“The Daniel Plan” Diet Vs. Christmas
You know, from The Book of Daniel.
I wrote about The Daniel Plan, a new faith-based diet based off the biblical story in the Book of Daniel, for L.A. Weekly’s Squid Ink blog. A companion book was released just last week, so any new followers of the diet are up for a challenge: Christmas. Ironically, celebrating Jesus’ birth is going to be their first hurdle. Here are the five tips I mentioned, using the diet, to defeat Christmas:
5. Get your relatives in on the plan
The website touts that “sustained lifestyle change works best in groups or with a partner,” and while that may sound like a pyramid scheme, research backs this up.
4. Focus on fat to avoid sugar
The sound of the word “fat” may cause you to recoil, but grass-fed butter like Kerrygold is filled with a healthy amount of Omega-3’s and other micronutrients — and research has shown that olive oil can be tremendously good for you. Sugar, on the other hand, may cause food cravings, insulin spikes and can be damaging to your hormones.
3. Keep exercising
Many think they need a gym and hours of free time for exercise to be effective. Not true, research shows. All you need is seven minutes and a chair; there are apps to help you. Schedule your workout before eating, and you may have the added benefit of funneling extra calories to your muscles instead of your stomach.
2. Cook with spices
It’s easy to make foods taste good by pouring sugar, fat or salt all over them, but it’s more healthful, and possibly interesting, to use spices. Many spices have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties while remaining virtually calorieless.
1. Pray
“Please God, don’t let me get fat.” You know, when all else fails.
