The Peaceful Warrior Diet is one that is patterned after the teachings found in the book, "Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives," by self-help guru Dan Millman. The book recommends a lifestyle of understanding and developing your basic self to be the best that you can be. This includes a diet that takes into consideration your body's performance and your level of awareness as you eat. If you want to follow the peaceful warrior lifestyle, your diet is a good place to start.
Function
The purpose of the Peaceful Warrior Diet is to help you become more aware of the foods that you eat and how they affect your body. The peaceful warrior lifestyle, as stipulated in Millman's book, helps you to find the answers to life's hardest questions by using concepts that you already know. Applied to food and diet, the actual diet associated with becoming a peaceful warrior is simple and sensible.
Features
While undertaking The Peaceful Warrior Diet, you make a commitment to eat more whole, raw foods. The second companion book for the lifestyle, "No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life," also by Millman, notes that your diet should be made up of complex carbohydrates and whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and less meat. As you eat, you should become more aware of how the fuel is affecting your body. In fact, Millman notes that your diet should be approached like a sacred ceremony, much like a Japanese tea ceremony.
Advantages
According to Millman in an interview with Menstuff.org, his whole food, aware diet has made him a better gymnast and helped him recover from injury and illness faster. While The Peaceful Warrior Diet has not been formally studied, it's true that a diet high in whole grains, fiber, fruits and vegetables is a balanced way to eat, as referenced by the food pyramid recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Disadvantages
While the Peaceful Warrior Diet is a sensible way to eat, Millman expects that you'll be eating healthier in conjunction with living the other principles of a peaceful warrior way of life. You may not always have the time to approach eating as a sacred ceremony, or it may make it difficult for you to eat out. A thorough reading of the book and understanding of the principles may be the best way to approach this type of diet.
Extremes
The peaceful warrior way of life warns against extremes, and therefore the Peaceful Warrior Diet is not one that focuses on restricting calories for weight loss. Instead, it relies on finding out what works for you, taking your time and being aware. Diets that restrict food groups or caloric intake can be dangerous. Talk to your doctor before beginning the Peaceful Warrior Diet.
References
- "Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives": Dan Millman; 1990
- "No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life": Dan Millman; 1992
- Menstuff.org: Way of the Peaceful Warrior
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