are loaded with crap that our bodies cannot truly handle. I ask my coaching clients to give me an internal inventory of the food and beverages that they consume in a given week… and the average person’s food intake or diet comprises of about 70% non-essential or toxic foods. Having a crappy diet or poor food intake is overlooked as the reason for health challenges since most symptoms are delayed for years and potentially blamed on something else. Our brain and body is like an engine… it operates on fuel. If we provide our engine with dirty fuel… it will not function or operate. And if it does operate… it will not reach its full potential and eventually malfunction. I believe that most of the challenges we face are caused through the chemical imbalances that potentially are contributed from what we eat or don’t eat. The past several posts I have written have been dedicated to some sort of detox or cleansing program. If you are still not convinced of the need to detoxify, I came across a questionnaire during my research that I challenge you to complete.

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DO I NEED TO DETOXIFY?

Please check off the questions that you answer YES.

Do you experience stress regularly?

Do you get fewer than seven hours of sleep every night?

Do you wake most mornings feeling tired, lethargic Do you regularly feel tired, apathetic or lack energy?

Do you eat less than 3 different fruits a day?

Do you eat a raw vegetable/salad meal every day?

Do you overeat?

Do you eat processed or take away foods, more than once per week?

Do you often find yourself craving for sweet or savoury foods?

Do you exercise, less than thirty minutes every second day?

Are you overweight?

Do you suffer from a reoccurring illness?

Do you suffer from stomach pains, heartburn, indigestion, excess wind (gas) or a bloated stomach?

Are you constipated?

Are you a cancer patient?

Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

Do you experience cold hands and/or feet regularly?

Do you have a history of antibiotic use?

Do you suffer from allergies or hay fever/sinus?

Do you get sores or ulcers in your mouth or on your lips?

Do you suffer from headaches?

Do you notice a lack of concentration, loss of memory or perhaps mental ‘fog’ (cognitive impairment)?

Do you suffer from depression, anxiety or nervousness, or mood swings?

Do you suffer from arthritis, joint pain or stiffness?

Do you have any kind of skin problems, including skin cancer?

Do you have blurred vision?

Do you suffer from red or sore eyes?

Do you have dark circles under your eyes?

If you have two or more of these symptoms… that is a sign of toxic build up and if you answered YES to two or more of these questions… you NEED to complete a cleanse. I already wrote about the Master Cleanse and juice fasting… so today I would like to introduce the Daniel Fast.

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THE 10 DAY DANIEL FAST

The Daniel Fast is a Biblical fast based on two instances of Daniel’s fasting experiences.

“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:12)

“In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.” (Daniel 10:1-2)

Based on this…the Daniel Fast is an eating plan that is vegan in nature, with additional restrictions. In the first Scripture we see that Daniel ate only:

• Only Fruits and Vegetables
• And drank ONLY water
• So basically he didn’t eat processed, artificial, or chemically altered foods.

From the second Scripture we learn that Daniel’s diet did not allow:

• Animal products
• Pleasant/precious food, which would include all sweeteners, including honey, agave syrup, maples syrup, etc.
• Alcohol (I know… this could be difficult)

During the Daniel Fast people don’t eat any kind of leavened bread (anything made with yeast, baking powder, baking soda, etc.) 

You might experience detoxing from food addictions, such as: caffeine, processed or unnatural foods, chemicals and sugar. Remember what I wrote in my previous posts… anytime you complete a detox or fast… there will be a very high chance you will have headaches, leg cramps, fatigue, nausea and even light depression. Your body will be detoxing, eventually the symptoms will decrease and you will experience more energy, better sleep, clearer and sharper mind, and many other benefits. You may even lose weight during the fast… and most people experience healings from diabetes, allergies, arthritis, high cholesterol and even cancer.

The Daniel Fast food list is pretty simple and straight forward.  It consists of 6 simple categories with their derivatives:

1. fruits
2. vegetables
3. grains
4. legumes
5. nuts and seeds, and
6. drinks

All fruits. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. However, you will fill much better physically if you consume fresh fruit. I don’t really recommend canned fruit … most of them have sweeteners and preservatives. I also would suggest avoiding juiced fruit (if you juice at home), as the released sugars will spike your blood sugar levels too fast. By keeping the fiber you will still enjoy the fruit, while also keeping your body happy.

apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon.

All vegetables. These can be fresh, frozen, dried or juiced

Vegetables include but are not limited to:

all kinds of greens, artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini.

All whole grains, including but not limited to:

whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats, barley, grits, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes and popcorn.

All nuts and seeds, including but not limited to:

sunflower seeds, cashews, peanuts, sesame. Also, additive free nut butters including peanut butter, although I highly recommend avoiding peanut butter, unless it is freshly made, as it might be highly processed and roasted oils (as found in roasted nuts) are harmful to our health.

All legumes. These can be canned or dried. If canned, make sure not preservatives or sugars were used.

Legumes include but are not limited to:

dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, white beans.

Beverages: spring water, distilled water or other pure waters.

Other: soy sauce, vinegar, seasonings, sea or Himalayan salt, herbs and spices.

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FOODS TO AVOID

All meat and animal products including but not limited to:

beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.

All dairy products including but not limited to:

milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.

All sweeteners including but not limited to:

 sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.

All sweet baked goods.

All refined and processed food products including but not:

limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.

All deep fried foods including but not limited to:

potato chips, French fries, corn chips.

All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.

Beverages including but not limited to:

coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol.

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MEDICATION & SUPPLEMENTS DURING FAST

You should seek the advice of your health care practitioner about medications you might be taking. If you depend on them for any serious reason DO NOT discontinue them without first advising your doctor. Supplements are food for the most part and can be safely taken during Daniel Fast.

Special Note: if you have health issues, please be sure to contact your health professional for advice before committing to any fast.

Daniel Fast is very sound and safe and most practitioners will be more than happy to approve it. My Grand Master in the martial arts basically eats this as a part of his lifestyle… and he is in amazing shape and is one of the healthiest people I know. He inspired my partner Chris Berlow and I to begin cleansing and eating more of a vegetarian lifestyle. I was a strict vegetarian for several years… but recently introduced more fish and eggs into my diet. One of the questions that most of my clients have when I introduce this type of fast to them is:

“How do I get enough protein in my diet while on the fast?”

During the Daniel fast…the following are protein-rich foods that are allowed … almonds, sunflower seeds, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, split peas, whole grains, and tofu. I believe for the 10 day fast you will survive just fine… so suck it up buttercup!      🙂

Again… this is another option for completing some sort of cleanse or fast. I will continue to share other alternatives in my posts.

PS… there are a ton of recipes and meal options for the Daniel Fast online… below I share some ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.