(Amusing) Story for the Day: Daniel's Diet

Daniel is most famous for surviving a night with lions. But it's the first time I've read about Daniel's successful diet.

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and conscripted "children of Israel of royal blood and of the nobility, young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment". One of them was Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar "allotted them a daily portion of food and wine" from his own table. But Daniel refused to "defile himself with the king's food or wine". The chamberlain was afraid the king would scold him if Daniel and company refused to eat and became scrawny.

Daniel asked that they be fed vegetables for ten days on a trial basis. After 10 days, he asked to be compared  with the other servants who ate from the royal table.

The bible says, "After ten days they looked healthier and better fed, than any of the young men who ate from the royal table". Vegetarianism FTW :-)