How to Perform Daniel Fast?

Most of the people have understood the spiritual and health benefits of fasting. But the question arises: Why do people fast? According to Jeremiah 29:13, 14 God said, “When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.” Fasting is a way to express your wholeheartedness, commitment and devotion towards the Almighty.

There are numerous types of fasts mentioned in Bible; Daniel fasting is one of them. Daniel fasting belongs to partial fasting category in which one is on a restricted diet. You can find the complete concept of Daniel fasting in Daniel 1:8-14. Daniel fasting is done by restricting yourself completely to a vegan or vegetarian diet and dedicated praying. Daniel fast can be done for 3 days, 7 days or 21 days.

Steps to Perform Daniel Fasting

There are a few steps you need to follow for successful accomplishment of Daniel fasting:

• Make sure that during fasting period you eat completely light and vegetarian food.
• Fasting is basically done to spend more time with God hence try to avoid distractions like television, music and radio shows.
• Start your day with unselfish prayer. In fact you can do prayer sessions several times in a day.
• Try to spend maximum time with God and reading the holy Bible.
• Try to visualize, make plans and follow them so as to improve your quality of life.
• Try to increase your daily prayer frequency and time.
• Lastly ask God to guide, support and help you throughout your life.

What Foods to Eat during Daniel Fast?

As mentioned above, during Daniel fasting one is completely on a vegetarian diet. You can eat all types of fruits and vegetables. A few examples are listed below:

• Vegetables: You can eat all types of fresh, dried, canned, frozen or juiced vegetables. You can eat all types of vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, celery, cabbage, onion, watercress, yams, cucumber, eggplant, parsley, radishes, rutabagas, corn, sprouts, turnips, scallions, etc. You can even eat vegetable burgers in case you are not allergic to soy.
• Fruits: All types of fresh canned, frozen, juiced or dried fruits are included. You can eat all sorts of fruits but just don’t limit your choice to apples, bananas, cherries, mangoes, prunes, strawberries, watermelon, tangelos, kiwi, honeydew melon, limes, lemons, oranges, papayas, peaches, pineapples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, plums, etc.
• Nuts and Seeds: All sorts of nuts and seeds can be eaten during Daniel fasting like cashew nuts, sesame, sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc. You can even eat peanut butter during the fasting period.
• Oils: Olive, grape seed, sesame, peanut or canola seed oil can be eaten during Daniel fast.
• Whole Grains: All types of whole grains starting from brown rice, millet, whole wheat, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, rice cakes, popcorns, whole wheat tortillas, barley, oats, grits, etc.
• Legumes: Includes all types of legumes but not restricted to black eyed peas, kidney beans, white beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, lentils, dried beans, split beans etc.
• Beverages and Other Food Items: Water is the best beverage taken during the Daniel fasting period. Other food items you can eat during the fast are soy products, tofu, herbs, spices, seasoning, vinegar and salt.

Foods to Avoid During Daniel Fasting:

Some food items are strictly avoided during Daniel fast. Some of the prohibited food items are listed below:

• Dairy Products: You need to completely abstain yourself from dairy products like milk, butter, cheese, cream, yogurt, etc.
• Meat and Animal Products: You are not supposed to eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, lamb and all types of meat and animal products.
• All types of sweeteners like raw sugar, honey, molasses, cane juice, syrups, etc.
• Processed and refined food products as they contain food additives, food flavorings, artificial preservatives, chemicals, white flour, etc.
• Avoid eating deep fried food items like French fries, corn chips, potato chips, etc.
• Baked items and leavened bread should be avoided while you are fasting.
• Solid fat and its products like margarine, shortening and all foods rich in fat should be avoided.
• Beverages like tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol, energy drinks, and herbal teas are prohibited in Daniel fasting.