Welcome back to Kickin’ it with Kiki! I have been talking a lot about trying new things as the New Year came around and now it is my turn to let you know how I am sticking by that. My church decided that it would be a good idea to try the Daniel Fast to bring us all closer to God.

The Daniel Fast is a three week long partial fast where participants only eat fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), nuts, and whole grains. During this fast participants also ONLY drink water. We started ours on the fifth of January, the first Sunday of the new year, and it will end on the twenty-sixth of January. In the beginning it was really hard to adjust to the different foods and it took a lot longer to prep my food for the next day or the next week. Towards the end it got easier and easier because my body began to adjust to the different foods and how to function with them.

The first week was kind of hard but not the hardest by far. It was really exciting because I was able to try a lot of new foods and prepare my food in ways I never had before. I was able to learn about different foods and how beans and rice can be added to a lot of different things to make the meal filling. I also tried A BUNCH of new foods and vegetables that I did not use to like or had never tried before such as; squash, onions, and tofu. I learned how to make my own guacamole during the first week which I was able to bring to school and share with others how to make it and why it is so simple to make!

The second week was 100% the hardest. This week was when all of the desires of meat and sugars started to hit really bad but it is also the week where I started having a lot more energy. I wanted to give in and eat whatever I wanted but I knew I could keep going and finish. After I got through the first half of the week I started thriving and I felt like I could take on the whole world. During the second week I learned how to make my own salsa and it was SO GOOD!! I also started making a lot of smoothies and started adding Chia seeds into each to fill me up a little more. Chia seeds are great because they do not really carry a taste into anything and they are healthy for you!

The third week was very easy because the encouragement we got at church each Sunday really fueled me to keep going and go after the heart of God. We tried a lot of different things this past week; we attempted to make our own potato chips which were not crispy like the bagged kind but still tasted really good. We also made butternut squash which was really good because we made it into a type of noodle and ate it with pasta sauce. I have loved learning about new foods and I am able to plan my meals with different types of food now!

I have learned so much through this fast; not only about food but also spiritually. Although this might not be a reason for you to try the Daniel Fast because spirituality is not your thing I encourage you to continue to try new things because it really can be a blessing!