What is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast as the name suggests is a partial fast which prohibits the intake of certain foods for a specific amount of time. The fast is based on a story from the biblical Book of Daniel and it restricts its participants from animal products, leavened breads, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol for 10-21 days. Along with food restrictions, participants can also restrict access to selectable lifestyle choices or habits they believe would hinder their growth and success during the period. For example, Netflix, social media, music, parties and so forth. See below a gallery that shows what you can eat:
The Story behind the Daniel Fast
The Daniel Fast is drawn from the Book of Daniel which tells the story of the prophet Daniel who decided to embark on a fast, avoiding rich and indulgent foods that surrounded him and only having vegetables to eat and water to drink. There are two passages in the Bible that the Daniel Fast is based on:
"Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables [pulses] to eat and water to drink." Daniel 1:12
"In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." Daniel 10: 2-3
From this experience, Daniel was said to gain knowledge, wisdom, spiritual understanding, favor, and even better appearance in addition to answered prayer and spiritual insight.
Purpose
Daniels Fast is an act of spiritual devotion where you center your thoughts and actions on God. In the Bible, Jesus told his disciples that God rewards fasting; it is an act of sacrifice which represents your willingness to give of and be blessed. Like Daniel, most persons who opt to participate in this fast are seeking answers, rewards and blessings from God. The fast is an agreement between the participant and God; the terms and conditions are a consensus and thus will vary from one person to the next. Though the Daniel Fast origin sprung from the Bible and should be used for spiritual means, it has become a popular diet tool for weight loss, detox and healthy eating.
How it's done
Choose a specific time period ranging from 10-21 days. The Daniel Fast based on the protagonist in the Bible ought to be done for 10-21 days but in reality, the length of your fast should be dictated by your own needs, affordability, comfortability, endurance and agreement with God.
Eat only the specified foods; fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds
Drink only water
Read the bible or follow a specific scripture agenda for the period
Pray and commune with God
Important: Daniel Fast is person specific and does not need to follow the strict parameters its namesake engaged in. Set your own rules and stick to them
Benefits
Spiritual
Starting your journey to be closer to God
Being in tuned with the word of God
Establishing and or re-establishing your connection with God
Having your prayers answered
Helps with your ability to trust God
Mental
Clears your mind and body of negative thoughts and feelings
Relieves anxiety and nervousness
Physical
Supports weight loss
Breaks sugar addiction
Improves skin and digestion health
Eliminates toxins and detoxifies the body
My Experience
Why I did it
I embarked on the Daniel Fast for spiritual reasons, this wasn’t a weight loss journey, I wasn’t fueled by obsession with the scale or the curves and bulges in all the “wrong places”. I don’t remember having an epiphany or a “Saul” moment (you know the Bible story where Saul on his way to persecute Christians was visited and spiritually transformed by God) but what I remember feeling was a strong sense of urgency and yearning. Urgency to spiritually transform my life in accordance with the laws of God and a yearning to draw closer to him and tell him “Thank you”. I dissected my life; the battles and the blessings that came after and realized that I kept asking and receiving but gave nothing in return; I felt ungrateful and undeserving. So, I started this journey as a show of humility, awareness and servitude.
How I did it
I pride myself on being self-aware; I know my strengths and weaknesses and I act accordingly and compensate for the latter. No animal products for 21 days for a first timer would've been a test I was 100% sure I would fail, so I customized my fast based on my strengths and weaknesses and relied on God for endurance and guidance.
Research
The first thing I did before starting this journey was research; getting familiar with the context and content of the path I was about to tread. Coincidentally, the Daniel Fast popped up in my news feed on Google and YouTube and I was intrigued by its contents. Prior to that I had never heard of the Daniel Fast and I thought that to be a sign. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as I was struggling to find that catalyst to change. There is a wealth of information on the Daniel Fast and as the case with insurmountable knowledge, approach with a critical lens and common sense. More importantly, be reminded this is an agreement between you and God (if the spiritual aspect is what you seek). I watched a bunch of YouTube videos, read several articles and the Bible and consulted my father. Every article, journal and video presented varying views on the topic however one common theme stood out; they all agreed on the food you should and should not consume. I took that as my starting point and customized the rest of the fast based on my needs.
Time – 10-21 days
From my research and consultation with the Bible, Daniel fasted twice. The first fast lasted 10 days and the second fast lasted 21 days, hence, you will see materials referencing 10-21 days. I wanted to show my devotion and commitment to this spiritual journey so I opted to proceed with 21 days. Now this is where I customized the fast to fit my needs. I had never embarked on such food deprivation and was fully aware that 21 days would prove to be too much too fast; I needed to get accustomed to such restrictions. Though I knew my limitations I was committed to doing the 21 days per my agreement with God so I split the 21 days into time periods;
10 days then rested for a week
5 days then rested for a week
4 days then rested for a week
2 days and my 21 days was complete
Some of you may scoff at this because you were able to do the 21 days without a break and kudos to you for that. However, that doesn't make you stronger or me weaker; doesn’t make you more steadfast and me less than; and it doesn’t mean your sacrifice is greater and mine is insignificant. Our journeys are different. Similarly, those of you who are considering this fast whether it be spiritual, mental or physical don’t be deterred or demotivated by the noise, do what's best for you.
Additional restrictions
As previously mentioned, along with the Daniel Fast and completely optional, you can restrict access to things that you feel pose a hinderance to your journey. I have relayed my struggles with social media in past blogs (click here for a refresher), thus, I gave up social media for the first 10 days and books and television for the remainder. I wanted my attention focused solely on God and the mission.
Reading Plan
The Bible was an essential part of my fasting, I researched and found an amazing scripture reading plan that I used throughout my fasting. It offered foods to eat, foods to avoid, devotional resources, worship songs, scriptures and prayer for each day. Click here to view or download the document.
My meal plan
Download my meal plan below.
Benefits to my life
The direct and indirect benefits went beyond my expectations, my cup definitely ranneth (don’t believe this is a word lol) over.
Relationship with God is stronger than it's ever been
Renewed faith and mind
Lessened anxiety and worry
Mind and body detox
Got three amazing job offers
Increased clientele for my side business
Lost weight
This journey was no easy feat especially the initial first 10 days. I struggled immensely with the food restrictions so much so that for the first five days I was obsessed with what I could and could not consume. I almost lost sight of the reasoning behind the fast but managed to reign in my thoughts and focused my days on reading, clearing my mind and praying.
Let me know your thoughts on the Daniel Fast....Have you tried it or would you try it?
Until next time...Julz out
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