Welcome to The Daniel Plan!
Learn how to EAT, MOVE, and THINK within each of the Simple Six basic principles by clicking on the gray boxes below and reviewing the related materials. Then add the items you’ve chosen to focus on this week to your Win the Week Checklist.
You can go through the Plan one principle a week or at your own pace. It’s all about what works for you.
The Daniel Plan’s stories have proven the experience is greatly enhanced by a minimum six-week commitment with a small group. We’ve provided a study guide and video you can use in your groups. See “Sessions 1-6.”
However you choose to work the Plan, remember that we are praying with you. We are always better together!
Simple Six: Core Principle
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
1. CONNECT for Success
Plugging into a community of like-minded people is the proven secret of healing and permanent change! We encourage you to
connect with at least one other person, or a small group, to support you on this journey to better health.
Also, connect with your medical physician to find out your current health condition and identify the catalyst
of inspiration which will carry you through the upcoming days, weeks, and years.
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
2. RELY on God's Power
To accomplish a new healthy lifestyle you will need to rely on God's power to take bold
steps to improve your life. God wants you to be healthy, so changes to how you eat,
move and think are necessary. Ask Him for help, and identify the various ways your life
will improve with better health. Don't try to change all by yourself. With God, and one or
more other friends, you can do it!
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
3. EAT Delicious Whole Foods
For Daniel, what he ate was connected to his faith in God. He knew the only way to
honor God with his body was to refuse the rich food from the king's table. Eating healthy
isn't about depriving yourself. It's about enjoying the adventure of flavor, variety and
abundance that food can deliver. Eating right will require new choices, new experiences
and discipline to choose the foods God gave us to eat.
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
4. MOVE Your Way to Health
Exercise benefits our physical, emotional, and mental health! Most of us know we need
to get moving, but perhaps don't know what to do, how to get started or how to stay
motivated. The Daniel Plan provides this guidance and encourages you to find creative
ways to enjoy it!
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
5. THINK Sharper and Smarter
Transforming your mind will reduce stress, improve decision making and memory,
help you think clearer, allow you to feel better, and ultimately better your chances for a
longer life. Addressing your brain health is a critical component to your overall health.
Small Group Study Study
Printable Companion Guide
6. HEAL for Life
The Daniel Plan is not a diet. It's a lifestyle. Continuing on this journey will help you
avoid many chronic illnesses that plague 50% of Americans. Develop a strategy that
makes The Daniel Plan yours for life. Be like Daniel and refuse to compromise. Soon
your physical and spiritual health will be contagious!
Confused about what you can eat on this plan? This week's checklist gives you the starting point.
Our bodies were made for movement. Here are a few ideas for adding more to your day:
Establish your starting point by measuring yourself in various ways, perhaps even taking a "before" photo. And start or join a small group!
- It's important to know your numbers at the start in order to determine your progress. At a minimum, measure your weight, height, and blood pressure.
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Then create your health profile. You may want to measure your Body Mass Index, take the Medical Toxicity Questionnaire and get your blood work done as well.
- To get started right, read the 10 things Dr. Amen says you need to do right now.
- Small groups can be a great support tool in achieving our goals. Whether or not you are in a Daniel Plan small group,
learn how any biblically focused small group can help keep you on your path.
- Meditate on Daniel 1:8-15. Why did it matter to Daniel what he ate?
But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king.
He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
Daniel 1:8
For Further Learning
For Motivation
The Daniel Plan is as simple as "avoid what is bad; eat what is good for you." Here
are practical steps to changing your habits:
What activity did you choose last week? Time to get a move on. Plan a time and
place, maybe phone a friend, and get going!
In your quiet time, focus on what you want God to do in your life through The
Daniel Plan. What are you willing to give up in order to honor him with your body?
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Journaling your One Page Miracle, or whatever keeps you focused on getting
healthier.
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If having a quiet time is new to you, Pastor Rick Warren explains it in a free e-
book.
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Meditate on Genesis 1:11-12. Why do you think God made the earth to produce
vegetation, before he'd even created mankind?
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the
land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees
bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12 (NIV)
For Further Learning
For Motivation
- Read how the McGough family has improved their health with The Daniel Plan.
Let's get started with a sensible meal plan and practical tips.
Stay on track with your favorite exercise. Better yet, work out with a buddy! Here
are some great additional ways to get the most from exercise.
Get in touch with how you're feeling and to interact with God as you begin The
Daniel Plan in a journal. Remember—He is with you always (Matthew 28:20)!
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How do the new foods you're eating make you feel? Think about this in terms of
your mood, your ability to think, and your body. Read "Conquer Your Cravings"
for helpful tips to avoiding hunger pangs.
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Track how you eat, move and think using a journal, online tool or mobile
application like www.fatsecret.com, www.fitday.com or www.loseit.com.
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Plan ahead and focus on meal timing and composition. Move towards vegetables
being at least 50 percent of every meal, followed by 25 percent (lean) protein and
less than 25 percent grains.
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Meditate this week on Matthew 28:20 from The Message paraphrase (below).
How does it make you feel to know that God is with you as you live The Daniel Plan?
"I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20 (Msg)
For Further Learning
For Motivation
- From Maryland, Diana Mood found The Daniel Plan and has lost 80 pounds!
Are you planning your meals and snacks yet? Your natural appetite and built-in
survival mechanism will sabotage your best efforts if you don't get out in front of it. Look
at these ideas:
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For help, see week #2 of Dr. Hyman's two-week meal plan.
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Remember to:
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Eat smaller, more frequent meals and include some protein with each meal.
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Plan your snacks to avoid getting hungry and sabotaging your efforts.
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Print out this shopping list to help you stock up your kitchen with fresh goodness every week
Eating healthy foods and combining regular exercise will boost your health with a
one-two punch. Ask yourself, "How will I strengthen myself today?
Our thoughts and feelings can be deeply impacted by exercise. If you are
plagued by pain, or just want to feel better, we've got good news for you.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
Mark 12:30 (NIV)
For Further Learning
For Motivation
For better brainpower, try the foods on these lists. Print them out so you can add them to your grocery list:
Exercise is a natural stress reducer, and makes you feel better because it increases your brain's serotonin levels.
Your decisions about the way you eat, move and think are results of your brain
health. By improving your brain, you will make better decisions that will allow you to live
better and longer.
And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it.
To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God
keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the
past.
Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 (NLT)
For Further Learning
For Motivation
- Read how The Daniel Plan inspired Sarah Lowey to complete her first half-marathon.
Enjoy the adventure, and healing attributes, of discovering healthy foods that fit your lifestyle and budget.
Keep on keeping on! Set new goals that measure your frequency and/or intensity. Look ways to enhance and enjoy your activity. And, never give up!
Tough times will occur, but don't let them derail your healthy habits. Here are a
few ways to stay connected with the plan, reduce stress and stay motivated!
Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for
understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in
heaven.
Daniel 10:12 (NLT)
For Further Learning
For Greater Connecting
For Motivation