Daniel's Diet: A Biblical Remedy for a Global Epidemic

“America’s Food Crisis and How to Fix It” is the headline of Bryan Walsh’s feature article in the August 31 issue of TIME. In case you haven’t heard, our food system is in peril, and our bodies aren’t faring any better. Our convenience-based approach to cuisine is unsavory and inhumane – and not just for in terms of the animals.

A short excerpt from Walsh’s article offers insight into our deeply flawed food system:

Somewhere in Iowa, a pig is being raised in a confined pen, packed in so tightly with other swine that their curly tails have been chopped off so they won’t bite one another. To prevent him from getting sick in such close quarters, he is dosed with antibiotics. The waste produced by the pig and his thousands of pen mates on the factory farm where they live goes into manure lagoons that blanket neighboring communities with air pollution and stomach-churning stench. He’s fed on American corn that was grown with the help of government subsidies and millions of tons of chemical fertilizer. When the pig is slaughtered, at about five months of age, he’ll become sausage or bacon that will sell cheap, feeding an American addiction to meat that has contributed to an obesity epidemic currently afflicting more than two-thirds of the population.

Meat production using such a method has become the norm, and with it comes all sorts of hidden costs: soil erosion, contaminated food, and climate change (our energy-intensive food system uses 19% of U.S. fossil fuels, more than any other sector of the economy). Nevertheless, those costs are well hidden, so on the surface it costs less to eat poorly. And the more poor people we have, the further entrenched these deplorable habits become. Consider the statistics from Agriculture and Trade Policy’s 2006 report Food Without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity:

• Americans spend over half of every food dollar on ready-prepared, ready-to-eat food, most of which is high in added fats and sugars.
• On any given day, one quarter of U.S. adults eat fast food.
• U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup (an added sugar) increased over 1,000 percent in the last 30 years.
• U.S. consumption of added fats shot up more than 35 percent in that same period.
• The average American consumes over 50 gallons of carbonated soft drinks a year.
• Nearly one-third of our calories come from junk food.
• A full one-third of U.S. vegetable consumption consists of frozen potatoes (mostly French fries), potato chips, and iceberg lettuce

Our bodies cannot tolerate this diet and neither can the earth. Walsh concludes his article with a call for more sustainable solutions. I’ve got one that you won’t hear from any policy wonk, politician, or pundit, but I’ll bet many physicians would endorse it. It’s pretty simple (though not necessarily easy). It’s also pretty ancient, dating back to 605 B.C. I call this solution Daniel’s diet, as it came from (of all places) a bible study I completed on the Old Testament book of Daniel. In it, Beth Moore, an amazing teacher with a gift for making the most archaic passages seem relevant, showed us how young Daniel, a faithful servant of God, managed to live 70 years in service to the king of Babylon without betraying his faith. Setting an example of how to live in the world without succumbing to it, Daniel saw his every action as a way to honor God. His first action came shortly after entering the palace, where the king offered Daniel a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. Here’s Daniel’s response:

“Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet.” So, the attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.” At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. (Daniel 1:12-15)

At first blush, Daniel’s diet sounds positively Spartan. But Beth explained that “vegetables” in the context of the times meant, “that which grows from sown seeds.” This includes vegetables, fruits, grains and bread. In short, it’s a vegan diet. Now before I get too far with this, I admit that I am not a vegan myself, or even a vegetarian. However, I have been more intentional about reducing my meat intake and purchasing organic produce. What will it take to get me the rest of the way? A larger dose of Daniel’s secret ingredient: faith. Ironically, faith is something that grows bigger as you practice it.

As excess goes, the Babylonian Empire wasn’t so different from the American one. What else could explain how 5 percent of the world’s population came to consume over one quarter of the world’s resources? If this lifestyle were evidence of a special blessing from God, we wouldn’t be suffering these maladies. Daniel’s diet could be the remedy we’ve been searching for, both physically and spiritually.

Christian means “Christ follower.” Christ didn’t live in a world of climate change, toxic chemicals, or factory farms, but he did live in a world with plenty of poverty, greed and complacency - just as we do. Jesus compelled his followers to practice generosity, humility and sacrifice in response, and he still does. Daniel’s diet is a way to honor that call.

I may not ever practice Daniel’s diet full time, but I do believe I could start with once a week. (For anyone who wants to try it with me, I recommend Deirdre Imus’ bestselling vegan cookbook. It contains incredible recipes as well as wonderful stories of health and well being from those who eat this diet). Here’s some more food for thought: if we Americans reduced our meat intake by 10 percent, we would have enough grain left over to feed 60 million people! With Daniel’s diet and a dose of faith, each one of us could have a hand in changing the world.

Anna Clark is president of EarthPeople, a sustainability consulting firm. She is an author, speaker, and featured blogger for Greenbiz.com and SustainLane.com. Anna lives in Dallas with her husband and two toddlers in one of the first LEED-certified Platinum residences in Texas.