Slow Down
Our church ran a Daniel Fast program the past month where we focused on eating healthy, vegan meals for three weeks. During the 21 day “fast”, we are prohibited from eating: processed food, dairy, refined sugar, meat, caffeine, and oil. The first week we had to eat everything raw. The second and third week we were allowed to have cooked foods. We met three times a week where we shared DF food with each other, had food demos, had health lectures and prayed for each other. I wanted to share some of my insights from having gone through Daniel Fast.
Even before I did the program, I knew I should be eating more salads and raw food. But I never liked the fact that it took so long to make a salad and then it also took long to actually eat the salad. And then Dr. Kim, the creator of this plan, told us we needed to chew our food twenty times before we swallow it. I was thinking to myself, who has time to chew twenty times for each bite?
After the initial discomfort of chewing for such a long time, I found out that it wasn’t so hard and that it became more of a habit to chew more thoroughly when I eat a meal. And I found that my stomach feels so much more comfortable when I masticate my food really well.
Another insight I had about eating is that foods were meant to be eaten in a long sitting. That is, things that take a long time to eat are probably healthier for you. Compare eating a Hot Pocket to eating a plate of green salad. It takes a few minutes to eat an apple danish but a lot longer to eat a whole apple. It seems counterintuitive to slow down your eating. In this world that we live in, it seems that speed is a better quality than being slow. Our smartphones boast higher and higher processing speeds, there are apps that promise to make your day more time-efficient, and meals that you can gulp down in a few minutes so that you can get back to the business of your day. But I found that faster is not better when it comes to eating.
I don’t know the complete science of it but I think that when you chew foods longer, it helps to break down the fiber and it mixes with your saliva to make for better digestion. I can attest to the fact that it really helps with all aspects of digestion and furthermore, it helps to maintain your energy level. Before this Daniel Fast, I was always getting sleepy when I drove for long periods of time and I also needed a midday nap. But during DF, I had no problems staying alert on long drives and had no need for naps.
This realization reminds me of the verse “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10. In this hustle and bustle world, we need to focus on God and the beautiful way that He created us. Our attention is pulled in so many ways but when we slow down to appreciate God, that’s when He can speak to us in his still, small voice.
If you are thinking that it’s too hard to change your ways and that you don’t have time to slow down, just remember that if it was easy then everyone else would be doing it too. The food industry, the conglomerates, have set us up to eat quickly and unhealthfully. We are “fearfully and wonderfully” made by God. You are worth the time it takes to create nutritious and delicious meals.
Another thing that might deter you from making changes to your diet is your taste. Salads and whole foods just don’t have the appeal of a cheesy, meaty Big Mac or even an Impossible Whopper. What was pretty amazing to me when I went on my Daniel Fast is that the cravings for foods that I loved - ice cream, french fries, ramen - started fading away as my taste buds became acclimated to whole foods. Who knew that crunching into a nice juicy apple can be so good and refreshing? Before DF, I would only eat apples at the end of the meal to ease my conscience about eating healthier. It didn’t have that much appeal or taste after a heavy carb-heavy meal. But during DF, I was not afraid of having to miss having lunch at home. Apples are portable and easy to slip into my handbag. Combining it with some nuts and seeds satisfied my hunger and gave me energy for the rest of the day.
One of the biggest challenges to eating Daniel Fast way came up unexpectedly. I used to have weekly outings with my son, Matthew. We had a routine of going to our local ice cream place, Zoe’s, after piano lessons to have a brownie sundae and french fries. He was really sad that I couldn’t share the ice cream with him and I felt really bad that we couldn’t continue our outings. Similarly, when I went to visit my Mom and Dad, they couldn’t understand why I was eating an apple when they were eating kimbap. So, the social aspect of eating was a challenge. But I found my work-arounds. We found that our local pizza shop made a great house salad so I ate that and Matthew had pizza. He even agreed to eat a little of my salad.
One area of my routines that I did the opposite of slowing down, was in my exercise. As part of the DF, we had health lectures and Victoria Chung, M.D., my daughter, taught us the importance of exercise in our lifestyle. A surprising finding that helped me to change my way of exercising was that the biggest benefit of exercising is for our brain function. Cardio-vascular health improvement is important as well but is secondary to our brain function. Studies have shown great cognitive improvement in people after vigorous exercise. So this inspired me to get my heart rate up in my exercise. I’ve been doing that for a couple of weeks and it really feels great. And now my Wordle finishing rate is much better. I’m just kidding but not really.
I guess the bigger challenge for me is to maintain DF principles in my diet even after the formal event is over. It’s easier to maintain this when you know it’s only for 21 days and you have a group of people doing it with you. Pray for me. A few months from now, you can ask me how I’m doing with eating and if I’m back to eating junk, call me out on it. You have permission to shame me.
You are probably feeling guilty as you are reading this article. You know you should eat healthier but it’s so hard. Remember that God has given us the free will to change our ways. Where junk food abounds, grace does much more abound. He will help make the changes, little by little. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works. And that my soul knows very well.” Psalms 139:14.