by Sally Matheny
 |
| The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola |
When I first
opened The Ultimate Guide I thought
the book pertained to the Daniel Plan. The Daniel Plan focuses on the wholesome
foods Daniel (of the Bible’s Old Testament) ate and why.
The Ultimate Guide to the
Daniel Fast is not the Daniel Plan. Same Daniel. Different agenda. Author
and nutritional consultant, Kristen Feola presents an appetizing book for “everyone
who is hungry to know the Lord in a deeper way.”
The book
includes three parts: The Fast (17 pages), The Focus (27 pages), and The Food (140
pages).
After a brief
introduction to what the fast is, Feola shares her own personal experiences
resulting from the fast as well as the testimonies of countless others. Reading
how God worked through the fasting of his people was one of my favorite parts
of the book.
Feola also
assists the reader during the 21-day fast by providing 21 daily devotionals.
Scripture verses are included (most are NIV) as well as more references for additional
reading.
Then you get to
the food part—that ironically takes over half the book. But, I liked that
because of what Feola offers here. At first glance, I wasn’t so sure the
recipes would be to my liking. While I don’t fry foods, I’m as southern a gal
as they come. My family is typical meat-and-potato eaters. Since they were not
participating in the fast, my challenge was to cook something tasty for them
without sabotaging my fast. Even my picky-eater enjoyed many recipes!
A list of foods
to eat and foods to avoid are listed prior to some suggested meal plans. I don’t
want to give away the whole content of the book so I’ll just share a few from each list. Three of the items
on the “Foods to Eat” list are fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Three items
off the “Foods to Avoid” list are refined and processed food, sweeteners, and
meat.
There are over
100 recipes, many with full color photos. I haven’t tried them all yet, but I
plan to refer to this book often because all the ones I have tried were
delicious! Many of the ingredients were new to my cooking. I soon discovered
how easy it is to grind oat flour and flaxseed and use them in recipes.
Recipe
categories include: Breakfast, Appetizers & Snacks, Salads, Soups,
Vegetables, Main Dishes, and Juices. The most surprising recipe for me was the “Date
Honey.” Not the prettiest fruit to work with, but the easy recipe produced a
yummy food that could be used alone or in many of the other recipes.
This book is
delightful and I will continue using it. The devotionals and recipes helped me,
especially through the initial difficult days of the fast.
I can’t forecast
what the fast will do for you. That’s an individual heart issue between you and
God. I know what it did for me. There were specific areas of focused prayer
during that time where I drew closer to God and received great blessings. Also,
after the initial headaches from sugar and caffeine withdrawal, my body felt
more energized, less sluggish. Brain fog lifted and a clearer focus settled in.
Because of Feola’s tasty and filling recipes, I almost felt guilty, as if I had
not suffered enough for it to be considered a fast.
"Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled."
Matthew 5:6
