The Daniel Fast
By Tabitha Ervin
FWIS Editorial Director
Have you ever heard of the Daniel Fast? Several years ago, in January, I did a healthy eating reboot for my system to start the new year and now I have continued to do it year after year. Over time, I discovered the Daniel Fast.
What is the Daniel Fast you might ask..
Here’s a synopsis.
In the Bible, Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) were captives brought to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar for education and military training because they were among the most talented and useful young men. The King offered them special choice food to eat. The King’s special food included meat sacrificed to Babylonian gods. Daniel knew that consuming the meat meant he would be defiling God. He stood firm in his allegiance to God. He made a request to the King’s guard that he and his friends only consume vegetables and water instead of the King’s diet.
The guard was nervous about any health issues Daniels diet would cause (and he was afraid of what the King would do if there was a problem). But Daniel was persistent and asked for a 10 day test of the diet. At the end of those 10 days, Daniel and his friends were physically and mentally superior compared to those who indulged in the King’s food. The guard allowed Daniel and his friends to eat whole plant foods for the duration of their training. At the end of their training the King found them 10 times better than all others in every matter of wisdom and understanding (Daniel 1:1-20).
Later in the book of Daniel, the bible records that he fasted again for 21 days abstaining from choice food, meat and wine as he sought the Lord in prayer (Daniel 10:2-3). From these biblical passages we derive the timeline for fasting and prayer (21 days) and dietary guidelines for the Daniel Fast.
Fasting is abstaining from something important to you (like food, drink or entertainment) for a period of time to direct your focus to God.
There are several types of fasts including:
• Absolute fast - no food or water
• Standard fast - drinking water only
• Partial fast - restricting certain foods (the Daniel fast falls in this category)
• Intermittent fast - only eating during a limited window of time (1pm - 6pm)
• Soul fast - abstaining from entertainment or activities like
social media, shopping and watching television (good for those new to fasting or with health challenges that prevent them from a dietary fast).
The Daniel Fast is considered a partial fast and spiritual discipline that involves abstaining from certain foods and dedicating time to prayer and reflection. Typically people follow these recommendations:
• Foods to avoid: Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, leavened breads, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, and solid fats
• Foods to eat: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats like olive, canola, grapeseed, peanut, and sesame oil
• Drinks: Water, spring water, distilled water, and herbal teas
• Length: Typically 10–21 days
There are books and online guides and even groups that people can join as they participate. There are also churches that lead their congregations in this fast annually.
I personally opt into it for the overall cleansing of my spirit, mind and body as I look to start a new year with a renewed focus. This is also how I became vegetarian. Out of the last 10 years I have been vegetarian for about eight of them. I stopped for two years in the middle and then restarted the last five years.
This is how I choose to start my year in reflection which includes spiritual reflection along with a focus on regulating my system with clean eating. In addition, I also workout regularly.
If you have questions or are curious, I invite you to do some research on the Daniel Fast to see if it’s a good choice for you! https://ultimatedanielfast.com is a good website to start with as well as you will find many churches do this fast and groups online as well.
