Daniel Plan: Getting ready (1)

Every action begins in the mind.

It’s intentional and incremental.

What we believe and practice we master.

This first week I choose Focus as our key for contemplation.

As you do your holiday shopping, be Mindful (a word you will hear a lot over the next several weeks) that if you over shop you will have a lot of groceries left over to use up come January. As you make your list, keep an eye out for these items[1]:

Don’t eat: HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), Trans fats (partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated fats).

• Sugary breakfast cereals, unhealthy cookies and crackers, fried chips, and junk food, regular and diet sodas, sports drinks and other sweetened beverages, juice, artificial sweeteners (except stevia)

• High-sugar or high-sodium condiments.

• Unhealthy oils, such as standard mass-market “vegetable” oil and shortening.

·         White sugar, white flour, white rice, and white

·         If you can’t figure what it is or spell it, don’t eat it. For e.g. sodium and calcium caseinate, soy protein isolate, phosphoric acid, sulfites, nitrates/nitrites, artificial colors, flavors and dyes, and carrageenan.

·         If you must have sugar go for raw sugar, raw honey, natural fruit sugars, or pure maple syrup.

Focus: Being mindful of what we buy and getting rid of foods that harm.  Game on!

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[1] Warren, Rick. The Daniel Plan Jumpstart Guide: Daily Steps to a Healthier Life (p. 22). Zondervan. Kindle Edition